US Land Life

Kansas

Buying Land in Hodgeman County, Kansas

Hodgeman County, seat Jetmore, has a zoning arrangement worth understanding before buying rural land here: the City of Jetmore's own Planning Commission is authorized under Kansas's 'three-mile' extraterritorial zoning law to plan and zone unincorporated county land outside city limits -- the same statewide authority that provoked a 2023 legislative repeal fight (which failed) after Leavenworth County residents objected to being zoned by a city they couldn't vote in. Separately, Hodgeman County was formally removed from GMD3, the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District, in a December 1988 boundary reduction -- leaving it outside all five of Kansas's current Groundwater Management Districts.

Rural Land Outside Jetmore May Be Zoned by the City -- Without a Vote in City Elections

Case-by-case / verify locally

Hodgeman County's zoning runs through an arrangement worth understanding clearly: rather than (or alongside) a separate county planning commission, the City of Jetmore's own Planning Commission is statutorily authorized to prepare, adopt, and maintain a comprehensive plan and zoning/subdivision regulations for unincorporated territory lying outside Jetmore's city limits but within Hodgeman County. This is Kansas's 'three-mile' extraterritorial city-zoning authority under K.S.A. 12-741 et seq. -- the same authority that became a genuinely contested statewide issue in 2023, when Leavenworth County residents subject to the City of Basehor's extraterritorial zoning (despite having no right to vote in Basehor's city elections) pushed a bipartisan repeal bill (HB 2150/SB 273) through a House committee hearing; the bill ultimately died in committee, leaving the three-mile authority in place statewide, including in Hodgeman County. If you're buying land outside Jetmore's city limits, confirm directly with the city (which administers the extraterritorial zoning) exactly how far its zoning jurisdiction extends over the parcel and what it allows -- don't assume rural, unincorporated Hodgeman County land is free of city-originated zoning just because it sits outside the city limits proper.

Removed from GMD3 in 1988 -- Now Outside All Five Kansas GMDs

Generally favorable

Hodgeman County has a specific, documented history with Kansas's Groundwater Management District system: it was formerly part of GMD3, the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District, but GMD3's own published district history and the Kansas Department of Agriculture's materials both confirm the district's boundary was formally reduced on December 20, 1988, removing Hodgeman County from GMD3. The county does not appear in the current member-county lists of any of Kansas's five GMDs today. Practically, this means a Hodgeman County land buyer does not face the added regional layer of GMD-administered well-spacing rules, allocation formulas, or LEMA/IGUCA proceedings described on our Kansas state page -- water rights here are administered directly by the state's Chief Engineer. Given the specific 1988 removal, this is worth a quick confirmation with the Kansas Division of Water Resources for any parcel where an existing water right is part of the value proposition, since removal from a GMD doesn't erase a water right itself, only the added district-level review layer.

Zoning: Jetmore's city planning commission reaches into the county

Hodgeman County's zoning structure is genuinely distinctive among rural Kansas counties: rather than a standalone county planning and zoning department, the City of Jetmore's own Planning Commission is authorized to prepare, adopt, and maintain a comprehensive plan and zoning and subdivision regulations reaching into unincorporated territory lying outside the city but within Hodgeman County. This draws on Kansas's 'three-mile' extraterritorial zoning statute (K.S.A. 12-741 et seq.), which lets a city's planning commission extend its zoning and subdivision authority a defined distance beyond its own municipal boundary into the surrounding county.

This authority is not a quiet or uncontested corner of Kansas law -- it became a real statewide political fight in 2023, when residents of unincorporated Leavenworth County subject to the City of Basehor's extraterritorial zoning organized opposition, pointing out that they had no right to vote in Basehor's council or mayoral elections despite being bound by its zoning rules on their own land. A bipartisan group of two dozen-plus state representatives introduced House Bill 2150 (with a companion Senate Bill 273) to repeal the three-mile authority entirely and hand that zoning power to county commissions instead; the House Local Government Committee held a hearing, drawing opposition from more than a dozen Kansas cities including Wichita, Manhattan, and Lawrence, and the bill ultimately died in committee without passing. The practical upshot for Hodgeman County: this extraterritorial authority remains valid and in use today, and Jetmore's planning commission is specifically empowered to exercise it over county land outside city limits. If you're buying land in unincorporated Hodgeman County, don't assume it falls outside all zoning just because it's outside Jetmore's city limits -- confirm directly with the City of Jetmore (which administers this authority) whether a specific parcel falls within its extraterritorial planning jurisdiction and what the applicable zoning and subdivision requirements are.

A documented 1988 removal from GMD3 -- and no GMD coverage today

Hodgeman County has a specific and verifiable history within Kansas's groundwater-management system that's worth understanding rather than assuming from the county's location alone. West-central Kansas counties near the Ogallala/High Plains aquifer region are often assumed to sit within GMD3 (the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District) or GMD1 (Western Kansas), but Hodgeman County does not -- and the reason is documented, not just an absence from a list. GMD3's own published district history and Kansas Department of Agriculture materials both record a formal boundary reduction on December 20, 1988 that removed Hodgeman County from the district. The county does not currently appear in the member-county list of any of Kansas's five GMDs.

For a land buyer, this means water rights on a Hodgeman County parcel are administered directly by the Kansas Division of Water Resources' Chief Engineer, without the added review layer of a regional GMD board evaluating well-spacing, allocation, or safe-yield rules specific to a multi-county district. That's a genuine structural simplification compared to many of this state's western and south-central counties. It doesn't mean water rights themselves are simpler or more available, though -- the underlying aquifer conditions in this part of Kansas can still be tight, and any existing water right's priority date, authorized quantity, and current status should still be verified directly with the Kansas Division of Water Resources before relying on it as part of a purchase.

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Hodgeman County

We could not confirm a direct phone number or named staff contact for the City of Jetmore's zoning/planning function specifically (beyond its published municipal zoning code chapter) -- call the City of Jetmore's main office to reach the planning commission or code-enforcement contact. We also could not confirm direct emails for the Appraiser, Register of Deeds, or Health Department beyond their listed phone numbers.

Planning & Zoning

City of Jetmore (extraterritorial zoning for Hodgeman County)

Whether a specific unincorporated Hodgeman County parcel falls within Jetmore's extraterritorial planning jurisdiction, and what zoning applies.

Official website →

Environmental Health

Hodgeman County Health Department

Septic system permitting and onsite wastewater questions for Hodgeman County parcels.

Phone: 620-357-8736Official website →

Assessor / Property Tax

Hodgeman County Appraiser

Assessed value and property tax questions for a specific parcel.

Phone: (620) 357-8366Official website →

Recorder / Clerk / Land Records

Hodgeman County Register of Deeds

Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.

Phone: (620) 357-8536Official website →

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Sources

  1. Chapter XVI - Zoning and Planning - City of Jetmore — City of Jetmore, Kansas (accessed 2026-09)
  2. Legislation challenges Kansas law allowing city zoning 3 miles into unincorporated area of county — Kansas Reflector (accessed 2026-09)
  3. HB2150 | Kansas 2023-2024 -- Repealing the zoning and planning authority for cities in the three-mile area — TrackBill (Kansas legislative tracking) (accessed 2026-09)
  4. G.M.D. No. 3 | Department of Agriculture — Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources (accessed 2026-09)
  5. Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District — GMD3, Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District (accessed 2026-09)
  6. Hodgeman County Health Department — Hodgeman County, Kansas Government (accessed 2026-09)
  7. Hodgeman County Appraiser — Hodgeman County, Kansas Government (accessed 2026-09)
  8. Hodgeman County, Kansas — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)

Last reviewed 2026-09