Communities › Franklin County › Lane, KS
Lane, Kansas
Lane is a 241-person city on Pottawatomie Creek in southeast Franklin County, close to the spot where John Brown’s 1856 raid helped put ‘Bleeding Kansas’ in the history books. It covers about a quarter of a square mile, so learning your way around takes roughly one afternoon.
Lane is a Franklin County, Kansas city. In 2025, 5 single-family homes sold through the MLS at a median of $205,000, about $178 per finished square foot. The median annual property tax on those homes was $2,633, an effective rate of 1.12% of the sale price.
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Historical property tax
Lane property taxes: 10 years of real bills
The typical Lane home that sold in 2025 carried an annual property tax bill of about $2,633, or 1.12% of its sale price. In 2019 it was $2,031 (0.97%). Appraisals tend to rise faster than anyone budgets for, so check the actual bill on any home you like.
10 years of real tax bills
Median property tax on Lane homes that sold, 2019–2025
What buyers actually inherited: the full annual tax bill (city, county, school and all other levies) on single-family homes sold each year. Effective rate = tax ÷ sale price.
See the numbers
| Year sold | Median annual tax | Median sale price | Effective rate | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $2,031 | $180,000 | 0.97% | 3 |
| 2020 | $2,463 | $255,000 | 0.92% | 5 |
| 2024 | $4,451 | $599,000 | 0.96% | 4 |
| 2025 | $2,633 | $205,000 | 1.12% | 5 |
Source: Heartland MLS closed single-family sales with a Lane address filed in Miami County only (homes in Franklin County, including the city itself, are not in our export), DataMaster SLIM export of October 25, 2026, compiled by Wingman Real Estate – The Shopper Team. Tax figures are as reported in MLS at sale and may reflect the prior tax year; bills under $300 (land-only or missing) are left out. Not a tax quote.
Living in Lane
Lane history, jobs and parks
A little history
A Baptist mission was set up on the south side of Pottawatomie Creek in 1838, and after the Potawatomi were moved north in the 1840s the Sherman brothers settled at the creek ford known as Dutch Henry’s Crossing. In May 1856 John Brown and his men killed five pro-slavery settlers near the crossing, an event known as the Pottawatomie massacre. The town site was laid out as Shermanville in 1855 and renamed Lane in 1863 for Senator James H. Lane; the Missouri Pacific Railroad arrived in 1879, and Lane incorporated as a city in 1908.
Where people work
Lane is a very small city, so most residents commute to jobs in larger nearby towns such as Ottawa (about 16 miles northwest, straight-line) and Osawatomie (about 8 miles east, straight-line), or farther north toward the Kansas City metro.
Parks & outdoors
Pottawatomie Creek runs through the township around Lane, with Mosquito Creek nearby. The Lane Community Baseball Field uses a vintage Valentine diner as its concession stand, listed by the Kansas Historical Society as open for events.
Sources for the city news, rules, utilities and local guide (checked October 26, 2026)
Sales tax
How Lane’s sales tax compares
Lane’s combined state, county and city sales tax is 9.0% inside city limits, and 2.5% on groceries (Kansas dropped its state tax on food in 2025, so only local tax is left on groceries). Here is how that stacks up against nearby cities, lowest to highest. Same sandwich, different zip code, different receipt.
| City | County | Sales tax | Groceries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucyrus (no city sales tax) | Miami | 8.0% | 1.5% |
| Fontana | Miami | 8.5% | 2.0% |
| Lane | Franklin | 9.0% | 2.5% |
| Baldwin City | Douglas | 9.25% | 2.75% |
| Paola | Miami | 9.25% | 2.75% |
| Lawrence | Douglas | 9.35% | 2.85% |
| Eudora | Douglas | 9.5% | 3.0% |
| La Cygne | Linn | 9.5% | 3.0% |
| Lecompton | Douglas | 9.5% | 3.0% |
| Louisburg | Miami | 9.5% | 3.0% |
| Wellsville | Franklin | 9.5% | 3.0% |
| Osawatomie | Miami | 9.75% | 3.25% |
Source: Kansas Department of Revenue city rate file, October 2026. Homes outside city limits pay the county rate instead. Rates can differ by address, so check the KDOR address lookup before you budget. This is sales tax; property tax is in the tax history above.
City rules
Can I do that in Lane, KS?
The questions buyers ask before the fence goes up, from Lane, KS code, permit pages and local reporting. Rules change and HOA covenants can be stricter, so confirm with the city before you build.
