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🌻 Kansas⚡ NEM Pays ~2.4¢/kWh — Size for Self-Consumption

Kansas
Solar Permit Plans.
No State Code.
NEM at Avoided Cost. Size for Self-Consumption.

Two things every Kansas installer needs to know. First: Kansas has no statewide electrical or building code — the NEC edition enforced at any Kansas address is set by the local city or county. Second: Kansas net metering credits exported solar at the utility's system average cost — approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour — not at the retail rate of roughly 11.5 cents. Oversizing a Kansas solar system creates a dramatically worse payback than any proposal model will show.

No statewide code — local jurisdiction governs Wichita/Sedgwick: NEC 2023 (eff. Jan 2025) NEM: ~2.4¢/kWh avoided cost — not retail Evergy: project-specific diagrams required All 105 Counties
No State CodeLocal AHJ determines NEC edition
~2.4¢/kWh NEMSystem average cost — not retail ~11.5¢
Size for Self-UseExport earns 20% of retail value
Evergy: No GenericsProject-specific diagrams only
No State CodeLocal AHJ governs
Wichita: NEC 2023Most metros: NEC 2017/2018
~2.4¢/kWh NEMAvoided cost — size for self-use
Evergy + EmpireTwo IOUs + co-ops
105 CountiesAll covered
AHJ-ReadyLocal code confirmed per jurisdiction
24–48 HrsTypical residential turnaround
🔄
Free RevisionsFor AHJ-requested corrections
🌎
150+ PartnersSolar installers, EPCs & roofers
Kansas Solar Permits — 2026

Two Things That Define Every Kansas Solar Project. Code Varies by City. Export Pays a Fraction of Retail.

Permit Design builds Kansas solar permit plan sets for solar installers, EPCs, and roofing companies across all 105 counties. Kansas is a home rule state with no statewide electrical or building code applicable to private construction. The NEC edition enforced at any Kansas project address is set exclusively by the local city or county. Wichita and Sedgwick County adopted NEC 2023 effective January 1, 2025. Most other Kansas metro areas — Topeka, Overland Park, Lawrence, Manhattan — enforce NEC 2017 or NEC 2018. Some rural and unincorporated counties have no adopted electrical code, in which case Kansas Corporation Commission rules still govern the interconnection application to Evergy or Empire District.

The net metering structure is Kansas's most consequential solar fact. For customers who began operating a solar system on or after July 1, 2014, Kansas law credits net excess generation at the utility's monthly system average cost of energy — approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour. Kansas's retail electricity rate averages approximately 11.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Exported solar earns less than one-quarter of the value of self-consumed solar. A system sized to maximize annual production rather than annual self-consumption will deliver a dramatically worse real-world payback than the proposal model projects. Kansas solar proposals should target system size at 100 to 110 percent of annual household consumption, minimizing export and maximizing bill offset.

Last updated: June 2026 · Kansas net metering system average cost rate, Wichita/Sedgwick NEC 2023 adoption, and Evergy interconnection requirements confirmed as of June 2026.

Kansas Net Metering

Kansas NEM Pays ~2.4¢/kWh. Retail Is ~11.5¢/kWh. Every Exported kWh Earns 20 Cents on the Dollar.

The Kansas Net Metering and Easy Connection Act requires Evergy and Empire District to offer net metering — but the compensation rate for exported energy is set at the utility's system average cost, not the retail rate. Understanding this gap is the most important conversation a Kansas solar installer can have with a prospective customer.

