Updated

HELOCs in Kansas: how much you can borrow and the state rules that apply

Own a home in Kansas and want cash without giving up the rate on your current mortgage? A home equity line of credit can do that. Kansas has no special HELOC borrowing cap, and since 2019 it no longer charges a mortgage registration tax. Kansas law also limits fees and penalties on many loans secured by a second mortgage. Here is what that means for you.

Median value of an owner-occupied Kansas home
$238,700
Kansas homeowners with no mortgage at all
43.0%
Change in Kansas home prices over 5 years
+37.1%
For the lender to release a paid-off, closed line after your written demand, or owe you $500
20 days

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HELOC rates in Kansas right now

Most HELOCs have a variable rate based on the prime rate plus a margin set by the lender. Your margin depends mostly on your credit and how much of your home's value you borrow.

In 2025, the median HELOC in Kansas opened at 7.70%, and half opened between 6.49% and 8.48%, across 6,127 lines reported under federal HMDA data. The national median was 7.50%. Leaving out lines with a 3 to 12 month introductory rate, the Kansas median was 8.00%. Home equity loans in Kansas, which usually have a fixed rate, closed at a median of 8.68%. HELOC rates in every state.

Prime rate, unchanged since September 17, 2026 (Federal Reserve)
7.00%
Median Kansas HELOC rate at opening, 2025 (HMDA)
7.70%
Average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, week of October 29, 2026 (Freddie Mac)
7.24%

The Federal Reserve raised rates on September 16, 2026, which moved prime to 7.00%. Its October 27 and 28 meeting is more recent than the prime rate data shown here, which runs through October 27, 2026. Its next meeting is December 8 and 9. With 30-year mortgage rates above 7%, a HELOC lets you borrow against your equity without refinancing a lower rate you already have.

How much can you borrow in Kansas?

Kansas law doesn't set a home equity borrowing cap. Each lender sets its own limit on all the loans on your home combined, your current mortgage plus the new line.

Many Kansas owners have room to borrow: 43.0% own their home with no mortgage at all, against 40.3% nationally.

Home value ×80% −what you owe now =a likely maximum line

Example
Home value (the Kansas median for owner-occupied homes)
$238,700
80% of value (a common lender limit, not a Kansas law)
$190,960
Current mortgage balance
$130,000
Maximum line of credit
$60,960

Example only. Lenders set their own limits and the final amount after an appraisal, and many approve less than the maximum based on credit and income.

Run your own numbers in our home equity calculator

Kansas home prices about doubled from 2014 to 2025

Kansas House Price Index by year, 2014 to 2025Column chart. The index rises from 200.2 in 2014 to 405.7 in 2025, with the largest yearly gains in 2021 and 2022.0100200300400500Index (1991 = 100)2014: index 200.1820142002015: index 206.37, up 3.1% from 20142016: index 216.88, up 5.1% from 20152017: index 226.31, up 4.3% from 201620172018: index 237.94, up 5.1% from 20172019: index 249.84, up 5.0% from 20182020: index 269.10, up 7.7% from 201920202021: index 306.72, up 14.0% from 2020+14.0%2022: index 341.13, up 11.2% from 2021+11.2%2023: index 362.52, up 6.3% from 202220232024: index 387.48, up 6.9% from 20232025: index 405.65, up 4.7% from 20242025406 Kansas House Price Index by year, 2014 to 2025Column chart. The index rises from 200.2 in 2014 to 405.7 in 2025, with the largest yearly gains in 2021 and 2022.0100200300400500Index (1991 = 100)2014: index 200.1820142002015: index 206.37, up 3.1% from 201420152016: index 216.88, up 5.1% from 201520162017: index 226.31, up 4.3% from 201620172018: index 237.94, up 5.1% from 201720182019: index 249.84, up 5.0% from 201820192020: index 269.10, up 7.7% from 201920202021: index 306.72, up 14.0% from 20202021+14.0%2022: index 341.13, up 11.2% from 20212022+11.2%2023: index 362.52, up 6.3% from 202220232024: index 387.48, up 6.9% from 202320242025: index 405.65, up 4.7% from 20242025406

On the FHFA House Price Index, Kansas home prices rose 102.6% from 2014 to 2025 and went up every single year, with the biggest jumps in 2021 (+14.0%) and 2022 (+11.2%). Growth has stayed steady since: up 4.7% in 2025 and 3.33% in the year to mid-2026, 20th of the 50 states and DC.

Source: FHFA House Price Index, Kansas, purchase-only, through 2026 Q2.

Chart data as a table
Kansas House Price Index, annual average (1991 = 100)
YearIndex (1991 = 100)
2014200.18
2015206.37
2016216.88
2017226.31
2018237.94
2019249.84
2020269.10
2021306.72
2022341.13
2023362.52
2024387.48
2025405.65

The Kansas rules that affect a HELOC, in plain English

Kansas has no special HELOC limits like a borrowing cap or a waiting period. These Kansas laws (the Kansas Statutes Annotated) still shape your HELOC.

