Wichita and Sedgwick County Contractor License Renewal
Last reviewed October 2026 · 10 min read
The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) licenses contractors for the City of Wichita, unincorporated Sedgwick County and the small cities in its jurisdiction. Licenses run two years and expire on December 31: general contractor licenses (Class A, B, C and D and the other general classes) in even years, so the current ones expire December 31, 2026, and trade contractor licenses (electrical, mechanical, plumbing and the other trades) in odd years. The general contractor application gives a grace period without penalty through January 31 and adds a 25% penalty in February and 50% after that, but no permits are issued or inspections scheduled after December 31 until the license and certificates of insurance are renewed. Every renewal needs a certificate of liability insurance for at least $300,000 naming MABCD as certificate holder, plus workers' compensation and auto certificates or notarized waivers. A trade license renewal also needs the master's trade certificate renewed first, with 12 hours of continuing education.
At a glance
- Who issues it
- The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD), which follows the adopted codes for Sedgwick County, including the licensing of contractors. Its contractor licenses are for unincorporated Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita and the small cities in MABCD's jurisdiction. MABCD does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions
- Small cities
- To work in the small cities MABCD serves, make sure your MABCD contractor license (General or Trade) is up-to-date and active, and contact the city to start the permitting process. Valley Center requires contractors to have a Valley Center license as well as a MABCD license. For the other nearby cities MABCD's jurisdictions page lists separately, among them Bel Aire, Derby, Kechi and Park City, contact the city for permitting and licensing: MABCD may or may not perform any services for them
- General contractor licenses
- Expire on Dec. 31 every even year: Class A/B/C/D, Cell Tower, Roofing and/or Siding, Swimming Pool, Wrecking and NOC (not otherwise classified). That makes the current ones due December 31, 2026. Each runs 2 years
- Trade contractor licenses
- Expire on Dec. 31 every odd year: Drain Cleaner, Drain Layer, Electrical, Elevator, Fire Suppression, Gas Fitter, Handicap Accessibility, Lawn Irrigation, Mechanical, Plumbing, Refrigeration, Sheet Metal and Solid Fuel. That makes the current ones due December 31, 2027. Each runs 2 years, and no permits will be issued or inspections scheduled on an expired license
- General license fees
- For 2 years, from the general contractor application (MABCD Form #7): Class A $1000, Class B $600, Class C (Residential) $450, Class D (Residential Maint.) $360, and $360 each for Cell Tower, Fire Sprinkler, Roofing, Siding, Roofing & Siding, Swimming Pool, Wrecking and Not Otherwise Classified. A new license adds a $50 application fee. MABCD's fee table lists Class D for the Wichita jurisdiction only
- Trade license fees
- All trade contractor licenses are $360.00 (MABCD Form #45A). If you hold an Air Conditioning License and Master Certificate, the Refrigeration License and Certificate are free; if you hold a Plumbing License and Master Certificate, the Drain Layer and Lawn Irrigation License and Certificate are free
- General license grace period
- The general contractor application says there is a grace period without penalty through January 31st. After January 31st of the renewal year, the fee is the license fee plus 25% of it as a penalty from February 1st to 28th (or 29th), and the license fee plus 50% after that. No permits or inspections will be issued or scheduled after December 31st unless the license and certificate(s) of insurance are renewed
- Insurance
- A certificate of liability insurance for at least $300,000 in General Liability showing MABCD as the certificate holder, reading: MABCD, 271 W. 3rd, Suite 101, Wichita, KS 67202. The insurer must be accepted by the State of Kansas (include a valid NAIC number); the name of the insured must match the company name on the application (for a sole proprietor, "applicant name dba company name"), and the insured's address must match the applicant's local or business office. Also a Worker's Compensation certificate of insurance or updated waiver, and an Auto certificate of insurance or updated waiver; waivers must be signed and notarized. Current certificates for general liability, auto and workers' comp must be on file
- Other renewal documents
- The contractor license application, front and back, signed by everyone (the qualified person and the owner, sole proprietor, all partners or an officer of the corporation or LLC); a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State (not required for a sole proprietor); and, for Roofing and Roofing & Siding contractors, the State of Kansas Roofer Registration Certificate
- Trade certificate first
- A trade license renewal includes the Trade Certificate for the master or qualified person, submitted at the same time. MABCD's online renewal instructions say the Master Certificate Holder (Qualified Person) must renew their Master Certificate before the company license can be renewed. The trade license renewal also asks for certificates of completion for 12 hours of approved continuing education, six of them code related in the specific trade
- Master and journeyman certificates
- MABCD requires journeyman and master tradespeople (electrical, mechanical and plumbing) to hold trade certificates to work in Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita. Certificates are good for two years. To renew: the Trade Certificate application (Form 19A), your CEU certificates and the $35 fee. MABCD does not receive copies of CEU certificates of completion from the CEU providers, so provide (or upload) the original certificates you got during the previous cycle
- Continuing education
- Twelve CEUs must be completed by the certificate expiration, with no exceptions. Each year every journeyman and master completes three trade-specific CEUs and three general CEUs, so six hours relating to your trade plus six hours of general trade education are needed to renew. MABCD's Continuing Education page lists its approved classes
- Expired certificate
- Letting a certificate expire adds CEU hours above the required hours: none if renewed January 1 through March 31 (the grace period), 1.5 hours April 1 through June 30, 3 hours July 1 through August 31, and 4.5 hours September 1 through December 31. After December 31, see the Section Chief
- How to renew
- Online in the MABCD portal (mabcdportal.sedgwickcounty.org): your user name is the last 5 digits of your license number (pad a shorter number with zeros), and you upload the renewal documents. Staff take up to 5 business days to review them and may call or email for corrections; an email from noreply@sedgwick.gov then says the application is approved, and you pay the fee by credit card in the portal under My License Fees. You can also renew in person by appointment only, booked through MABCD's appointment system
- Contact
- MABCD, 271 W. 3rd, Suite 101, Wichita, KS 67202: 316-660-1840 for licensing questions
MABCD's own pages don't agree on when a few licenses expire: the licensing page lists Solar with the even-year general contractor licenses and Mobile Home Installer with the odd-year trade licenses, while its fee table puts Solar in odd years, Mobile Home Installer in even years and Fire Sprinkler under both (the licensing page and the general contractor application put Fire Sprinkler in even years). The general contractor application also says Mobile Home Installers are licensed with the State of Kansas, with no MABCD renewal fee but a biennial application. If you hold one of these, check its date with MABCD at 316-660-1840.