Fireworks
Fireworks may be discharged only July 1-4, 8 a.m. to midnight, and sold only by permit holders in the same window; bottle rockets are banned, and fireworks may not be set off on streets, alleys, parks or other public places (Lane City Code 7-303, 7-304, 7-307, 7-308). The online code is marked unofficial draft, so confirm with City Hall.
Lawn Height
Weeds and grasses over 12 inches tall on residential property are presumed a nuisance; the city mails one notice per calendar year, and owners get 10 days to cut before the city mows and bills the cost, which goes on the tax bill if unpaid after 30 days (Lane City Code 8-302, 8-303, 8-304). The online code is marked unofficial draft, so confirm with City Hall.
Snow Removal
The owner or occupant must clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 12 hours after it stops (or 12 hours after sunrise for overnight storms), may not push it into the street, and faces a $25 fine; the city can clear it and bill the property (Lane City Code 13-401 to 13-405). The online code is marked unofficial draft, so confirm with City Hall.
Pets
Dogs over 6 months old must be licensed with the city clerk with proof of rabies vaccination ($5 male or spayed female, $7 unspayed female; license year June 1-May 31), must wear the tag, and may not run at large or bark to the point of nuisance ($25-$50 fines) (Lane City Code 2-105 to 2-112). The online code is marked unofficial draft, so confirm with City Hall.
Exotic Animals
Poisonous reptiles, dangerous wild animals and listed exotic animals, including game cocks and other fighting birds and ostriches, may not be kept in the city (Lane City Code 2-201). The online code is marked unofficial draft, so confirm with City Hall.
Lane FAQ
Lane, KS: the questions people ask most
What county is Lane, KS in?
Lane is in Franklin County, Kansas, in Pottawatomie Township. It is the only incorporated city in that township.
How far is Lane from Kansas City?
Lane is roughly 53 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, measured straight-line; driving distance is longer. Osawatomie is about 8 miles east and Ottawa about 16 miles northwest.
How big is Lane?
Lane had 241 residents in the 2020 Census, up from 225 in 2010, and covers about 0.24 square miles.
What is Lane, Kansas known for?
Lane sits near Dutch Henry’s Crossing on Pottawatomie Creek, site of John Brown’s 1856 Pottawatomie massacre during the Bleeding Kansas era. The town is named for James H. Lane, one of Kansas’s first U.S. senators.
What are property taxes like in Lane?
Franklin County’s 2021 levy sheet listed a total levy of 131.128 mills for the tax unit covering the City of Lane and USD 288. Check the Franklin County Clerk for the current year’s levy.
How is Lane governed?
Lane has a mayor and five-member city council that meets monthly on the second Monday at 6:30 pm. City Hall can be reached at 785-869-2600 (PO Box 116, Lane, KS 66042).
What school district serves Lane?
Lane is served by Central Heights Unified School District 288 (USD 288), headquartered in nearby Richmond.
What is the sales tax rate in Lane?
9.0% inside city limits as of October 2026 (state, Franklin County and city combined), and 2.5% on groceries (local tax only; Kansas dropped its state sales tax on food on Jan. 1, 2025). Nearby, rates run from 8.0% in Bucyrus to 9.75% in Osawatomie. Rates can differ by address. Look up any address with the Kansas Department of Revenue rate locator. Source: Kansas Department of Revenue, October 2026.
Do I need a license for my dog in Lane?
Yes. Dogs over 6 months old must be licensed with the Lane city clerk, with a veterinarian’s rabies certificate. The fee is $5 for a male or spayed female and $7 for an unspayed female, and the license year runs June 1 to May 31. New dogs must be registered within 30 days (Lane City Code 2-110 to 2-112).
Where can I read Lane’s zoning rules?
Lane’s city code adopts the “Zoning Regulations of the City of Lane, Kansas” by reference (Section 16-201) rather than printing them, so rules on fences, sheds and home uses are not in the online code. Copies are kept on file with the city clerk for public inspection.
Sources: civilwaronthewesternborder.org, en.wikipedia.org, franklincoks.org, kansashistory.gov, ksdata.ku.edu
Buying or selling in Lane?
Thinking about Lane? We already did the homework.
Ten years of sales, every subdivision and the real tax bills are above. For everything else, there is a phone number below that a human answers.
Wingman Real Estate – The Shopper Team · Brokered by REAL Broker, LLC · (913) 543-3332 · Angela@shopwithshopper.com · Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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