Your line of credit

One mortgage covers every draw.
A recorded mortgage can secure future advances. Its priority runs from the day it was recorded for every draw, until it is released, but never above the maximum amount stated in the mortgage.
The lien comes off once you pay and close.
When the debt is paid and there is no agreement for more advances, the lender must release the mortgage right away. If it still hasn't 20 days after your written demand, it owes you $500, a reasonable attorney's fee and any added damages.

Second-mortgage protections

No prepayment penalty.
Since January 1, 2025, the Kansas Mortgage Business Act lets you pay off a loan secured by a second mortgage on your home at any time without penalty.
Caps on rate and upfront charges.
On those loans the periodic rate generally cannot exceed 18% a year, and upfront finance charges are capped at 8% of the amount financed, no more than 5% of it going to the mortgage company and related parties.
20 days to catch up.
After you have missed a payment for 10 days, the lender can send a notice of your right to cure. It can't speed up the loan or take the home over that missed payment until 20 days after the notice, and you can cure by paying what is past due plus late fees. You get this once per loan.

Spouses and homestead

Your spouse may be asked to sign.
Kansas law says a homestead can't be transferred without the joint consent of husband and wife, so a lender may ask a spouse who isn't borrowing to sign.
Homestead protection doesn't cover a lien you both signed.
The homestead exemption shields your home from forced sale by most creditors, but not from a lien given with the consent of both spouses.

Costs and licensing

No mortgage registration tax.
Kansas used to tax new mortgages at 0.26% of the debt. It phased that tax out and repealed it on January 1, 2019.
Recording fees only.
The register of deeds charges $21 for the first page of a mortgage and $17 for each added page.
Use a licensed lender.
Mortgage companies need a license from the Kansas state bank commissioner. Banks, savings institutions and credit unions are exempt.

If you can't pay

A court confirms the sale.
A foreclosed home is sold at a sheriff's sale, advertised for three weeks. The court must confirm it and can refuse a bid that is far too low.
Up to 12 months to redeem.
You can generally buy the home back within 12 months after the sale and stay in it meanwhile. The court sets 3 months if you defaulted before paying off a third of the original debt on the loan being foreclosed.
Redemption can't be signed away.
For a one- or two-family home you live in, a clause in the mortgage that waives or shortens your redemption period doesn't count.

Property tax basics

$75,000 school levy exemption.
The first $75,000 of your home's appraised value is exempt from the statewide school property tax levy.

Kansas homeowners by the numbers

Median value of an owner-occupied Kansas home
$238,700
U.S.: $360,600
Kansas homeowners with no mortgage at all
43.0%
U.S.: 40.3%
Kansas households that own their home
68.1%
U.S.: 65.3%
Median yearly property tax paid in Kansas
$2,983
U.S.: $3,211

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a mortgage tax on a HELOC in Kansas?

No. Kansas repealed its mortgage registration tax on January 1, 2019. You pay county recording fees instead: $21 for the first page and $17 for each added page.

How do I get my HELOC lien released in Kansas?

Once the line is paid and closed, the lender must release the mortgage right away. If it hasn't 20 days after your written demand, it owes you $500 plus a reasonable attorney's fee.

Can a Kansas lender charge a prepayment penalty on a HELOC?

Not on a loan secured by a second mortgage on your home. Since January 1, 2025, Kansas law lets you pay those off at any time without penalty.

Does my spouse have to sign my Kansas HELOC?

A lender may ask. Kansas law requires both spouses' consent to transfer a homestead, and the homestead protection gives way only to a lien both spouses agreed to.

What happens if I miss a HELOC payment in Kansas?

On a second-mortgage loan, the lender must send a notice of your right to cure and wait 20 days before speeding up the loan. A foreclosure ends in a sheriff's sale that a court must confirm.

How long do I have to redeem my home after a foreclosure sale in Kansas?

Generally 12 months, or 3 months if you defaulted before paying a third of the original debt on the loan being foreclosed.

How much have Kansas home prices risen?

On the FHFA House Price Index, Kansas prices rose 3.33% in the year to mid-2026, 20th of the 50 states and DC, and 37.1% over 5 years. From 2014 to 2025 they rose 102.6%.

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Sources

  • Kansas Statutes Annotated 58-2336 and 58-2309a, future advances and release of mortgages (ksrevisor.gov)
  • Kansas Statutes Annotated 9-2201 to 9-2234, Kansas Mortgage Business Act
  • Kansas Statutes Annotated 60-2301, homestead
  • Kansas Statutes Annotated 60-2410, 60-2414 and 60-2415, sheriff's sales and redemption
  • Kansas Statutes Annotated 79-3101 to 79-3107 (repealed) and 28-115, mortgage registration tax and recording fees; Kansas Legislature supplemental note on Sub. for SB 298 (2014)
  • Kansas Statutes Annotated 79-201x, school levy exemption
  • FHFA House Price Index, state data through 2026 Q2
  • U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024
  • Federal Reserve H.15 release, October 27, 2026
  • Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, October 29, 2026
  • Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, 2025 (HELOC and home equity loan rates at opening, LenderMatch analysis)

Last reviewed October 22, 2026. General information, not legal advice. LenderMatch is not a lender and makes no loans.