Topeka, Kansas

Topeka is the capital of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population at 125,795 as of July 1, 2025.

Per the U.S. Census Bureau (2020–2024), the median value of owner-occupied homes in Topeka is $144,200 — among the most affordable in the region. Search current listings for live pricing.

The Topeka area is served by several districts, including Topeka Public Schools (USD 501), Auburn-Washburn (USD 437), Seaman (USD 345), and Shawnee Heights (USD 450), depending on location.

Topeka is the Kansas state capital and home to the Kansas State Capitol, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, and Washburn University.

Topeka is west of the Kansas City metro along I-70. The Census Bureau reports a mean commute of about 16.7 minutes for Topeka workers.

Yes. The Choose Topeka program offers eligible professionals up to $15,000 to relocate to Topeka and Shawnee County. Eligibility runs through participating Shawnee County employers, and remote workers whose employers are outside the county can also apply. The top amount is tied to buying a home, and renters receive less. Source

The population is roughly flat: 126,587 in 2020 and an estimated 125,795 in 2025. HUD called the metro economy stable in 2025, with nonfarm payrolls up 0.8% year over year. New housing is moving forward, including the 192-unit Hutch apartments downtown, set to break ground in October 2026, and several rezonings and incentive districts for townhomes and duplexes. Source

Not on a regular schedule. Topeka Regional Airport (FOE) was working toward point-to-point flights to destinations such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Orlando, but in February 2026 the airport authority said the deal was "indefinitely delayed." Occasional charters do operate, such as a casino-sponsored Topeka–Laughlin, Nevada flight Nov. 9–13, 2026. Kansas City International (MCI) is the closest major airport. Source

Four public districts serve the city: Topeka USD 501 (central Topeka), Auburn-Washburn USD 437 (west and southwest), Shawnee Heights USD 450 (east and southeast) and Seaman USD 345 (North Topeka). Check which district serves a specific address. Source

Yes. The most significant was the F5 tornado of June 8, 1966, which traveled about 21 miles through the city, killed 17 people and caused more than $104 million in damage. Source

Not in the front or side yard. City code requires vehicles and machinery on residential lots to sit on a driveway or a paved or graveled surface. A backyard is allowed for up to three months at a time (TMC 10.60.120).

The city’s TextMyGov service sends texts about public meetings, new city initiatives and reminders. To sign up, text “Topeka” to 91896, or text “TopekaEspanol” for Spanish. Standard message and data rates may apply. It is not an emergency alert system.

The City of Topeka expects the project to finish in December 2026, depending on weather, site conditions and materials. The work includes storm sewer and water main replacement, new sidewalks and ADA ramps, a rebuilt SW 17th Street intersection and reconstruction of Topeka Boulevard. 17th Street reopened at Topeka Boulevard on Oct. 15, 2026, and is expected to close again around Nov. 16 when intersection work resumes.

9.35% inside city limits as of October 2026 (state, Shawnee County and city combined), and 2.85% on groceries (local tax only; Kansas dropped its state sales tax on food on Jan. 1, 2025). Nearby, rates run from 8.5% in Emporia to 9.5% in Lecompton. Rates can differ by address. Look up any address with the Kansas Department of Revenue rate locator. Source: Kansas Department of Revenue, October 2026.

Not inside city limits right now. As of Nov. 3, 2026, Mayor Spencer Duncan said the city’s one-year moratorium on data centers within Topeka remains in effect. The proposed Compass data center projects are outside city limits, where Shawnee County handles zoning, and since Aug. 11, 2026, the City Council must approve any City water service to a data center outside city limits. The mayor also said a meeting two city employees held with Rural Water District 3 board members about the Compass project was not authorized and created no City commitment; any water-service request must go to the full Governing Body in public. No annexation request for these projects is before the city.

Yes. On October 20, 2026, the City Council set a mail-ballot special election for March 2, 2027, on a 0.1% citywide sales tax for affordable housing and homeless programs. If voters approve it, the tax would start July 1, 2027, last 10 years and raise about $4 million a year.

The City of Topeka takes many permits, licenses, inspections and planning applications through its online Developer Permitting and Licensing portal (cityoftopekaks-energovweb.tylerhost.net). For building permits you can also contact the Building Permit Division at 785-368-3704 or dsdpermits@topeka.org; for trade permits and inspections, call 785-368-3905.

The city’s site now runs at topeka.gov; older topeka.org links redirect there. City news, weekly reports and street project maps are posted on topeka.gov.

The City of Topeka lists December 2026 as the completion date for the $5.3 million SE 6th Avenue project, which is being built in four phases that began Oct. 6, 2025.

The city said Oct. 29, 2026 that it cannot confirm a completion date for the $8.1 million SW Fairlawn Road project, which began in August 2025; WIBW reported the contractor is working toward an early 2027 reopening.

Yes, for now. The City reopened 17th Street to east- and westbound traffic at Topeka Boulevard on October 15, 2026, after crews found relocated sanitary sewer lines during excavation for the Topeka Boulevard project (15th to 21st Streets). Major work is expected to resume in mid-November, and the City plans to close 17th Street to east-west traffic again starting around November 16, 2026.

Yes. On Sept. 8, 2026, the Topeka City Council approved a four-year utility rate package to fund about $260 million in water infrastructure work. City staff estimated the increase at less than $5 for residential bills, with larger increases for commercial and industrial customers. Check topeka.gov for the current rate schedule.