Self-Consumed Solar
~11.5¢/kWh
Every kilowatt-hour your solar system generates and the household uses directly offsets a retail-rate grid purchase at the full Kansas retail rate. This is the primary value driver of Kansas solar — and why system sizing for self-consumption is the right approach.
Exported Solar (NEG)
~2.4¢/kWh
Net excess generation exported to the Evergy or Empire District grid is credited at the utility's monthly system average cost — approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour. This credit rolls forward monthly and cannot be cashed out. Any remaining credit balance expires on March 31 each year for pre-2014 customers or rolls forward for post-2014 customers.
The Export Penalty
~79% Value Loss
Exporting a kilowatt-hour earns 2.4 cents when it could have offset a retail purchase worth 11.5 cents. Oversize a Kansas solar system by 30% — generating 30% more than the household annually consumes — and the top 30% of production is worth 79% less per kWh than the self-consumed 70%. This gap directly destroys proposal payback models that don't account for it.
The right sizing target for Kansas: 100–110% of annual consumption. A well-sized Kansas solar system produces approximately what the household consumes annually — maximizing the valuable self-consumption offset while minimizing the low-value exports. Solar Reviews recommends sizing at about 75% of maximum production capacity to avoid exporting during peak summer months. The Kansas Corporation Commission's program cap requires systems to be sized appropriately for the customer's anticipated electric load. Evergy uses the lower of last 12 months of customer usage or the state maximum to determine the maximum eligible system size.
Kansas Code Landscape

No Statewide Code. Wichita Has NEC 2023. Topeka Has NEC 2017. Some Rural Counties Have Nothing.

Kansas's home rule framework means the NEC edition and structural codes enforced at any project address are determined by the local city or county — not by a state standard. Permit Design verifies the specific jurisdiction's adopted editions before building any Kansas plan set.

Wichita + Sedgwick County — NEC 2023
NEC 2023 · 2024 IBC · 2018 IRC — Eff. January 1, 2025
Wichita and Sedgwick County — administered by the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) — adopted NEC 2023 with amendments effective January 1, 2025. The 2024 IBC and 2018 IRC are the structural codes in force. MABCD requires solar PV systems to be installed by a MABCD-licensed electrical contractor. Project-specific plans, engineering, equipment specifications, and one-line drawings are required. Wichita is the largest solar market in Kansas and the only major Kansas metro on NEC 2023 as of 2026.
Other Metro Areas + Rural Kansas
NEC 2017 / 2018 Metro · No Code Rural
Most major Kansas metro jurisdictions outside Wichita — Topeka, Lawrence, Manhattan, Salina, Overland Park, and Olathe in Johnson County — enforce NEC 2017 or NEC 2018 alongside 2018 IBC and IRC editions. Johnson County municipalities vary in their specific adopted editions and local amendments. Many rural unincorporated Kansas counties have no adopted electrical or building code, meaning no local building permit is required — but Evergy or Empire District still require complete interconnection documentation including electrical diagrams and equipment specifications before energizing any solar installation.
Kansas structural loads vary significantly by region. Southwest Kansas and the western plains carry some of the highest ASCE 7 design wind speeds in the Midwest — tornado-corridor counties in Finney, Ford, Meade, and Seward face design wind speeds that drive attachment engineering. Northwestern Kansas (Thomas, Sheridan, Logan counties) also carries high wind exposure. Central and eastern Kansas, including the Wichita metro and the KC metro, are lower-wind environments by comparison but still require confirmed ASCE 7 county-level values. Snow loads across Kansas are relatively modest except for the northwest corner.
Kansas Utilities

Evergy Serves Most of Kansas. Empire District in the Southeast. Co-ops Get 1.5× Avoided Cost.

Kansas has two investor-owned utilities required to offer net metering under the Kansas Net Metering and Easy Connection Act. Rural electric cooperatives must offer parallel generation but not standard net metering.

UtilityTerritoryNEM RateKey Notes
Evergy Kansas CentralWichita, Topeka, Salina, Lawrence, central and eastern KS~2.4¢/kWh system avg costFormerly Westar; project-specific diagrams required; $100 non-refundable processing fee; 30-day review; MABCD-licensed contractor for Wichita projects
Evergy Kansas MetroOverland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Johnson County, KC metro Kansas~2.4¢/kWh system avg costFormerly KCP&L; same Evergy interconnection platform; Johnson County municipalities each have their own local permit requirements
Empire District / LibertySoutheast Kansas — Parsons, Pittsburg, Columbus~2.4¢/kWh system avg costLiberty Utilities subsidiary; same statutory NEM requirements as Evergy
Rural Electric Co-opsRural counties statewide1.5× avoided cost (parallel generation) or voluntary NEMNot required to offer standard net metering; must offer parallel generation at 1.5× avoided cost; some co-ops voluntarily offer standard NEM — verify with the specific co-op
Evergy's project-specific diagram requirement is strictly enforced. Evergy's interconnection application explicitly states: "Generic line drawings from specification manuals will not be accepted." Every Kansas Evergy interconnection submittal must include a project-specific diagram identifying the specific resource type, existing generation, storage devices, inverters, load center, production meter, disconnect switch, and revenue meter for that installation. A legible site plan or map showing all generation sources, associated meters, and storage is also required. See DSIRE Kansas for the current statewide incentive and policy listing.
What's Included

