Wichita Egress Windows The Wichita Egress Window Code, Section by Section
Wichita and Sedgwick County enforce the 2018 International Residential Code, adopted by City of Wichita Ordinance 50-833 and Sedgwick County Resolution 120-2018 and carried as Article 2, Section 4 of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code. The ordinance passed August 28, 2018 and took effect January 1, 2019. It is enforced by the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, MABCD, for the City of Wichita, unincorporated Sedgwick County, and the small cities that contract with it. The code is not the model IRC. Wichita rewrote the emergency escape and rescue opening section, and the rewrite is what your inspector reads.
This page lays the two side by side. Every number here comes from the adoption ordinance and the published UBTC text.
R310 line by line: model code vs. Wichita
| Requirement | Model 2018 IRC R310 | Wichita/Sedgwick County UBTC (Sec. 2.4.190, 2.4.220, 2.4.225) |
|---|---|---|
| Net clear opening area | 5.7 sq ft (5.0 sq ft for grade-floor openings) | 4.5 sq ft with the window in the open position, with a total break-out area of 5.7 sq ft |
| Minimum clear height | 24 in | 19 3/4 in (plus or minus 1/4 in) for single-hung, double-hung, and awning windows; other types must reach 4.5 / 5.7 by width times height |
| Minimum clear width | 20 in | 17 in (plus or minus 1/4 in) open position for casements and sliders; 30 1/4 in for single- and double-hung units |
| Sill height | Not more than 44 in above the floor | Amendment publishes no different figure; 44 in is built to and inspected |
| Window well size | At least 9 sq ft, minimum 36 in projection | Amendment publishes no different figure; 9 sq ft and 36 in are built to |
| Ladder trigger | Well deeper than 44 in | Well deeper than 44 in, ladder usable with the window fully open |
| Ladder rungs | At least 12 in wide, projecting 3 in, not more than 18 in on center | At least 12 in wide, projecting 3 in, not more than 12 in on center, full height of the well |
| Cover or guardrail | Covers permitted if releasable without tools | Required on any well deeper than 30 in: guardrail per R312, or a cover rated for 20 psf live load |
| Egress hatch | Not specified | Required in the cover, above the ladder, opening force not over 30 lb, no keys, one operation, no special knowledge |
| Drainage | No section | R310.2.3.2 added: connect to the foundation drain (R405.1) or an approved alternative; where none exists, 12 in of washed gravel or crushed rock under the entire well area; exception only for Group I well-drained or sand-gravel soils |
| One opening per sleeping room | Yes | Unchanged |
| Operable from inside without keys or tools | Yes | Unchanged, and repeated for the hatch |
Two things worth saying plainly. The Wichita amendment replaces the text of the model sections it renumbers, and it does not restate a sill height or a well size. In practice the 44-inch sill and the 9-square-foot, 36-inch well are the numbers everyone in this market builds to and inspects, and they are what we build to. And because a buyer’s inspector or an appraiser from outside the county may carry the model 5.7, we size every window so its net clear opening with the sash simply open beats 5.7. That satisfies Wichita’s 4.5-plus-break-out and the model code in one unit.
What “break-out area” means
Some egress windows have a sash or a fixed panel that can be lifted out or released from inside without tools. The opening with the sash slid open is the net clear opening. The opening with the sash out is the break-out area. Wichita’s code says the everyday open position may be as small as 4.5 square feet as long as the break-out condition delivers 5.7. A plain slider that cannot shed a sash has no break-out area beyond its open position, so it must reach 5.7 the ordinary way. The quote we hand you shows both figures for the specific unit.
Permits: what needs one and what does not
Wichita’s amended R105.2 lists the work exempt from a building permit. Item 14 is the one that matters for basements: replacement of windows or doors with the same size or smaller units that does not involve removing, cutting, or altering any structural member (studs, headers, girders, beams, joists) is exempt. Two limits ride along. The framing used to infill for a smaller unit is exempt, but the smaller unit may not reduce the minimum size of an escape and rescue opening required by R310. So a like-for-like basement window swap is usually permit-free, while cutting a foundation for a new opening, dropping a sill, or widening a jamb is not. That is a permit through MABCD, and a final inspection.