Topeka sweeps streets by area on a rotating schedule. In late October 2026, crews were working Area 1 (I-70 to SW 6th Avenue, between SW Topeka Boulevard and SW MacVicar Avenue), with Area 8 (NE Center Avenue to NE Seward Avenue, between NE Strait Avenue and NE River Road) next. You can find your area on the city’s searchable map at topeka.gov/community/streets.

The City of Topeka keeps a Street Projects map at topeka.gov/community/projects_plans/street_projects. The city also posts project updates in its weekly report on the topeka.gov news page.

KDOT has been closing Kansas Avenue between 1st and 3rd streets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on scheduled days so crews can set bridge girders on the new westbound viaduct for the I-70 Polk-Quincy Viaduct project. After rain delays, the most recent daytime closures were scheduled for Nov. 4 through Nov. 6, 2026, weather permitting. During closures, use 3rd Street, Topeka Boulevard or NW Morse Street as alternate routes; the Kansas Avenue bridge is expected to stay open. Check KanDrive (kandrive.gov) or call 511 for current closures.

Not yet. The Topeka Fire Department’s 2026 Fire Station Relocation Plan proposes three new stations: Station 13 at 6th Street and Governor Place, Station 11 at NW Lyman Road and N. Topeka Boulevard, and Station 6 at Billard Airport, at an estimated $8 million to $12 million per station. A 10-member citizen Fire Commission, with one resident appointed by each Governing Body member, is reviewing the plan. Its first meeting was scheduled for Nov. 5, 2026, and it is due to give the City Council a final report with findings and recommendations in April 2027. Commission meetings are livestreamed on Topeka.gov, the Topeka Fire Department’s Facebook page and Cox Channel 4.

No. The City of Topeka’s Open Burning Policy lists leaves and grass clippings among the items that can’t be burned inside city limits, even with a burn permit. Violations can bring a citation under Topeka Municipal Code 8.45.020, with a fine of up to $499. Mulching leaves with a mower or composting them are common alternatives.

Topeka takes service requests through See-Click-Fix, the city’s online request system, which also has a public map of open requests. The city kept See-Click-Fix open for new requests during its 2026 switch to a new permits and licensing system.

The Topeka City Council normally meets on the first three Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 214 SE 8th Ave. Meetings stream live on topeka.gov, and agendas and minutes are posted through the city’s Granicus portal linked from the City Council page.

The property owner. Topeka Municipal Code 12.35.010 says sidewalks along public streets that are out of repair must be repaired by the owners of the abutting property, and work in the strip between the sidewalk and street is subject to the City Engineer’s approval. Check with the city before pouring new concrete.

Yes. As of November 2026, the City of Topeka had signed a Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was moving into advanced project planning on flood impacts along Shunganunga Creek, which flooded in 2007. No construction project or timeline has been announced. If you are buying near the Shunga, check the property’s FEMA flood zone and ask about flood insurance.

As of early November 2026, the new outdoor ice rink at Evergy Plaza is projected to open in late December 2026 or early January 2027. The opening slipped from early to mid-December after organizers added a metal canopy to the design, which needs a stronger foundation and light poles. The Downtown Topeka Foundation is leading the project.

Yes. Topeka Metro, the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority that city voters created in 1973, runs 12 fixed bus routes within city limits. Buses run Monday through Friday from 5:45 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. and Saturday from 8:15 a.m. to 6:40 p.m., with no service on Sundays or on major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fares and route maps are posted at topekametro.org.

Yes. As of the City of Topeka’s Nov. 3, 2026 weekly report, SW 21st Street between Washburn Avenue and Topeka Boulevard was reopened to east- and westbound traffic while crews finish final work on the SW 21st and Buchanan project.

The 10-member Fire Commission, with one resident appointed by each Governing Body member, held its first meeting Nov. 5, 2026, and is set to present a final report with findings and recommendations on the 2026 Fire Station Relocation Plan to the City Council in April 2027. Meetings are livestreamed on the Fire Department’s Facebook page, Topeka.gov and Cox Channel 4.

Yes. The Metropolitan Topeka Planning Organization is updating its regional transportation plan, covering streets, sidewalks, bike routes, public transit and freight. Public engagement runs through winter, a draft is expected in spring 2027, and the plan will be adopted after revisions. Project details and sign-up are at destination-2050.com.

Yes. On October 20, 2026, the Topeka City Council approved a March 2027 special election. One question asks voters to approve a charter ordinance amending city code sections A2-24 and A2-25 to create an independent city auditor who reports to the full governing body. The same ballot includes a proposed 0.1% special-use sales tax for affordable housing and homeless initiatives that would start July 1, 2027, if approved.

The Kansas Department of Transportation says construction on the $239 million I-70 Polk-Quincy Viaduct project is expected to finish in late 2027, with work and scheduling subject to change. Project updates are posted at ksdot.gov/I-70-Polk-Quincy and on KanDrive.gov.

The Topeka Planning Commission normally meets on the third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. Agenda packets are posted on the city’s TopekaSpeaks portal (topekaspeaks.org) about 10 days before each meeting, and meetings stream live on City4. The next meeting is Monday, Nov. 16, 2026.