Missouri
Buying Land in Callaway County, Missouri
Callaway County, seat Fulton, sits along the I-70 corridor between Columbia and Jefferson City. Unincorporated areas of the county have no zoning and require no building permit, but a 2025 legal fight over floodplain-ordinance compliance -- with the county's entire flood-insurance program reportedly on the line -- makes floodplain status one of the sharpest due-diligence questions for land here.
No county zoning: what that means for a land buyer here
Missouri county planning and zoning authority under RSMo Chapter 64 is optional, and Callaway County has not adopted it. The county's own government website carries a standing "Planning and Zoning Information" letter confirming that no occupancy permits or building permits are required in unincorporated Callaway County, and noting that a new letter will be posted if that ever changes -- which it had not, as of this review. In practice that means building, use, and most land-division questions on unincorporated land route through the County Commission and individual state or county programs (health department, floodplain administration) rather than through a dedicated planning office.
The corollary is the same one that applies in any unzoned county: without zoning, there is little to stop a neighboring use from changing, and no zoning hearing for adjoining landowners to attend if it does. Incorporated cities are a different matter -- Fulton (the county seat and largest city, population around 12,600), Holts Summit, New Bloomfield, Mokane, Kingdom City, Auxvasse, and the village of Lake Mykee each maintain their own zoning and building codes, so a parcel's regulatory posture changes as soon as it crosses into city limits. Kingdom City, at the I-70/US-54 interchange, has seen real commercial growth given its position at what was once nicknamed "the crossroads of the nation" -- if a parcel you're considering is near that interchange, check whether it falls inside Kingdom City's limits before assuming county (no-permit) rules apply.
Floodplain compliance: the county's biggest current land-use story
The most consequential land-use development in Callaway County in this review cycle is not zoning -- it's floodplain enforcement. In October 2025, the Callaway County Commission filed suit in Callaway County Circuit Court against three property owners, including Farmer Holding Inc. (doing business as T&T Pallet) and one residential property owner, seeking a temporary restraining order and injunctions over alleged violations of the county's floodplain ordinance. According to the court petition and local reporting, the county had been told that if the named properties were not brought into compliance by November 29, 2025, Callaway County in its entirety could be removed from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) -- a step that would affect flood-insurance availability for every property owner in the county's mapped floodplain, not just the three named defendants. As of this research pass in September 2026, no confirmed public resolution of the lawsuit had surfaced; see our dedicated flood-zones page for Callaway County for the fuller account and for how to check a specific parcel's status.
The practical upshot for a land buyer: floodplain status here is not a formality. Verify a parcel's FEMA flood-zone designation through the Flood Map Service Center, and confirm with the county's floodplain administrator (Michelle Kidwell, 573-592-2480) both the zone and whether any existing structure on the property already holds the required floodplain-development permit -- an unpermitted structure in the floodplain is now demonstrably something the county is willing to litigate over, not just something on a checklist.
Septic, the county sewer district, and the Callaway Energy Center
Onsite wastewater treatment permits for unincorporated Callaway County are handled by the Callaway County Health Department (4950 Co. Rd. 304, Fulton, MO 65251; main line 573-642-6881, Environmental Office 573-642-5750), following the standard Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services OWTS framework -- a soil evaluation ahead of a construction permit is the normal sequence. Distinct from septic, the Callaway County Sewer District operates its own wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure in parts of the county, notably around Kingdom City; if a parcel sits inside that district's service area, plan on connecting to the district's system rather than installing an individual septic system, and check with the district directly on connection fees and availability.
Callaway County is also home to the Callaway Energy Center, Ameren Missouri's nuclear plant near Reform, operating since 1984. In 2025-2026 Ameren won Missouri Public Service Commission approval for a roughly 250 MW solar facility on land it already owns adjacent to the plant, timed for completion by 2028. Unlike solar projects elsewhere in Missouri that depend on leasing land from private owners, regulators specifically noted this project's minimal impact on surrounding landowners because it needs no easements or land purchases from them -- so despite real local pushback (a Mid-Missouri Landowners Alliance and area residents have raised concerns about the buildout), it is not a leasing opportunity for a Callaway County landowner and does not carry the kind of open-market lease dynamics seen in some other Missouri counties.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Callaway County
Callaway County has no zoning or planning department, so the County Commission is the practical first contact for most unincorporated land-use questions, with the Health Department handling septic and DNR handling wells at the state level. We could not confirm a direct phone number for the County Commission's front office from public sources during this research pass -- use the website above or the county's general directory at callawaycounty.org.
Other
Callaway County Commission
General county governance and the first call for land-use questions in unincorporated Callaway County given the absence of a zoning department.
Environmental Health
Callaway County Health Department -- Environmental Office
Onsite wastewater treatment (septic) permits and general environmental health questions.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Callaway County Health Department -- Environmental Office
OWTS construction permits and septic compliance.
Wells / Private Water
Missouri Department of Natural Resources -- Water Protection Program
Private well construction rules and certified well-contractor requirements statewide, including Callaway County.
Floodplain / Stormwater
Callaway County Floodplain Administration
FEMA flood-zone questions, floodplain development permits, and the county's ongoing floodplain-ordinance compliance program.
Assessor / Property Tax
Callaway County Assessor
Assessed value and property tax questions for a specific parcel.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Callaway County Recorder of Deeds
Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.
GIS / Parcel Records
Callaway County GIS
Parcel maps, floodplain overlays, soils, and other GIS layers for a specific property.
Agricultural Extension
MU Extension in Callaway County
Agricultural, livestock, and land-management guidance for Callaway County.
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Sources
- Callaway County Planning and Zoning Information — Callaway County, Missouri Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Commission — Callaway County, Missouri Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Health Department — Callaway County, Missouri Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County Health Department — Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County Sewer District — Callaway County Sewer District (accessed 2026-09)
- Assessor — Callaway County, Missouri Government (accessed 2026-09)
- GIS — Callaway County, Missouri Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County — Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County sues property owners for bucking FEMA floodplain rules — ABC17News (KMIZ) (accessed 2026-09)
- Petition for Declaratory Judgment, TRO, Preliminary and Permanent Injunction — Circuit Court of Callaway County, Missouri (via ABC17News) (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County files restraining orders against property owners — Fulton Sun (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County Flood Plan — KXEO (accessed 2026-09)
- Missouri regulators approve Ameren solar project in Callaway County — KBIA / Missouri News Network (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County legislator, Ameren respond to solar facility concerns — Fulton Sun (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway Energy Center — Ameren Missouri (accessed 2026-09)
- Callaway County, Missouri — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
- Kingdom City, Missouri — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09