Kansas Solar Permit Plan Set Contents

Every Kansas plan set opens with a jurisdiction-specific code lookup. Evergy interconnection documentation uses project-specific diagrams — never generic spec sheet line drawings. ASCE 7 county-specific wind values are applied, particularly for high-wind southwest and northwest Kansas counties.

Sheet 01
Cover Sheet
Jurisdiction-confirmed NEC edition — Wichita/Sedgwick (NEC 2023, eff. Jan 1, 2025), or the specific metro or rural jurisdiction's adopted edition verified from the local AHJ. Structural code confirmed: 2024 IBC (Wichita), 2018 IBC or IRC for other jurisdictions. Utility identified: Evergy Kansas Central, Evergy Kansas Metro, or Empire District. Net metering program and system average cost rate noted.
Sheet 02
Site Plan
Legible site plan per Evergy interconnection requirements: property boundaries, location of solar generation source, existing generation, energy storage, associated meters, production meter, and disconnect switch — all explicitly identified per Evergy's interconnection application checklist. County noted for ASCE 7 wind lookup — southwest Kansas tornado-corridor counties carry significantly higher design wind speeds than central or eastern Kansas metro areas.
Sheet 03
Roof Layout
Array placement diagram with module count, roof pitch, azimuth, and attachment point spacing per the jurisdiction's adopted structural code. Fire setback pathways per local AHJ. Self-consumption sizing note included: Kansas solar system sized to approximately 100 to 110% of annual household consumption to maximize the retail-rate self-consumption offset and minimize low-value exports at the ~2.4¢/kWh system average cost rate.
Sheet 04
Single-Line Diagram
Project-specific wiring diagram per Evergy requirements — not a generic line drawing. Identifies resource type, inverter make/model, load center, production meter, disconnect switch, and revenue meter for this specific installation per Evergy's interconnection application checklist. For Wichita/Sedgwick (NEC 2023): single rapid shutdown initiator per §690.12, §690.12(D) labeling. For NEC 2017/2018 jurisdictions: multi-device format per §690.56(C) where required. Net metering program noted on diagram.
Sheet 05
Structural Calculations
Kansas-licensed PE stamp on roof framing or racking adequacy. Structural code matched to the specific jurisdiction — 2024 IBC for Wichita, 2018 IRC or IBC for other jurisdictions. ASCE 7 wind values confirmed per the project county — southwest Kansas tornado-corridor counties (Ford, Finney, Seward, Meade) carry high design wind speeds; northwest Kansas border counties (Thomas, Logan, Sheridan) also carry elevated wind exposure. Central and eastern Kansas counties are lower-wind environments.
Sheet 06
Rapid Shutdown
NEC edition matched to the specific jurisdiction. Wichita/Sedgwick (NEC 2023): single initiation device, one-foot array boundary, §690.12(D) label format. Other Kansas jurisdictions on NEC 2017 or 2018: formatted per the locally adopted edition — multi-device or single-device as required. Rural areas with no adopted code: formatted per Evergy's interconnection technical requirements, typically current-NEC-compliant for approval.
Sheet 07
Equipment Datasheets — Project-Specific
Generator source, power inverter, and energy storage specification sheets with current UL certification documentation — as required by Evergy's interconnection application. Per Evergy's explicit requirement: "Generator source, power inverter and storage specification sheets are required proving the most recent UL Certification(s)." Equipment specs are project-specific to this installation, not carried from a prior plan set template. Photos of the proposed meter location, disconnect switch position, and installation site are included in the interconnection package cover materials per Evergy's post-installation documentation requirements. 10-year Kansas property tax exemption eligibility noted.
🏗️ Commercial Solar in Kansas

Also doing commercial rooftop, ground-mount, or agrivoltaic in Kansas?

