Independence Demolition Pros: The City of Independence Demolition Permit, Step by Step

5 min read

Independence Demolition Pros reads the City of Independence, Missouri demolition checklist to every caller who asks what happens first, because the City's answer is specific: the submittal must be completed before any utility disconnection starts, and the permit issues only after every utility has verified its disconnect. This guide walks through the checklist as the City publishes it, then the state asbestos rule and the historic review that run beside it.

A $200 to $600 permit and an inspected sewer kill are the cheapest lines on an Independence teardown; starting the disconnects before the submittal is complete, or pulling a wall before the permit issues, draws a stop-work order that costs far more in idle machine days than the permit ever would.

Open basement with the sewer line capped and silt fence in place, the City of Independence, Missouri inspection point before a demolition permit issues

Step one, the submittal

The City wants five things on the desk at Community Development, 111 East Maple Avenue, before anything else moves: a completed and signed demolition permit application; a site plan showing the street names, the location of the sewer, gas and electric lines, any other structures on the property and the distances from the structure to the property lines; the signed demolition contract with the owner (or a Notice to Proceed for a City-initiated demolition); a certificate of liability insurance with minimum coverage of $100,000 for bodily injury, $300,000 for any one accident and $100,000 for property damage, listing the City of Independence as an additional insured in the description of operations; and the permit fee.

The fee is set by the square footage of the existing structure, which the application requires for every permit: $200 for 0 to 1,000 square feet, $400 for 1,001 to 5,000, and $600 for 5,001 and above. The application also asks the number of stories, the number of structures coming down, the dimensions, the proximity to the property lines, and two yes-or-no questions that matter: whether all buildings, structures and signage on the property will be removed, because the ordinance requires every structure to be demolished with the primary one and no sign to remain, and whether the work includes hazardous-material abatement, in which case the landfill disposal tickets must reach the City before the final inspection.

Where: Community Development, Building Inspections, 111 E Maple Ave, Independence MO 64050; 816-325-7401
Fee: $200 to 1,000 sq ft; $400 to 5,000; $600 above
Insurance: $100,000 / $300,000 / $100,000, City as additional insured
Licence: City of Independence business licence for every demolition contractor; 816-325-7079

Step two, the utilities verify

Independence owns its electric and water utilities, which makes this step simpler than in the surrounding towns. Once the application is submitted, water and electric meter removal and disconnection happen automatically; questions go to Utility Customer Service at 816-325-7677. Water lines are capped at the main, and capped-line inspections come from Water Services at 816-325-7664 under a right-of-way permit from Municipal Services at 816-325-7617; an owner who wants to keep the water tap for a new house contacts Water Engineering at 816-325-7650. Sewer disconnection, or a septic system pump-down and collapse, goes through Municipal Services at the same number, and that is where the erosion-control requirements and the inspection are explained. Gas is Spire Energy, reached at the workload-planning address on the checklist. After the Community Development Department has received verification of every disconnect, the demolition permit is issued.

Step three, erosion control and the sewer kill inspection

The application commits the applicant to establishing erosion control before any utilities are removed or any work is done on the site, ahead of the permit. The Public Works Department handles the erosion-control requirements and inspects the sewer kill and the erosion control at the same visit; questions go to 816-325-7619. In practice the silt fence goes up, the sewer is killed at the main, Public Works looks at both, and the permit follows the utility verifications. The order matters because the City will not let a structure come down over an open sewer or without the silt fence in place.

Skid steer breaking a concrete driveway at the curb in Independence, Missouri, where the approach and sidewalk fall under the City right-of-way permit

A written price from a local demolition contractor costs nothing to ask for, and it settles most of the questions in this guide for your own property.

Call (816) 846-2347

The two steps the City does not run

The checklist points to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for asbestos, and that is a separate process with its own clock. Missouri's rules require a licensed asbestos inspector to go through a regulated structure before demolition, and a Notification of Demolition on form MO 780-1923 to the Air Pollution Control Program at least ten working days before the work, with the inspection report and lab results attached, even when nothing is found. The asbestos inspection page covers the thresholds and the single-family question; the rules themselves are at dnr.mo.gov.

The other is the historic review. Under the Independence Historic Preservation Ordinance (number 13757, Article 30 of Chapter 1 of the City Code), every demolition application goes to Historic Preservation staff to determine whether the property meets the criteria for historical or architectural significance. Most do not and clear quickly. A property found significant or potentially significant goes to the Heritage Commission, and the applicant and owner are told what further documentation the Commission needs; questions go to 816-325-7419. The older streets of Englewood, Procter, Mount Washington and Fairmount are where that review is most likely to take time.

Who can pull the permit

Every demolition contractor needs a valid City of Independence business licence, obtained at City Hall or online, and the application's contractor section is required. One exception is written into the form: a homeowner who personally occupies the house and undertakes the demolition of that single-family residence or an accessory structure is not required to have a demolition contractor. The state asbestos rules and the City's final inspection still apply to that owner. For a house demolition in the city, the crews we work with file the submittal on the day the contract is signed, because the utility verifications and the asbestos notice set the start date, not the excavator's calendar. Outside the city, in Blue Springs or any of the other towns, the form and the office change and the sequence is similar. The City's checklist and application are published at independencemo.gov.

Primary sources: the City's checklist and ordinance at independencemo.gov, the state asbestos rules at dnr.mo.gov, the Code of State Regulations at sos.mo.gov, and the federal asbestos NESHAP at epa.gov.

Frequently asked questions

Questions this guide gets asked

What does the City of Independence require for a demolition permit?

A signed application, a site plan showing sewer, gas and electric lines, the signed demolition contract, a certificate of liability insurance at $100,000, $300,000 and $100,000 naming the City as additional insured, and the fee, all before any utility is disconnected.

How much is a demolition permit in Independence?

$200 for a structure up to 1,000 square feet, $400 for 1,001 to 5,000, and $600 for 5,001 and above.

Who disconnects the utilities?

The City pulls the water and electric meters automatically once the application is in. Municipal Services handles the sewer kill or septic collapse, and Spire disconnects the gas. The permit issues after every utility verifies.

Does the City inspect anything before the teardown?

Public Works inspects the sewer kill and the erosion control together, and Water Services inspects capped water lines at the main under a right-of-way permit.

Can I demolish my own house in Independence?

An owner-occupant may demolish their own single-family house or an accessory structure without a demolition contractor, per the application. The permit, the utility verifications, the asbestos rules and the final inspection still apply.

Will the historic review delay my permit?

Every application is screened by Historic Preservation staff. Most clear without comment; a property found significant goes to the Heritage Commission, which adds time on the older streets of the city.