Unincorporated Lawrence County

Kentucky Revised Statutes § 67.410 prohibits building operations in the county without a permit from the building inspector (or the state when no local inspector exists).

Note: No public exempt-work list is posted for Lawrence County; the county relies on KRS 67.410, which requires permits for all building-related operations.

Building code

2018 Kentucky Building Code (based on the 2015 IBC/IRC)

Permit validity

Approval is contingent on payment of fees and amendments require additional fees before the permit is extended.

Owner-builder

DHBC treats owner-applicants like any other applicant; no separate owner-builder exception is published in the plan guide.

Contractor requirements

DHBC licenses/certifies electricians, plumbers, HVAC, boiler, fire alarm, and sprinkler contractors and building inspectors; other contractor credentials are handled at the local level.

1. 01
   Contact the local planning/zoning authority to confirm the site is properly zoned before you invest in full plans; DHBC has no jurisdiction over zoning decisions.
2. 02
   Determine whether the project falls under the state or a local program; Lawrence County lacks a local inspector, so the DHBC reviews nearly all work beyond single-family homes.
3. 03
   Submit a completed application, fee worksheet, and required plan sets through SmartGov.
4. 04
   Respond to any reviewer requests; corrected sheets are emailed to HBC.plans@ky.gov.
5. 05
   Pay all required fees before construction approval is issued.

Typical processing time: DHBC does not publish a one-size-fits-all timeline; plan submittal communications establish specific review windows.

Source: Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction – Division of Building Codes Enforcement ↗

Fees are payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer; the department will not issue construction approval until all required fees are collected.

Fees change periodically. Confirm at the official fee schedule ↗ before budgeting.

• (502) 573-0373 (phone)
• HBC.plans@ky.gov (email)

Scheduling deadline

Applicants coordinate with the plan reviewer assigned via the SmartGov portal.

Inspection hours

Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. EST

Typical sequence: The Kentucky Building Code (Section 109.1) requires inspections at every code stage (footing, framing, etc.), and work must remain accessible until the inspection passes.

Source: Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction – Division of Building Codes Enforcement ↗