Kansas commercial solar packages reference the jurisdiction-confirmed IBC edition, the locally adopted NEC, and Evergy or Empire District interconnection documentation with project-specific diagrams. ASCE 7 county wind values applied — southwest Kansas commercial installations in high-wind counties require materially different structural engineering than central Kansas metro projects. USDA REAP grants are available for rural and agricultural Kansas customers and are noted in the project documentation where applicable. Scope and turnaround quoted per project.

Jurisdiction-Confirmed NEC Evergy + Empire District Project-Specific Diagrams USDA REAP Noted
Commercial Quote →
Scope + turnaround quoted per project
Process

How Kansas Solar Permit Plan Sets Work

01

Submit Your Kansas Project

Give us the city or county and street address. We verify the local jurisdiction's adopted NEC edition and building code, confirm whether Evergy Kansas Central, Evergy Kansas Metro, or Empire District serves the address, and pull ASCE 7 county wind values — critical for high-wind southwest and northwest Kansas counties.

02

Built to Local Code + Project-Specific Diagrams

NEC edition matched to the confirmed jurisdiction. Structural code per local adoption. Evergy interconnection documentation uses project-specific diagrams identifying this installation's resource type, inverter, load center, production meter, disconnect, and revenue meter — not a generic template. Kansas-licensed PE stamp on structural sheets.

03

Delivered in 24–48 Hours

The complete 7-sheet Kansas package ships in 24–48 hours. Evergy interconnection documentation is project-specific per Evergy's stated requirements. Net metering system average cost rate noted throughout. Free revisions until the Kansas AHJ approves.

First-Time Kansas Clients

Try Us on Your First Kansas Project. Free.

New to Permit Design? Send your first Kansas residential project and we will produce the full 7-sheet package at no charge — jurisdiction-confirmed NEC edition and structural code, ASCE 7 county-specific wind values, and Evergy or Empire District project-specific interconnection diagrams per the utility's stated requirements.

⚠️ For licensed solar installers, EPCs, and roofing companies only. Individual homeowners and residential end customers are not eligible. One free residential plan set per company.

Claim Your Free KS Plan Set →
NEC edition confirmed per local AHJ
Structural code per jurisdiction
ASCE 7 county wind + snow
Evergy project-specific diagrams
Free revisions until AHJ approval
FAQ