The 25% and 50% penalties and the grace period through January 31 come from MABCD's general contractor application. The trade contractor application doesn't name a grace period: it only says no permits will be issued or inspections scheduled on an expired license.
How to renew
- Find your license's group: a general contractor license (Class A, B, C, D and the other general classes) expires December 31 of even years, so December 31, 2026; a trade contractor license (electrical, mechanical, plumbing and the other trades) expires December 31 of odd years.
- Ask your agent for a certificate of liability insurance for at least $300,000 in General Liability with MABCD, 271 W. 3rd, Suite 101, Wichita, KS 67202 as certificate holder, the insured's name matching the company name on your application and the insurer's NAIC number. Get your workers' compensation and auto certificates too, or sign and notarize updated waivers.
- Fill out the contractor license application, front and back, and have everyone sign it: the qualified person and the owner, all partners or an officer. Add a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State unless you're a sole proprietor, and, for roofing, your State of Kansas Roofer Registration Certificate.
- Trade contractors: renew the master's trade certificate first (Form 19A, the original CEU certificates for 12 hours, six of them code related in the trade, and the $35 fee). The company license can't be renewed before it.
- Log in to the MABCD portal (user name: the last 5 digits of your license number), upload the documents, and pay by credit card once the approval email from noreply@sedgwick.gov arrives. Staff take up to 5 business days to review, so don't leave it to the last week. Or book an in-person appointment.
- General contractors: renew by December 31 to keep pulling permits and scheduling inspections. The application's grace period without penalty runs through January 31; after that the penalty is 25% of the license fee in February and 50% after February.
Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.
Start freeDeadline checklist
- 3 months outTrade contractors: count the master's CEUs for the certificate cycle (twelve, three trade-specific and three general each year) and book what's missing. Keep the original certificates: MABCD doesn't get copies from the providers.
- 45 days outAsk your agent for a liability certificate of at least $300,000 with MABCD as certificate holder, plus workers' compensation and auto certificates or notarized waivers.
- 1 month outTrade contractors: renew the master's trade certificate (Form 19A, CEU certificates, $35) first. Then submit the company license renewal in the MABCD portal. Allow up to 5 business days for review before you can pay.
- December 31Licenses expire. No permits are issued or inspections scheduled on an expired license.
- February 1General contractors: the application's grace period has ended, and the penalty is 25% of the license fee through February, then 50%.
Put this renewal in your calendar
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The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar
The license isn't the only thing expiring
Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:
- The master's trade certificate behind a trade license (and any journeyman certificates your crew holds), good for two years, with 12 CEUs completed by its expiration
- The certificates of insurance on file with MABCD: general liability, workers' compensation and auto (or the notarized waivers)
- Your State of Kansas Roofer Registration Certificate, if you're a roofing or roofing and siding contractor: MABCD asks for it at renewal
- Any license a small city requires besides MABCD's, such as Valley Center's
- General liability insurance policy
- Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
- Commercial auto insurance
LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.
Track your renewal dates freeFrequently asked questions
When does a Wichita or Sedgwick County contractor license expire?
On December 31. General contractor licenses (Class A/B/C/D, Cell Tower, Roofing and/or Siding, Swimming Pool, Wrecking and NOC) expire every even year, so the current ones are due December 31, 2026. Trade contractor licenses (including Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing) expire every odd year. Each runs 2 years.
How much does it cost to renew a MABCD contractor license?
For 2 years: Class A $1000, Class B $600, Class C (Residential) $450, Class D (Residential Maint., Wichita jurisdiction only) $360, and $360 each for Cell Tower, Fire Sprinkler, Roofing, Siding, Roofing & Siding, Swimming Pool, Wrecking and Not Otherwise Classified. All trade contractor licenses are $360.00. A master or journeyman trade certificate is $35.
Is there a grace period for a MABCD general contractor license?
The general contractor application gives a grace period without penalty through January 31st, then charges the license fee plus 25% of it from February 1st to 28th (or 29th) and plus 50% after that. No permits or inspections will be issued or scheduled after December 31st unless the license and certificate(s) of insurance are renewed.
What insurance does MABCD require?
A certificate of liability insurance for at least $300,000 in General Liability showing MABCD as the certificate holder, from an insurer accepted by the State of Kansas, with the insured's name matching the company name on the application. Also a workers' compensation certificate and an auto certificate, or signed and notarized waivers.
How much continuing education do MABCD trade certificates need?
Twelve CEUs, completed by the certificate expiration with no exceptions: each year three trade-specific CEUs and three general CEUs, since certificates are good for two years.
Official sources
Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Other Kansas guides
2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month
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