Interested in KBBA Membership?

1. Obtain your lodging license. All Bed and Breakfasts with four or more rooms OR who can accommodate eight or more guests are required to have a Kansas Lodging License. You may begin operations once you receive your lodging license. Inns that do not require a lodging license (3 rooms or less) do not need to wait for a KBBA inspection before they begin operations.

2. Submit application for membership by filling out this online form. After you have successfully submitted your Bed & Breakfast you will be invoiced a $100.00 application fee. You will receive your invoice via email.

The New Member Services Coordinator will contact you concerning your evaluation schedule. The Coordinator will ask that:

a) Your bed and breakfast is completed and in operation.
b) Required state, county, and local licenses are on hand.
d) You meet all state, county, and local zoning and tax regulations.
e) You will provide complimentary overnight accommodations for the evaluator.

3. Following inspection, the New Member Services Coordinator submits your application to the KBBA Board of Directors for approval. Upon approval, you will be notified and invoiced for your membership dues. Dues for 2008 are $175 per Inn plus $20 per guest room. Dues may be prorated depending on application date.

4. You will pay dues and confirm your B&B information is correct and complete on the KBBA website..

Upon receipt of payment, your inn will be added to the Association website at www.kbba.com and you will qualify for all other benefits of KBBA membership.

Facility must be completed and open for business.

All Bed and Breakfasts applying for membership must be in compliance with ALL state, county and local rules, regulations, laws, zoning, etc. All licenses, tax certificates, and permits need to be displayed at the Bed and Breakfast as required by state law.

Insurance - Basic homeowner policies do not provide adequate insurance for operating a B&B. Be sure and check to see if you have commercial liability insurance or at the least, a rider added to cover your extra guests and their belongings. You may want to contact a company that writes a specific B&B insurance policy.

State Regulations that are often misunderstood include the private bath regulations, lodging licenses, and what taxes should you collect:

• According to Kansas State Health Regulations, you should have private baths for each guest rooms (KAR 28-36-40). The state is currently not inspecting those inns with three or less guest rooms OR accommodate seven (7) or less guests. However, the State of Kansas required ALL Bed and Breakfasts in the state with four or more guest rooms OR who can accommodate eight (8) or more guests to have lodging licenses. In order to qualify for your lodging license, if you are a new business or newly renovated, you must have private baths for each guest unit.
  
• The need for a Lodging License is based on number of guests you accommodate and does not refer to breakfast or other meals served to your overnight guests. (Note: You might have only 3 rooms available to overnight guests and accommodate less than 7 people and not need a lodging license but if you serve meals to the public (to other than B&B guests) then you will need to be licensed to serve food. The Food Service License is unrelated to your Lodging License and/or your bed and breakfast business.
  
• The Kansas State Department of Revenue uses number of rooms available to overnight guests as the basis for determining if you should collect the taxes. State Sales Tax and any local or county Sales Tax is to be collected ONLY if you rent 4 or more rooms.
  
• Transient Guest Tax is to be collected if you rent 3 or more rooms, providing you are in an area that has such a tax. It should not be collected if you are not required by your city or county. (The tax laws are not consistent: 3 rooms for one tax, 4 for the other, which causes confusion among innkeepers and state.)
  
• Zoning Regulations and other local and county regulations: The Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association states in their by-laws that it requires “that all members must maintain on a current basis all permits, licenses and certifications are required for operation of a bed and breakfast establishment.” Thus, be sure and check with local officials about what is required in your area. More than one bed and breakfast has opened without checking regulations only to have to close, or make major costly changes, because they didn’t get a special use permit for their area, meet parking regulations, meet the town’s health code, etc. Don’t let that happen to you.