The first thing to know about a small scope in Roeland Park is that this city permits more than its neighbours, not less. Section 4-703 rewrites IRC R105.2 to delete the usual homeowner exemptions and states plainly that all fences require a permit, all concrete poured within the city requires a permit, and a deck is a structure therefore all decks require a permit. Assuming a fixture change is exempt here is the wrong assumption. The conversion is filed through the CitizenServe portal, inspections are requested with 24 hours' notice, and the clock matters: under Section 4-108 a permit becomes invalid if work is not started within six months of issuance or not completed within six months of commencement.
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 Roeland Park homes
- An assumption that the scope is too small to permit, which is not how this city's rewritten R105.2 reads.
- Original plumbing in a house from the 1940s, which is when more units here were built than in any other decade.
- A start date that has to land inside six months of issuance, and a finish inside six months of that start.
- Drawings with a clock of their own, since plan review approval expires after 180 days with one extension.
Working in Roeland Park, KS
Roeland Park has 3,478 housing units, 3,014 of them one-unit detached, and a median year built of 1950. The distribution is unusually concentrated at the old end: 1,291 units were built between 1940 and 1949 and another 491 in 1939 or earlier, so 1,782 units, 51.2 percent of the city, predate 1950 outright. Adding the 907 units from the 1950s puts 77.3 percent of the stock before 1960, and only 218 units in the entire city were built in 1990 or later. Permits are issued in house by the Neighborhood Services Department and filed through the city's CitizenServe portal. The code package is split: residential work runs under the 2018 IRC adopted by Ordinance No. 1023 in January 2022, while electrical is the 2023 NEC and the other building and trade codes are the 2024 editions, both from Ordinance No. 1088 in April 2026. MrImproveIt carries the Johnson County Class C residential contractor licence that Section 4-102 requires. Roeland Park also requires contractors to be registered with the City.
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 Roeland Park
A conversion here is priced around the drain, the subfloor and the calendar. Cast iron waste under a pre-1950 house has to be transitioned rather than re-routed, and the subfloor at the outside corner after seven decades under a filled tub is the item that changes after demolition; both are quoted as their own lines. The calendar matters more here than the size suggests because Section 4-108 invalidates a permit if work is not started within six months of issuance or not completed within six months of commencement, and Section 4-103 expires plan review approval after 180 days with only one extension.
Permits and inspections for this work in Roeland Park
The conversion is filed through the city's CitizenServe portal and reviewed by Neighborhood Services under the 2018 IRC. Roeland Park's Section 4-703 rewrote IRC R105.2 to delete the usual homeowner exemptions, stating that all fences require a permit, all concrete poured within the city requires a permit and all decks require a permit, so this is not a city where a small scope is assumed to be exempt. Under Section 4-108 a permit becomes invalid if work is not started within six months of issuance or not completed within six months of commencement, and Section 4-103 expires plan review approval after 180 days with one extension. 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 Roeland Park?
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 Roeland Park homeowners
Does a small job really need a permit in Roeland Park?
This is not the city to assume otherwise. Section 4-703 rewrote IRC R105.2 to delete the usual homeowner exemptions and states that all fences require a permit, all concrete poured within the city requires a permit, and a deck is a structure therefore all decks require a permit. Roeland Park permits more than its neighbours, not less.
How long do I have once the permit issues?
Under Section 4-108 a permit becomes invalid if work is not started within six months of issuance or not completed within six months of commencement. Separately, Section 4-103 expires plan review approval after 180 days with only one extension, so the drawings have a clock of their own before the permit does.
What is different about converting in a pre-1950 house?
Cast iron waste that has to be transitioned rather than re-routed, a narrow alcove that a modern shower base does not drop straight into, and a subfloor that has carried a filled tub for longer than most of the county has existed. Each is quoted as its own line.
Call (913) 395-8571 or request a written estimate before any work starts.