Kansas Solar Permit Design — Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the jurisdiction. Kansas has no statewide electrical code for private construction. Wichita and Sedgwick County adopted NEC 2023 effective January 1, 2025. Most other major Kansas jurisdictions — Topeka, Overland Park, Lawrence, Manhattan — enforce NEC 2017 or NEC 2018. Some rural unincorporated counties have no adopted electrical code. Every Kansas plan set starts with a local code verification for the specific city or county.
Kansas net metering for customers who interconnected on or after July 1, 2014 credits net excess generation at the utility's monthly system average cost — approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to a retail rate of roughly 11.5 cents. Every kilowatt-hour exported earns less than one-quarter of what it would be worth if self-consumed. Kansas solar systems should be sized to maximize self-consumption rather than maximize total annual production. Pre-July 2014 customers are on 1:1 retail credits.
Size for self-consumption, not maximum production. Kansas net metering credits export at ~2.4¢/kWh while self-consumed solar offsets retail electricity at ~11.5¢/kWh. A system sized to produce more than the household annually consumes will see its surplus export earn less than one-quarter of retail value. The right approach: target 100 to 110 percent of annual household consumption, minimizing export while maximizing the valuable bill offset. Evergy also uses the lower of last 12 months of usage or the state maximum to determine maximum eligible system size.
Evergy (Kansas Central and Kansas Metro) serves the majority of Kansas including Wichita, Topeka, Salina, Lawrence, and the Kansas City metro area. Empire District (Liberty Utilities) serves southeast Kansas. Rural electric cooperatives are not required to offer standard net metering but must offer parallel generation at 1.5 times the avoided cost rate. Some co-ops voluntarily offer standard net metering — verify with the specific cooperative.
Kansas has no statewide building code for private construction. Wichita and Sedgwick County enforce NEC 2023, 2024 IBC, and 2018 IRC. Most other major metro jurisdictions use NEC 2017 or 2018 and 2018 IBC/IRC. Some rural counties have no adopted building code. ASCE 7 county-specific wind values are applied for structural calculations — southwest and northwest Kansas carry significantly higher design wind speeds than central or eastern Kansas metro areas.
Evergy requires project-specific wiring diagrams — generic line drawings from spec manuals are explicitly not accepted. The diagram must identify resource type, existing generation, storage, inverters, load center, production meter, disconnect switch, and revenue meter. A legible site plan or map identifying all generation, storage, and meter locations is required. Generator, inverter, and storage specification sheets with current UL certifications are required. A non-refundable $100 processing fee accompanies the application. Evergy reviews residential applications within 30 days.
No. Kansas offers a 10-year property tax exemption for solar systems — the added home value from solar is excluded from property tax assessment for 10 years after installation under K.S.A. 79-201 Eleventh. Kansas has no state income tax credit for solar. The federal Section 25D residential credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. USDA REAP grants are available for qualifying rural and agricultural Kansas customers. Some rural electric cooperatives have historically offered small installation rebates — verify with the specific cooperative.
Kansas co-ops are not required to offer standard net metering but must provide parallel generation at 1.5 times the utility's avoided cost per kilowatt-hour. Some cooperatives voluntarily elect to offer standard net metering at or near retail rates; others use only the parallel generation formula. The terms vary significantly by co-op. Verify the specific co-op's current solar policy and compensation rate directly before finalizing any rural Kansas proposal.
Permit Design delivers Kansas solar permit plan sets within 24-48 hours. Every plan set starts with a jurisdiction-specific code verification. Evergy interconnection documentation uses project-specific diagrams formatted to Evergy's stated requirements. ASCE 7 county wind values applied per the specific project county. Free revisions until the Kansas AHJ approves.
Kansas Solar Market — 2026

Kansas Solar by the Numbers

~2.4¢/kWh
NEM Export Rate — System Average Cost
Kansas credits net exported solar at the utility's monthly system average cost — approximately 2.4 cents per kilowatt-hour for Evergy customers. This rate is set by the utility's wholesale energy procurement costs and changes monthly. Against a retail rate of approximately 11.5 cents, the export credit is worth about 21 cents on the dollar. Sizing for self-consumption is the most important financial decision in Kansas solar.
10-Year
Property Tax Exemption
Kansas law (K.S.A. 79-201 Eleventh) provides a 10-year property tax exemption for all renewable energy generation equipment, including residential solar. The added home value from solar panels is excluded from property tax assessment for a full decade after installation. Notably, a 2022 Kansas Supreme Court ruling found that the property tax exemption does not extend to batteries used in residential solar systems — battery storage adds cost without the same tax benefit.
5.0–5.4
Peak Sun Hours — Daily Average
Kansas averages 5.0 to 5.4 peak sun hours per day across most of the state — Wichita, Topeka, and Salina all post strong solar resource figures. The northwest corner of the state, with lower cloud cover, edges slightly higher. Kansas's solid solar resource makes self-consumption-sized systems genuinely productive, with annual production estimates comparable to the Southwest for well-designed arrays.
NEC 2023
Wichita/Sedgwick Only — Most Others on 2017/18
Wichita and Sedgwick County are the only major Kansas jurisdiction on NEC 2023 as of 2026, having adopted it effective January 1, 2025 through MABCD. Most other Kansas metro areas — Topeka, Overland Park, Lawrence — remain on NEC 2017 or 2018. This creates a multi-edition environment within a single state that is particularly challenging for multi-city Kansas installers who don't maintain jurisdiction-specific plan set templates.
No State Code
Home Rule — 105 Jurisdictions Set Own Rules
Kansas's home rule framework means permit documentation, NEC edition, structural code, and local amendments are all set at the city or county level. Installers working across multiple Kansas communities deal with as many different code environments as cities they serve. The Kansas Codes Collaborative has worked to document local adoptions, but the definitive authority is always the local building department directly.
~$0.115/kWh
Evergy Retail Rate — 2026 Average
Kansas residential electricity rates average approximately 11.5 cents per kilowatt-hour as of early 2026 — below the national average but rising approximately 4% year-over-year. Rising retail rates narrow the payback period for self-consumption-sized Kansas solar installations. The gap between the retail rate and the ~2.4¢/kWh export credit will widen in dollar terms as retail rates increase, further reinforcing the self-consumption sizing strategy.
Kansas AHJ Rejections

Top 3 Reasons Kansas Solar Permits and Interconnection Applications Get Rejected

Three issues account for most Kansas plan set and interconnection application rejections — two from Evergy's requirements and one from the multi-edition code landscape.

