A basement bedroom needs a way out that a firefighter can also come in through. In most Wichita basements that means an egress window, and because the sill sits below the yard, it means a window well: a lined hole outside the foundation wall, big enough to climb out of. The window and the wall cut get the attention, but the well is the part that has to be dug, sized to code, drained and kept from undermining a footing that has sat in Sedgwick County clay for decades.
What the code asks for in Wichita and Sedgwick County
Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County build to the 2018 International Residential Code as amended locally by Ordinance 50-833. Every basement and every sleeping room needs at least one emergency escape and rescue opening. The local sizes are stricter and more specific than the national text:
| Item | Rule | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Opening area | At least 4.5 sq ft net clear with the window open, and a total break-out area of 5.7 sq ft | Local Sec. 2.4.190 (R310.2.1 as amended) |
| Opening height | 19¾ in (±¼ in) for single-hung, double-hung and awning windows; other styles must reach 4.5 sq ft clear | Local Sec. 2.4.190 |
| Opening width | 17 in for casements and sliders; 30¼ in for single- and double-hung | Local Sec. 2.4.190 |
| Sill height | No more than 44 in above the basement floor in the national code | 2018 IRC R310.2.2 |
| Well size | At least 9 sq ft of floor area, at least 36 in out from the wall and 36 in wide, and room for the window to open fully | 2018 IRC R310.2.3 |
| Ladder or steps | Required when the well is deeper than 44 in; rungs at least 12 in wide inside, 3 in off the wall, no more than 12 in apart (the national code allows 18) | Local Sec. 2.4.220 |
| Guard or cover | Deeper than 30 in: a guardrail, or a cover rated for 20 lb per sq ft with an escape hatch over the ladder that opens with 30 lb of force or less, no key | Local Sec. 2.4.220 |
| Drainage | Tie into the foundation drain or an approved alternative; with no footing drain, 12 in of washed gravel or crushed rock under the whole well, below floor level | Local Sec. 2.4.225 |
The national numbers for sill height and well size are from the 2018 IRC text as Minnesota's labor department publishes it; the national code also lets the ladder stick up to 6 inches into the 36-inch dimensions. Because the local ordinance renumbered the sections around them, ask MABCD at plan review which sill and well dimensions it applies to your window, before the hole is dug to the wrong size.
What the dig involves
- Locates first. The side of the house that gets the bedroom window is often the side with the gas meter, the electric service or the AC line set. Place a Kansas 811 ticket two full working days ahead, and dig by hand within 24 inches of any mark. Sprinkler lines and low-voltage wiring belong to you and won't be marked.
- Size the hole to the well, not the window. The liner sets the footprint: a well 36 inches out from the wall needs a hole a bit bigger than that so the liner can be bolted to the wall and backfilled around. A liner wider than the window leaves room for the sash to swing.
- Go below the floor, not just the sill. If the house has no footing drain, the local code wants 12 inches of washed gravel under the whole well, below the basement floor level. That's usually a deeper hole than people expect.
- Don't undermine the footing. The hole runs right down the face of the foundation. A good operator digs the bulk with a small machine and cleans the last few inches off the wall by hand.
- Haul or spread the spoil. As an example, a hole 5 feet wide, 4 feet out and 6 feet deep is 120 cubic feet, about 4.4 cubic yards of dirt, minus what goes back in as backfill around the liner.
Tell us about the dig
(316) 869-0053Where the water goes
A window well is a hole in the yard next to the basement, and in Wichita clay a hole collects water. That's why the local drainage rule exists. The cleanest setup ties a drain at the bottom of the well into an existing footing drain; where there isn't one, the gravel bed or a drain line to daylight or a sump is the usual answer, and the water still has to end up somewhere legal. Our French drain page covers where drain water may and may not be sent inside Wichita. Sloping the soil around the well so roof and yard water run away from it, and keeping a cover on it, helps as much as the drain does; see grading and drainage.
Permits
Cutting a new or larger opening in a foundation wall and adding a bedroom are changes to the structure, and MABCD's rule of thumb is that new construction, additions and changes need a permit (Do I need a permit?). The permit is usually pulled by whoever cuts the wall and sets the window; the excavator digs under that permit and places the 811 ticket. In Derby, Haysville or Andover the city's own office handles it; the permits and Kansas 811 page lists who issues what.
What it costs
No Wichita-specific price survey exists, so here are national figures from This Old House (updated October 2026). It puts excavation, including the labor to set the window well, at $3,000 to $7,000. A below-grade egress window installed runs $2,500 to $5,000 for a prefabricated unit and $3,000 to $7,500 for a custom one (Fixr data it cites), and permits $100 to $500 depending on the city. What moves the excavation price around Wichita: how deep the well has to go to reach the gravel bed, whether a footing drain is there to tie into, how close the gas and electric lines run, whether a machine can reach the spot or it's all hand digging, and whether the spoil can be spread on the lot. See excavation cost around Wichita for how contractors price digging in general.
Common questions
How big does an egress window well have to be in Wichita?
The 2018 IRC calls for a well with at least 9 square feet of floor area and at least 36 inches of projection and width, big enough for the window to open fully. Wichita and Sedgwick County amended the egress sections in Ordinance 50-833, so confirm the dimensions with MABCD at plan review.
Does an egress window well need a ladder?
Yes, if it is deeper than 44 inches. The local code requires a permanently attached ladder or steps with rungs at least 12 inches wide, 3 inches off the wall and no more than 12 inches apart. Wells deeper than 30 inches also need a guardrail or a rated cover with an escape hatch.
Does the window well need a drain?
Yes. Locally the well has to connect to the foundation drainage system or an approved alternative. If the house has no footing drain, the whole well area needs at least 12 inches of washed gravel or crushed rock below the floor level, unless the foundation sits on well-drained sand and gravel soils.