Be a responsible pet owner. Maintain vaccinations, prevent excessive pet-related noise, restrain pets in an appropriate manner, and remove pet waste. You may keep a maximum of two cats and a maximum of two dogs without any type of city permit. Any additional pets require a special animal permit. Details on pet regulations can be found in Title 6 of the SMC or you can contact your City Clerk’s Office at (913) 742-6014.

Meet your neighbors by hosting a block party. You can obtain a block party permit up to two weeks prior to the scheduled event by completing the Block Party Request on the City’s website. You must furnish your own road barricades. For questions on block parties, contact your Police Department at (913) 631-2150.

If you would like to host the Shawnee Fire Department, at your block party, call (913) 631-1080. Pending availability, a fire truck will be dispatched to the block. Children can get inside the fire truck and learn about the different tools and equipment on the truck.

Your neighbors use public sidewalks to exercise, go to school, or access local stores or services. People with disabilities rely on them to take care of their day to day activities. Snow and ice can make a sidewalk difficult and dangerous to use and people sometimes resort to walking in the street to reach their destinations. As a reminder, the owner and/or occupant of a property adjacent to a public sidewalk is required to remove snow or ice from the abutting sidewalk within 48 hours after it has stopped falling (SMC 12.06.230). For more information on snow and ice removal from sidewalks, contact your Codes Enforcement Office at (913) 742-6210.

To ensure our employees can safely remove/plow snow an ice, please do not park vehicles on the streets. Park in your driveway and don’t allow your vehicles to extend into the roadway. If your vehicle is parked on narrow streets, hills, or both sides of the street, the City may not be able to clear snow from your street. Your basketball goals, hockey goals, skateboard ramps, or other structures should be placed at least 10 feet back from the street to allow our employees to safely remove/plow snow and ice.

Your fence should not exceed six feet (6’) in height. No solid fence over 4½ feet high is allowed in a front yard area (a corner lot has two front yards) and no solid fence over 3 feet high is allowed on corner lots within the sight distance triangle of 25 feet (Figure 1).

Your fence must be constructed with the finished side facing outward from your property and kept in good condition. Fence regulations can be found in Section 17.60.030 of the SMC or by contacting your Codes Enforcement Office at (913) 742-6010.

We do not issue or require a permit for garage sales. You are allowed two garage sales per calendar year at your residence. City ordinance allows for sales lasting up to five days between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Garage sale signs are permitted as long as they are not located in public right-of-way and are taken down one day after the sale. More information about garage sales can be found in Chapter 5.32 of the SMC or by contacting your City Clerk’s Office at (913) 742-6014.

Keep noise to an acceptable level. Complaints about excessive noise can come from loud music, outdoor activities, early morning lawn mowers, and guests coming or going during late night or early morning hours. More information about noise levels can be found in Chapter 9.70 of the SMC. If you have a noise complaint, contact your Police Department at (913) 631-2150.

Items such as, but not limited to, lawn mowers, yard tools, buckets, and other miscellaneous items must be located within a fully enclosed structure or in your backyard and substantially screened by the equivalent of a 6’ solid board fence from view of your neighbors. Storage items, including, but not limited to, gardening equipment, vehicle parts, ladders, or wheelbarrows should not occupy more than 20% of the rear yard area. Firewood, not to exceed one cord (4’ x 4’ x 8’), may be stored outside of the shielded storage area and should be neatly stacked and no closer to the street than the nearest primary wall surface of the residence. If you have concerns about outside storage, contact your Codes Enforcement Office at (913) 742-6010.

No more than four unrelated occupants are allowed to live in your home. The number of occupants allowed to reside in a residence is regulated by zoning district. Many neighborhoods are zoned primarily for single-family. Find out how your residence is zoned by contacting your Community Development Department at (913) 742-6011.

Please be courteous when parking on neighborhood streets. The City regulates vehicle parking. Parking in yards, on sidewalks, and other “No Parking” signed areas is prohibited. Vehicles parked on the street must be moved every 48 hours. Be aware of your vehicle’s position so that your neighbors can back out of their driveway safely and allow at least 10 feet width of the street so adequate distance can be maintained for emergency vehicles. Vehicles may not be parked within six feet (6’) of any mailbox.

Recreational vehicles, including boats, campers, and trailers can be stored – one per residence – on the side or rear yard (not between the house and the street), and are required to be stored on a concrete, asphalt or paved brick parking pad that is at least the same size as the vehicle. These items may also be stored on the front driveway of a home for not more than 4 days in a 30-day period to allow for trip preparation.

Parking regulations are found in Chapter 10.20 of the SMC. For more information on parking restrictions, contact your Codes Enforcement Office at (913) 742-6210.

Keep Shawnee clean and green. Trash and recycling services are provided to residents by private companies licensed by the City. Recycling and trash can be set out up to 24 hours prior to pick up. Empty containers should be removed within 12 hours of collection. Visit the City’s Trash & Recycling FAQ website or contact your City Manager’s Office at (913) 742-6243. 

A permit is not required to solicit in the City. Persons working for non-profit organizations, charitable contributions, census takers, or political candidates or their agents are not considered solicitors. Solicitation is allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The City Clerk’s office has free “No Solicitors” stickers. Solicitors are not allowed to solicit at home or businesses that are posted with a “No Solicitor” sticker or “No Trespasser” sign. Soliciting regulations are found in Chapter 5.56 of the SMC or by contacting your City Clerk’s Office at (913) 742-6014. If you are ever concerned about your safety, call 911.

“Only Rain Down the Drain”. Help prevent the pollution of local water systems by not dumping chemicals, yard waste, grass clippings, or other pollutants into the storm drainage system. Yard waste – including grass clippings – clogs drains, pollutes lakes and streams, and causes harm to the ecosystem. Stormwater drainage pollution regulations are found in Section 11.12.040 of the SMC. To report an illegal discharge of pollutants, contact the Stormwater Management Division at (913) 742-6009.

Yard maintenance is the responsibility of every owner or occupant and includes the maintenance of plant and grass material in any public right-of-way abutting the property. In all areas, except properties zoned agricultural, grass must be maintained at a height not to exceed eight inches. Vegetation and trees should be trimmed so as not to impair vision or obstruct travel of motorists or obstruct pedestrian travel on sidewalks. Trees over the public right-of-way or sidewalks should be trimmed up to a height of 14 feet. Ground cover such as grass should be provided for all areas where soil is exposed. Shrubs and hedges should be neatly trimmed and maintained. It is illegal for anyone to deposit yard waste of any kind into the streets, curbs, gutters, creeks, or streams (SMC 11.12.040). For more information on yard maintenance, contact the Codes Administration Division at (913) 742-6210.