White Smith Cousino
White Smith Cousino is a U.S. professional services firm providing zoning, sign code, impact fee, and military compatibility planning consulting to cities, counties, tribal governments, and military installations across more than 35 states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What White Smith Cousino does
White Smith Cousino is a U.S. professional services firm specializing in municipal land-use planning, zoning, and development code consulting, tracing its origins to the 2005 founding of White & Smith Planning and Law Group. The firm operates with a small core team of five to six professionals holding dual credentials as licensed attorneys and land-use planners, a combination that is uncommon in the municipal consulting market. It serves cities, counties, tribal governments, and military installations across more than 35 states, with physical offices in Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, and New York.
The firm's service portfolio is organized around six practice areas: zoning and development codes, sign codes, impact fees, growth management and concurrency, military compatibility planning (including JLUS and DNA PCAS work), and design and form-based codes. It also offers legal advisory through a separate affiliated entity, White & Smith Zoning Law, LLC, which was spun out in 2025 to isolate legal services from the planning and consulting practice. In 2025 the firm rebranded to White Smith Cousino and added Kelly Cousino as a named partner, signaling a transition to a multi-partner platform model.
The business model is project-based government consulting delivered through RFPs, on-call contracts, and retainer engagements with public-sector clients. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the firm is bootstrapped with no outside funding. Customers include a long tail of municipalities, counties, tribal governments, and Department of Defense installations, with no single anchor client visible in publicly available information. The firm has no proprietary software or technology platform; delivery relies on partner- and senior-level professional judgment in highly specialized regulatory domains such as content-neutral sign codes (post-Reed v. Town of Gilbert) and military encroachment compatibility.
White Smith Cousino firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- White Smith Cousino
- Legal name
- White & Smith, LLC
- Website
- https://planningandlaw.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- White Smith Cousino is a U.S. professional services firm providing zoning, sign code, impact fee, and military compatibility planning consulting to cities, counties, tribal governments, and military installations across more than 35 states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where White Smith Cousino is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
White Smith Cousino business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Planning and Consulting Services: The firm generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements with government clients. Engagements include zoning code drafting, impact fee ordinance development and updates, military compatibility planning, growth management studies, and design guidelines. Revenue is earned through professional service contracts, typically on a project fee basis. No subscription, licensing, or usage-based recurring revenue model is described.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
White Smith Cousino product offering
Product offeringCore offering
White Smith Cousino is a professional planning and consulting firm that drafts and rewrites zoning ordinances, unified development codes, sign regulations, and impact fee programs for cities, counties, and tribal governments across the United States. The firm also conducts Joint Land Use Studies (JLUS) and Compatible Use Studies (CUS) for military installations and surrounding communities. Engagements are delivered on a project basis through direct contracts, RFPs, and competitive bidding with public-sector clients.
Product overview
White Smith Cousino is a professional planning and consulting firm (not a software company) providing urban planning, zoning, and code development services to public sector clients. The firm operates as a single integrated service offering across six interconnected practice areas: Zoning & Development Codes, Sign Codes, Impact Fees, Growth Management & Concurrency, Military Compatibility Planning, and Design & Form-Based Codes. These services are delivered through project-based consulting engagements, not a software platform. The firm has offices in Missouri, South Carolina, New York, and Florida, and serves municipalities and counties nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Military Compatibility Planning
Companies that use White Smith Cousino
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
White Smith Cousino technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
White Smith Cousino partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, significant and minor.
- Benchmark PlanningcoreLong-term consulting partner for Joint Land Use Studies (JLUS) and Compatible Use Studies (CUS). WSC and Benchmark Planning have collaborated on multiple military compatibility projects including MCAS Beaufort & MCRD Parris Island, Little Rock Air Force Base, Camp Clark, and Camp Crowder. The partnership involves site analysis, stakeholder engagement, and JLUS/CUS report preparation.
- Marstel-DaycoreEnvironmental and military compatibility consulting partner collaborating with WSC on JLUS projects. Contributes environmental analysis and resilience planning expertise. Worked with WSC on MCAS Beaufort & MCRD Parris Island JLUS and multiple other military base compatibility studies.
- Dover, Kohl & PartnerssignificantSubconsultant/partner on comprehensive zoning code projects including Mobile, AL Unified Development Code and Chesterfield County, VA Zoning Ordinance Modernization. Provides urban design and planning expertise in charrette-based code development processes.
- Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT)significantLandscape architecture and urban design firm serving as subconsultant on Mobile, AL and Hillsborough County, FL projects. Contributed to comprehensive plans and community design regulations. Also collaborated on Lafayette, LA Unified Development Code.
- HalffminorEngineering and planning firm serving as subconsultant assisting WSC on the Moore, OK Land Development Code Update project.
