Covington building department

Covington does not run its own building department. Building permits, plan review, and inspections for Covington are handled by Planning and Development Services of Kenton County (PDS), a public agency that has served Kenton County and its cities since 1961. The Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) lists PDS as the local building and HVAC inspector for Covington and most other Kenton County cities. PDS’s office at 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Suite 3400, is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Zoning is different. The City of Covington issues its own zoning permits, and you need one before PDS will issue a building permit.

Step 1: City of Covington zoning permit

The city says a zoning permit is required “almost always.” It authorizes the use of a building or property and any construction of, or addition to, a building. Covington takes zoning applications online through its iWorQ portal. The city’s Regulatory Division is at 20 West Pike Street, (859) 292-2122, [email protected].

• If the property is in a Historic Preservation overlay, you need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Officer before zoning review.
• Every application needs a site plan showing property lines, the street, proposed structures and their dimensions, setbacks from each property line, and north. It doesn’t have to be drawn by an architect or surveyor, but it must be accurate. LINK-GIS has a site plan tool.
• Zoning rules are in Covington’s Neighborhood Development Code (NDC). The city posts application guides for additions, detached garages and carports, change of use, demolition, driveways and parking, fencing, new construction, pools, short-term rentals, and signs.
• Pools, in-ground or above-ground, need a fence or wall 4 to 6 ft high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Openings must not pass a 4-inch sphere. Pools can’t sit in front of the main building.

Step 2: PDS building permit

All building, zoning, planning, and subdivision applications for PDS go through its GovBuilt online portal. PDS emails a payment link once the application is in. It requires PDF format for digital documents. Applications also need a recorded deed. If the work touches a county or state road, you need an encroachment permit from whoever owns the road.

Contractors must supply an occupational license number for the city where the work is done. They also need proof of Kentucky workers’ compensation coverage or an affidavit of assurances under KRS 198B.060(10). Electrical and HVAC work are applied for separately by the licensed contractor.

PDS posts submittal checklists for accessory structures and pole barns, agricultural exemptions, basement finishes, commercial buildings and specialized systems, decks, demolitions, residential homes and additions, residential pools, shell buildings, and site and foundation permits. Pre-engineered metal buildings, pole barns, and retaining walls need engineered drawings.

Typical review times

Permit type	Target
Electrical	5 business days
Zoning-only (fence, small shed, driveway)	1–3 business days
Residential (new house, deck, detached garage, addition, HVAC)	12 business days
Commercial (new buildings, multi-family, fire suppression, fire alarm, hood, HVAC)	12 business days

Permits are processed in the order received. A permit expires if work doesn’t start within six months, stops for more than six months, or no inspections are done. Extensions are available on request.

Exempt work

PDS says these don’t need a building permit. Items marked * still need a zoning permit.

• One-story detached sheds, playhouses, and similar accessory structures up to 200 sq ft*
• Fences 7 ft or less*
• Driveways* and sidewalks no more than 30 in. above grade, not over a basement or story below, and not part of an accessible route
• Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work
• Playground equipment for one- and two-family homes
• Window and awning replacement on an exterior wall
• New siding
• Ordinary re-roofing, with no sheathing or structural members repaired or replaced
• Ordinary repairs such as drywall or a door. Repairing or replacing any structural element is not an ordinary repair.

PDS’s accessory structure checklist adds that a fence over 7 ft, or any fence on a property with an in-ground pool, needs a full permit.

Decks

A deck needs a permit unless it meets all four of these: less than 200 sq ft, less than 30 in. above grade, not attached to the house, and not serving a required exit. Deck applications need a site plan and drawings showing deck size, footing size and depth, joist and beam sizes and spans, post spacing, and how the ledger attaches to the house. Guardrails are required where the deck is more than 30 in. above grade and must be at least 36 in. high. PDS publishes a standard deck packet based on the Kentucky Residential Code. It notes that a ledger can’t hang on brick veneer unless a design professional designs the connection.

Codes

PDS enforces the statewide Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code, the National Electrical Code, local zoning, and the International Property Maintenance Code. The 2018 KBC and 2018 KRC took effect January 1, 2019. PDS notes that the KBC and KRC are not available to read online.

Electrical and plumbing inspections

PDS does not do electrical inspections. Contractors and homeowners choose one of two private inspection firms PDS lists:

Firm	Contact
IBI (Inspection Bureau)	250 West Court Street, Suite 125W, Cincinnati, OH, (513) 381-6080
Electric Inspection	2012 Callie Way, Suite 102, Union, KY, (859) 746-9111

Plumbing is inspected by the state. DHBC lists the Kenton County plumbing inspector’s office at the Boone County Health Center, 7505 Burlington Pike, Florence, (859) 341-8228, with office hours 8–9 a.m. on weekdays.

Floodplain and code enforcement

PDS is the local floodplain coordinator for every Kenton County jurisdiction except Covington and Erlanger. Covington has its own floodplain coordinator. Any construction in a designated floodplain needs both a local floodplain permit and a state permit from the Kentucky Division of Water.

Property maintenance, nuisance, rental, and zoning complaints inside the city go to Covington Code Enforcement, (859) 292-2167 or [email protected]. Covington landlords need an occupational license, a rental license, and zoning permits. A Dumpster or storage pod placed on or in front of a property needs a city permit first.