MABCD prices residential remodels off its Table B: $70 for the first $2,000 of valuation plus $11 for each additional $1,000. A $3,500 egress job permits at $92, a $6,500 job at $125. We pass it through at cost. Contractor licensing runs through MABCD too, because Kansas issues no statewide contractor licence; the trades and building licences are local.
Foundations, frost, and expansive soil
The ordinance also amends the foundation chapter in ways an egress dig touches:
- R403.1.4 Minimum depth: all exterior footings at least 24 inches below undisturbed ground.
- R403.1.4.1 Frost protection: “Footings shall not bear on frozen soil. Frost depth in Wichita is 24 inches.” That is why winter digs are possible here more often than in the northern plains, and why a well bottom and its gravel bed still go well past 24 inches on any full-height basement.
- R403.1.8 Foundations on expansive soils: designed per IBC Section 1808.6 or per the Wichita Foundation, Basement and Slab-on-Grade Standards for One and Two Family Dwellings (August 30, 2011), which the ordinance adopts for one- and two-family habitable spaces. Wichita wrote that standard because so much of the county sits on Group D shrink-swell clay. It is the reason a well here gets anchored to the foundation, not set in the dirt.
Which suburb uses which rule
| Town | Permit desk | Residential code |
|---|---|---|
| Wichita, unincorporated Sedgwick County | MABCD | 2018 IRC with the UBTC amendments above |
| Maize, Goddard | City starts the permit; MABCD plan review, inspections, and licence | Same UBTC |
| Andover | City Building & Inspections; MABCD licence plus certificate of insurance | Adopted the UBTC by Ordinance 1957, effective May 13, 2025 |
| Haysville | City Inspections Department | 2018 IRC by Ordinance 581, same 4.5 sq ft amendment, frost depth 24 in |
| Derby | City Building Inspections, own licences | 2024 IRC with amendments, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Valley Center | City, own licence required, own inspections | 2018 IRC |
| Park City | City Planning & Zoning, own licences, own inspections | Confirmed at the counter |
What we will not tell you
That your room “will pass.” The inspection belongs to MABCD or the city, and the inspector reads the code, not our website. What we do is build to every number on this page, show the opening math for your specific window on the quote, file the permit, and stand there for the final. If an inspector flags something on our work, we fix it. That is the correct promise and the whole promise.
For prices see the pricing page. For a room that has already been flagged, the failed inspection page walks the tape measure through every line above, and code and permit help is the service that fixes it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which residential code does Wichita enforce?
The 2018 International Residential Code, adopted by City of Wichita Ordinance 50-833 and Sedgwick County Resolution 120-2018 as Article 2, Section 4 of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code, effective January 1, 2019. MABCD adopted the 2024 International Building Code and Existing Building Code for commercial work with a January 1, 2025 enforcement date, but the residential code on the books is still the 2018 IRC.
Is Wichita's egress opening smaller than the national code?
In the everyday open position, yes: 4.5 square feet of net clear opening instead of 5.7. But the same section requires a 5.7-square-foot break-out area, the opening with a removable sash or panel out, so the window still has to be capable of the model figure. We size to clear 5.7 net clear with the sash simply open, which satisfies both.
Where is Wichita stricter than the model code?
Three places. Ladder rungs must be no more than 12 inches on center, not 18. Any well deeper than 30 inches needs a guardrail or a cover rated for 20 pounds per square foot with an egress hatch above the ladder. And there is a drainage section the model code does not have: a tie-in to the foundation drain, or 12 inches of washed gravel under the entire well.
Does the code for my house change if I live in Derby or Andover?
It can. Derby adopted the 2024 IRC with its own amendments effective January 1, 2026. Andover adopted the Wichita/Sedgwick County Unified Building and Trade Code by Ordinance 1957 effective May 13, 2025, so it reads the same as Wichita. Haysville and Valley Center are on the 2018 IRC; Haysville's ordinance carries the same 4.5-square-foot amendment. Maize and Goddard permit through MABCD. We confirm the current local text at whichever counter your address uses.