Bulletin - Dickinson County, KS News Today
Bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals operating inside single-family homes in the AG-40 and AG-80 agricultural districts can now be approved by county zoning staff without a public hearing
Dickinson County, Kansas Drops Conditional Use Permit for Short-Term Rentals in Farm-Zoned Homes
Bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals operating inside single-family homes in the AG-40 and AG-80 agricultural districts can now be approved by county zoning staff without a public hearing
Photo from https://www.landwatch.com/
Dickinson County commissioners approved Resolution 101526 by voice vote on October 15, moving bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals that operate inside a single-family home in the county’s AG-40 and AG-80 agricultural districts out of the conditional use permit process and into an accessory use that Planning and Zoning staff can approve administratively. For qualifying hosts, the change removes a review that typically took 40 to 60 days.
Dickinson County, Kansas, commissioners’ October 15, 2026 meeting agendas list Resolution 101526 which changes qualifying bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals in AG-40 and AG-80 districts from conditional uses to administratively approved accessory uses. | Source: https://www.dkcoks.gov/
What the Resolution Changes
The resolution amends Sections 21-105 and 21-109 of Article 21 of the county zoning regulations which govern conditional and accessory uses. The previous version of Article 21 listed a bed and breakfast facility as a conditional use which required a public hearing before the Planning Commission and a final decision by the County Commission. The amendment reclassifies these home-based rentals as an accessory use in both agricultural districts and under the existing regulations the county zoning administrator decides whether a proposed use qualifies as accessory.
Planning and Zoning Director Tim Hamilton told commissioners that the Planning Commission and staff both recommended simplifying the process because these rentals usually generate little traffic which is normally the factor that triggers a conditional use permit. The county had received two similar applications within a short period and commissioners noted that the most recent bed-and-breakfast case added roughly three to four weeks because of publication and other procedural steps. Commission Chair Kenny Roelofsen explained at the regular meeting that the commission saw little reason to hold hearings on low-impact rentals unlikely to affect neighbors.
Who Qualifies and What Is Excluded
The streamlined path covers bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals run inside a single-family residence on land zoned AG-40 or AG-80 while facilities with multiple rental units in separate or detached structures do not qualify and still need a conditional use permit. The county charges $200 to file a conditional use permit although county materials do not say whether an administrative approval carries its own fee.
Oversight and Broader Review
Commissioners asked Hamilton to notify them by memo or in his regular staff report whenever staff approves one of these rentals so they can answer questions from the public and Hamilton offered to add the approvals to the summary he already uses to report home occupations.
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He said he is reviewing the full list of conditional uses to find others that could move to administrative approval and will bring any proposals to the commission first while telecommunications towers will stay in the permit process because of federal and state requirements.
Dickinson County, Kansas, Interactive GIS Mapping Portal
Dickinson County’s official ArcGIS portal provides access to interactive maps and geographic data, offering local context for agricultural zoning districts affected by the county’s short-term rental regulation changes.
⦾ Who: Bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals operating inside a single-family residence in the AG-40 and AG-80 districts
⦾ Previous process: Conditional use permit with a Planning Commission public hearing and County Commission vote, typically 40 to 60 days, with a $200 filing fee
⦾ New process: Accessory use approved administratively by Planning and Zoning staff
⦾ Excluded: Multiple rental units in separate or detached structures, which still need a conditional use permit
⦾ Reporting: Staff will notify commissioners of each administrative approval
⦾ Adopted: October 15, 2026 (Resolution 101526)
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