01
Generic Line Drawing Submitted to Evergy
Evergy's interconnection application explicitly states: "Generic line drawings from specification manuals will not be accepted." Installers who submit a stock single-line diagram from an inverter manufacturer's spec manual, or a reused prior-project diagram with only the customer name changed, will have the application returned. Evergy requires each submission to show the specific inverter, load center, production meter, disconnect switch, and revenue meter location for this installation at this address.
Evergy Interconnection Application — project-specific requirement
How we prevent it: Every Evergy interconnection package includes a project-specific diagram built for this installation — resource type, inverter make/model, load center, meter locations, and disconnect identified for the specific address. No generic templates are submitted to Evergy.
02
Wrong NEC Edition for the Specific Jurisdiction
Using NEC 2023 formatting for a Topeka or Overland Park project (NEC 2017 or 2018) — or using NEC 2017 formatting for a Wichita project (NEC 2023 since January 1, 2025) — generates corrections at the local building department. Kansas's multi-edition environment requires installers to maintain jurisdiction-specific plan set templates rather than a single statewide document. The Wichita transition to NEC 2023 in January 2025 created a specific mismatch for installers who hadn't updated Wichita templates.
Local AHJ NEC adoption · Wichita NEC 2023 eff. Jan 1, 2025
How we prevent it: We verify the specific jurisdiction's adopted NEC edition before any electrical documentation is drafted — Wichita gets NEC 2023 formatting; other Kansas jurisdictions get their own confirmed edition.
03
Southwest Kansas Wind Loads Underspecified
Ford County (Dodge City), Finney County (Garden City), Meade County, and other southwest Kansas counties carry ASCE 7 design wind speeds significantly above what applies in Wichita or the Kansas City metro. Structural calculations using Wichita or statewide-average Kansas wind values for a southwest Kansas installation are flagged by local engineers and building officials. The Dodge City area is one of the windiest populated areas in the United States by annual average wind speed.
ASCE 7 · 2018 IRC Ch. 3 · SW Kansas tornado corridor
How we prevent it: ASCE 7 design wind speed and exposure category are confirmed per the specific project county. Southwest Kansas tornado-corridor counties receive their own verified ASCE 7 values — never averaged with central or eastern Kansas metro figures.
🛡️

The Permit Design Commitment

What every Kansas installer, EPC, and roofing company gets from Permit Design on every project.

24–48 Hour Turnaround on Standard Residential Solar Projects
No-Cost Revisions for AHJ Corrections Related to Our Design
Code-Compliant Plans Built to Current NEC, Utility & Local Requirements
Support Through Permit Approval — We Don't Disappear After Delivery
Reviewed & Verified By PE-stamped plan sets across all 50 states · Kansas net metering system average cost rate confirmed via KCC docket · Wichita/Sedgwick NEC 2023 adoption (eff. Jan 1, 2025) confirmed via MABCD · Evergy project-specific diagram requirement verified from published interconnection application
AHJ-ReadyPer local jurisdiction
150+Installer partners
50US states covered
105 CountiesAll KS covered
Permit SupportThrough AHJ approval
Last reviewed: June 2026·About Permit Design →
No Statewide Code~2.4¢/kWh NEMEvergy Project-SpecificSize for Self-Consumption

Kansas Solar Permits —
Local Code Confirmed. Project-Specific. NEM Math Honest.

Jurisdiction-Confirmed NEC · Evergy Project-Specific Diagrams
~2.4¢/kWh NEM · 105 Counties · 24–48 Hours

First-time Kansas client? Your first residential plan set is on us. Mention "free trial" in your order notes.