- Kendig Keast Collaborative (KKC)significantPlanning subconsultant on Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Unified Development Code and Manhattan, KS UDO. KKC led consolidation and recalibration of zoning districts, reducing the number of base zoning districts and weaving by-right development options into the code.
- VireominorConsulting team member on the Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Unified Development Code project.
- TCG ConsultingminorSubconsultant assisting on the Mobile, AL Future Land Use Plan and Major Street Plan.
- WSP (formerly WSP USA)significantGlobal engineering and professional services firm that served as lead consultant with WSC as a subconsultant on Loudoun County, VA Zoning Code rewrite. WSP led the overall project while WSC focused on sign and parking regulations.
- MKSKminorUrban design and planning firm. Worked as subconsultant to WSC on Decatur Town Center Plan, reviewing and providing recommendations for the Town's Unified Development Ordinance.
- Crafted CommunicationsminorCommunications firm partnering with WSC on the Loogootee Regulatory & Legislative Recommendations project for NSA Crane and Grissom ARB communities in Indiana.
- Planning WorksminorPlanning consultancy that collaborated with WSC on the initial phases of Lincoln County, NC Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) project.
- American StructurepointminorEngineering and architecture firm in the WSC partnership for Grissom Air Reserve Base JLUS project.
- CHA CompaniesminorEngineering firm partnered with WSC on Grissom Air Reserve Base Operational Areas Action Plan, particularly the North Clear Zone implementation.
- Shiel SextonminorConstruction and engineering firm partnered with WSC on Grissom Air Reserve Base Clear Zone Action Plan implementation.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
White Smith Cousino competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Marstel-Day: Environmental and military compatibility consulting firm that has partnered with WSC on JLUS projects including MCAS Beaufort/MCRD Parris Island. Directly comparable in the military land-use compatibility niche.
- CodeStudio: Zoning and development-code writing firm serving cities and counties nationwide. Directly comparable to WSC — same target clients (municipalities), same core deliverable (UDO/zoning ordinance rewrites).
- Dover, Kohl & Partners: Miami-based town planning and urban design firm specializing in form-based codes and charrette-driven comprehensive plans. Directly comparable to WSC — they have even partnered as subconsultants on the Mobile UDC and Chesterfield County, VA projects, and compete for the same municipal zoning-rewrite RFPs.
- PlaceMakers: Form-based codes and zoning consulting firm that trains municipalities on regulatory reform. Directly comparable to WSC in the form-based code and code-writing niche, particularly for walkable, mixed-use projects.
- Duncan Associates: Planning consulting firm known for zoning diagnostics, code modernization, and community planning. Directly comparable to WSC in the municipal zoning rewrite and development-code modernization space.
- Opticos Design: Berkeley-based architecture and planning firm pioneering form-based codes and the 'missing middle housing' framework. Comparable to WSC in form-based code work and direct municipal client engagement.
- Kendig Keast Collaborative: Texas-based zoning and planning firm focused on unified development ordinance rewrites, district recalibration, and by-right development options. Directly comparable to WSC; they have partnered on Wyandotte County/Kansas City and Manhattan, KS UDOs, serving the same municipal client base.
- Benchmark Planning: Military land-use compatibility planning firm that has partnered with WSC on multiple JLUS/CUS engagements (Little Rock AFB, Camp Clark, Camp Crowder). Directly comparable in the military compatibility consulting niche.
Broad incumbents
- WSP: Global engineering and professional services firm that has engaged WSC as a subconsultant on the Loudoun County, VA zoning rewrite. Broader portfolio than WSC but competes for (and often leads) the same large municipal planning RFPs.
- Kimley-Horn: Large national planning and engineering firm with broad municipal planning practice. Larger and broader than WSC but competes for many of the same comprehensive plan, zoning, and impact-fee RFPs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
White Smith Cousino financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
White Smith Cousino leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
White Smith Cousino funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
White Smith Cousino M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about White Smith Cousino
What does White Smith Cousino do?
White Smith Cousino is a professional planning and consulting firm that drafts and rewrites zoning ordinances, unified development codes, sign regulations, and impact fee programs for cities, counties, and tribal governments across the United States. The firm also conducts Joint Land Use Studies (JLUS) and Compatible Use Studies (CUS) for military installations and surrounding communities. Engagements are delivered on a project basis through direct contracts, RFPs, and competitive bidding with public-sector clients.
Is White Smith Cousino a public or private company?
White Smith Cousino is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was White Smith Cousino founded?
White Smith Cousino was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is White Smith Cousino based?
White Smith Cousino is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does White Smith Cousino make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Planning and Consulting Services.
Who are White Smith Cousino's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Marstel-Day, CodeStudio, Dover, Kohl & Partners, PlaceMakers, Duncan Associates, Opticos Design, Kendig Keast Collaborative and Benchmark Planning. Broad incumbents are WSP and Kimley-Horn.
Does White Smith Cousino have an API?
No public API is recorded for White Smith Cousino.