A tub-to-shower conversion in Mission is a Single Trade permit, and the code section that covers it is explicit rather than implied: Municipal Code Section 505.040(A) requires a permit to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, in those words. The house underneath is usually older than the citywide median suggests. Mission's median year built of 1973 is pulled forward by apartment construction; the single-family stock is overwhelmingly 1950s, with another substantial share from the 1940s, so a conversion here is normally working on original post-war plumbing rather than on anything from the seventies.
What the work covers
- Removing the tub and the surround, which usually means opening the wet wall
- Re-piping the drain, including relocating and resizing the trap for a shower
- Building the pan, either a pre-formed base or a sloped mortar bed with a bonded membrane
- Waterproofing the curb, the corners and the wall planes as one continuous system
- Blocking for a bench, a niche, grab bars and the glass
What we find in Mission homes
- Original post-war plumbing, since the single-family stock here is far older than the citywide median year built implies.
- A Single Trade permit rather than a line on a broader building permit.
- A drain set for a tub waste and overflow, sitting where a shower pan does not want it.
- A 1950s alcove whose framing was dimensioned around the unit being removed.
Working in Mission, KS
Mission is a small inner-ring suburb whose housing numbers need reading carefully. About 58 percent of the housing was built between 1950 and 1959, roughly 14 percent in the 1940s and another 11 percent in the 1960s, and only around 156 homes have gone up since 1970. The citywide median year built of 1973 sits later than the single-family stock actually is, because apartment construction in the 1970s and 1980s pulls the median forward: only 2,480 of about 5,600 units are single-family detached and the city as a whole is renter-majority. Permits are issued by the Community Development Department at 6090 Woodson Street and filed through GovBuilt, and the city's own Building Official does every plan review and every inspection rather than contracting the work out to Johnson County. Residential work is reviewed under the 2018 International Residential Code as adopted at Municipal Code Section 500.040, with the 2017 National Electrical Code. MrImproveIt carries the Johnson County Class C residential contractor licence that Section 505.040(C) requires before a permit issues.
How this job goes wrong
- A shower run on the old tub drain and trap, which drains slowly and is not compliant
- A pan sloped the wrong way, or a membrane that stops short of the curb
- A curbless entry attempted without lowering the framing, so the slope has nowhere to go
Planning range
$9,000 to $26,000. A solid-surface base in the existing footprint with a standard framed door sits near the bottom. A tiled curbless pan with frameless glass and an accessibility package sits at the top. Plan on one to three weeks of active work.
What moves the price on a tub to shower conversion in Mission
A conversion here is a small scope with a clean permit path: a Single Trade permit filed on GovBuilt, reviewed by the city's own Building Official. The numbers that move are physical rather than administrative. A tub waste and overflow drain sits where a shower pan does not want it, so relocating it is the first line. The framing was dimensioned around the unit being removed, so furring or rebuilding a curb wall is the second. Both are quoted as their own decision points. One administrative point does save time: Mission's Chapter 605 occupational licence is address and square-footage based and is not a building permit prerequisite, so the county licence is the only credential gating the permit.
Permits and inspections for this work in Mission
The conversion is filed on GovBuilt as a Single Trade permit. Municipal Code Section 505.040(A) requires a permit to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, so a fixture conversion is squarely permit work here. Review runs under the 2018 IRC with the 2017 NEC for any circuit that moves, and inspections go through the portal. Mission does not issue its own contractor licence; its Chapter 605 occupational licence is address and square-footage based and is not listed as a building permit prerequisite, so Johnson County licensure is the operative credential. We confirm current requirements with the department on every job.
Common questions about this work
Is a tub to shower conversion a permit job in Mission?
It changes the drain and usually the valve, so it generally is. Permit requirements are confirmed with the local building department before work starts.
Should I keep one tub in the house?
Worth considering at resale, particularly if this is the only one. If another full bath has a tub, the concern mostly goes away.
Can the shower be curbless?
Sometimes, and the answer depends on the floor framing below. It has to be decided before demolition, because it is a framing change rather than a finish change.
Tub to Shower Conversion questions from Mission homeowners
Does a fixture conversion need a permit in Mission?
Yes, and the code is explicit about it. Municipal Code Section 505.040(A) requires a permit to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. A conversion is filed as a Single Trade permit.
Do you need a Mission business licence to pull the permit?
Mission does not issue its own contractor licence, and its Chapter 605 occupational licence is address and square-footage based and is not listed as a building permit prerequisite. The Johnson County licence required by Section 505.040(C) is the credential that gates the permit.
My house is listed as 1970s. Is the plumbing that new?
Probably not. Mission's citywide median year built of 1973 is pulled forward by apartment construction in the 1970s and 1980s. The single-family stock is overwhelmingly 1950s, with another large share from the 1940s, so a conversion here is usually working on original post-war plumbing.
Call (913) 395-8571 or request a written estimate before any work starts.