Louisville Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

Louisville Metro’s Office of Construction Review serves the Louisville-Jefferson County consolidated government for building permits, plan review, inspections, and construction-code compliance. The Metro process is not a blanket substitute for every incorporated city inside Jefferson County: Louisville Metro specifically says it does not review plans or perform inspections within Jeffersontown, and applicants should confirm the exact local jurisdiction before submitting.

Louisville Metro building permits and Accela

A permit is generally required to construct, enlarge, remodel, alter, repair, remove, convert, or change the occupancy of a building. Louisville Metro Ordinance §150.001 adopts the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code for Metro construction. Submit the construction documents and application through the Louisville Metro Business Portal (Accela Citizen Access), or use the Construction Review counter at 444 S. 5th Street. Residential, commercial, trade, demolition, change-of-use, and related applications can require different forms and supporting plans.

The Metro portal also supports permit and case searches, document access, application submission, payments, and inspection management. Planning and zoning applications use the same business-portal ecosystem, but zoning certification, development plans, conditional uses, variances, and other land-use cases are reviewed by Louisville Metro Planning.

Inspections, code compliance, and certificates of occupancy

Permit holders request inspections after the work reaches the required stage and remains accessible. Common building inspections include foundation, rough framing, and final inspections; additional electrical, HVAC, fire, or project-specific inspections may apply. Metro records inspection outcomes as passed, partial pass, or corrections needed, with follow-up inspections required when corrections remain.

All required inspections must pass before a new building receives a Certificate of Occupancy or a renovation/addition receives a Letter of Acceptance. A change of use or occupancy may require zoning confirmation, a building permit even when no physical work is planned, and a final inspection before the space can legally be occupied.

Official contact information

Construction Review lists 444 S. 5th Street, Suite 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, and (502) 574-3321. Confirm whether the property is in Metro jurisdiction or an independent Jefferson County municipality before applying; the Kentucky DHBC also retains state review and inspection responsibility for project types assigned to the state under KBC Chapter 1.