Louisville building department

Louisville Metro’s Office of Construction Review is a division of the Department of Codes and Regulations. It reviews plans and issues building, HVAC/mechanical, electrical, fire detection, fire suppression, building moving, tent, and wrecking permits for the consolidated Louisville–Jefferson County government. It enforces the state codes under a contract with the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC).

The customer service counter in Suite 100 of the Metro Development Center (444 S. 5th Street) is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Plan reviewers are available 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

Which areas Metro covers

Construction Review does not review plans or inspect inside the City of Jeffersontown. Jeffersontown runs its own program at 10416 Watterson Trail, (502) 267-8333. The other small cities inside Jefferson County don’t have expanded construction jurisdiction, so Metro issues their building permits and coordinates review with them. Some of these cities, such as Anchorage, Audubon Park, Barbourmeade, and Beechwood Village, have their own approval requirements, and some issue sign permits locally by agreement with Metro. Check with the city before you start work.

When you need a permit

You need a building permit to build, enlarge, remodel, alter, repair, remove, convert, or change the occupancy of a building. Metro Code §150.001 adopts the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code. Statewide, the 2018 KBC and 2018 KRC took effect January 1, 2019. Electrical permits pulled on or after January 1, 2025 must meet the 2023 National Electrical Code. Under the KRC, NEC articles 210.52(C), 230.67, and 314.27(C) don’t become mandatory until July 15, 2026.

Project	Metro rule
Fence	Building permit only if over 7 ft tall
Retaining wall	Building permit if over 4 ft tall; walls 4 ft or taller need plans sealed by a Kentucky architect or engineer
Reroofing	No permit or inspection, unless structural parts such as roof decking or rafters are replaced
Deck, addition, accessory building, new home	Building permit with a site plan and construction drawings
Electrical, HVAC	Separate permits; a building permit covers the structure only

Applying

Apply on the Metro Business Portal (Accela) or in person. Through the portal you can submit drawings, pay fees, track review by email, request inspections, and look up permits and inspection results. Residential submittals need a site plan drawn to scale on at least an 8.5 x 11 sheet, showing new and existing structures and distances to lot lines. Depending on the project, you may also need elevations, framing and stair details, foundation drawings, and energy code paperwork.

Some approvals must come from other agencies before Metro will issue a permit:

• Public Works for a new curb cut
• MSD for any new structure, and for any work in a flood zone
• Health Department for in-ground pools or lots with a septic tank
• Planning & Design for waivers and variances, historic preservation and overlay districts, and manufactured housing
• Fire district for new houses outside an approved subdivision

Alteration and addition permits, and new buildings of 800 sq ft or less, come with a royal blue placard. It must be posted where it can be seen from the street. You can print your own on weatherproof blue 11 x 17 stock. Take it down within seven business days after the final inspection is approved.

Fees

Fees come from the promulgated schedule under Metro Code §150.096, revised February 6, 2024:

Item	Fee
New 1- and 2-family construction or additions	$0.105 per sq ft of all floors, including finished basement
Partial alterations or work without a square footage	$50 plus $2.50 per $1,000 of estimated cost
Minimum building permit	$75
Foundation-only permit, single-family	$75
New wiring, 1- or 2-family home	$200 (includes three inspections)
Service upgrade, repairs, or added wiring, 1- or 2-family home	$75 up to $750 of work; $100 above $750
Residential HVAC	$105 first system; $50 each additional
Extra inspection	$50

Starting work without a permit adds a penalty equal to the permit fee. For electrical work the penalty is at least $1,000. Reactivating a permit within 180 days after it expires costs $35. Metro won’t issue a new residential building permit to an applicant who has unresolved Building Code violations.

Contractor licenses and owner permits

Only a Metro-licensed or identified contractor, or the property owner, can get a permit. An owner permit requires that you be the owner of record. To get a contractor license you need:

• a certificate of liability insurance
• workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, or a notarized affidavit if you have no employees
• an occupational license number from the Revenue Commission, (502) 574-4860

A Building Type A license costs $125 and covers any number of permits from January 1 to December 31. A Type B license costs $50 and covers a single permit. Residential building licensees need 6 hours of continuing education to renew. An HVAC license costs $200 and requires a Kentucky Master HVAC Contractor license.

Inspections

The permit holder requests each inspection when the work is ready and accessible. The most common building inspections are foundation, framing/rough-in, and final. Residential permits need at least a rough-in/framing and a final. You can request building and HVAC inspections through the portal; the portal no longer lets you pick a date, so the request goes in when you submit it. Without an account, call (502) 574-3321, option 4. Electrical inspections must be requested by the contractor through the portal. Homeowners with their own electrical permit request them by email.

Results are recorded as passed, partial pass, or corrections needed, and re-inspections may cost extra. A new building gets a Certificate of Occupancy, and a renovation or addition gets a Letter of Acceptance, once all inspections pass.

Plumbing goes to the state

Louisville Metro doesn’t review or inspect plumbing; the Kentucky Division of Plumbing does. DHBC lists its Jefferson County office at 312 Whittington Parkway, Suite 202, Louisville, KY 40222, (502) 782-6032, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. State plumbing inspectors are assigned by ZIP code. Some larger buildings fall under DHBC’s own plan review under KBC Chapter 1 and need state approval as well as Metro’s.

Related offices

Zoning, variances, and development plans go to Louisville Metro Planning & Design, (502) 574-6230. Right-of-way permits go to Public Works, (502) 574-3121.