Allen County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Allen County runs a local inspection program: the state’s contact sheet for the county, updated May 27, 2026, lists a local building inspector whose coverage includes the City of Scottsville and a separate local electrical inspector. The Allen County Fiscal Court office at 201 West Main Street in Scottsville (270-237-3631) issues the county’s permit for setting up a mobile or manufactured home, for $100, and the Planning and Zoning office (270-237-4180) assigns addresses and verifies floodplain status. The county’s Administrative Code gives its Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office the building and electrical inspections for all new construction in the county and the administration of the Allen County Zoning Ordinance.

What requires a building permit in Allen County?

The one county permit Allen County publishes in full is its mobile home permit: no mobile or manufactured home may be erected, set up or brought onto any property in the county without first applying for a permit for erection and habitation, and no unit is permitted until its electric and its septic or sewer system are approved. For site-built houses, additions and commercial buildings, the county’s Administrative Code (dated August 1, 2025) says its Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office provides building and electrical inspections for all new construction within Allen County under the Kentucky Building Code, and the state sheet lists the local building inspector for the county and Scottsville. The county’s site posts no building-permit ordinance, zoning ordinance text or fee schedule, so the office sets out which projects need a permit and what they cost.

The state’s plumbing division spells out its own list: a permit is needed for all new plumbing, for moving a fixture or drain, for a new or replaced house sewer or water service, for a backflow device and for a new or replacement water heater.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Local: the mobile home permit and its final inspection by the county’s mobile home inspector, the local building inspection program, electrical inspection through the local electrical inspector, addressing, floodplain checks and the Allen County Zoning Ordinance at Planning and Zoning, and county roads through the Allen County Road Department. State: plan review and inspection of the buildings the Kentucky Building Code assigns to the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, plumbing and HVAC permits and inspections, and the licensing of electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors.

Allen County building department: who handles permitting

The state contact sheet lists the local building inspector (coverage including Scottsville), the local electrical inspector, and the state building, manufactured housing, electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors assigned to Allen County. The Fiscal Court handles the mobile home permit at the Judge/Executive’s office.

The city in Allen County

Scottsville is the only incorporated city, so all other land in the county is unincorporated.

Allen County permit types

The county site offers a mobile home checklist and a permit application for download; building and electrical permits for other work are taken by the local inspectors listed on the state sheet.

Residential permits

For a mobile or manufactured home, the application asks for the manufacturer, date of manufacture, the date the unit is or will be on site, its serial number, and either its HUD serial number or, for a used home, the B-seal number from the state inspection. The applicant certifies that the unit meets the federal HUD code or bears a Kentucky B-seal and asks the county to inspect it and issue a permit for erection and habitation. The checklist adds a copy of the Kentucky installer’s license, the installer’s certified-installation (CI) seal, the installer’s signed statement that every installation specification was met, the title or bill of sale, and the address and floodplain verification from Planning and Zoning. Kentucky law requires homes sold by a licensed dealer to be set up and anchored by a certified installer, and the county recommends a certified installer for every unit.

For a site-built house the trade permits are separate: electrical through the local electrical inspector, plumbing from the state (a homeowner may take a state plumbing permit for a home they live in or are building for themselves), and an HVAC permit bought through the state’s portal.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit filing, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial and other non-residential projects divide by size and use: the state reviews and inspects the buildings the Kentucky Building Code assigns to it, and the local program handles the smaller ones. The state’s building codes line, 502-573-0373, answers jurisdiction questions before plans are drawn.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit expediting through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Address. Assigned by the Planning and Zoning office; a green address sign is ordered for $7.50.
• Floodplain. Verification from Planning and Zoning before a home is permitted.
• Septic or water. Health department permits, needed before any unit can be permitted.
• Deeds and plats. The county reviews purchase agreements, deeds and plats to make sure the type of home may be placed on the property.
• Zoning. The Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office administers the Allen County Zoning Ordinance; ask it about the use and setbacks for the lot before plans are drawn.
• New roads. A road built for a subdivision is accepted into the county system by the Fiscal Court only after the road supervisor certifies the Administrative Code specifications: for subdivision streets a 50-foot right of way, 20-foot-wide paved street, a turnaround on a dead end big enough for a school bus, fire truck or garbage truck, proper drainage, and fences at least 25 feet from the centre of the roadway. A paved road outside a subdivision needs a 40-foot right of way and fences at least 20 feet from the centre. Owners offering a road also supply a surveyed legal description by a licensed Kentucky surveyor at their own expense (not needed in an approved, platted subdivision) and copies of their deeds showing good title.
• State road access. A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit for an entrance on a state highway; Allen County is in Highway District 3, whose permit supervisor works from Bowling Green (270-746-7898).

Allen County permit costs and fees

The county publishes two fees: $100 for the mobile home permit, paid at the Judge/Executive’s office, and $7.50 for a green address sign. It posts no building or electrical permit fee schedule, so the Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office quotes those.

A worked example is possible only for the state plumbing permit: a house with 12 openings pays $50 + (12 × $14) = $218.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. Allen County has its own local electrical inspector on the state sheet, and the state sends private-property electrical permits to the local authority. For a mobile home, Tri-County Electric energizes the service only after the county reports that all requirements are met.
• Plumbing. State permit and inspection. The state plumbing inspector meets applicants at the Allen County Health Department on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Central. Permits go to licensed master plumbers, or to homeowners for their own residence with an affidavit.
• HVAC. Since January 1, 2011 the state has required an HVAC permit for all new construction, sold only to licensed or authorized applicants through its portal.
• Installers and contractors. Manufactured homes need a Kentucky-licensed installer; electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors hold state licenses.

How to apply for a permit in Allen County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

For a mobile home, power waits on the full checklist: approved septic or sewer, an approved electrical service, the installer’s paperwork, the CI seal placed inside the home and a passed final inspection by the county’s mobile home inspector; only then does the county ask Tri-County Electric to energize the service. A used home without a B-seal, or a lot without floodplain verification or a health department permit, cannot be permitted. Projects under state jurisdiction cannot begin before the state approves the plans.

Inspections in Allen County

A mobile or manufactured home gets a final inspection by the county’s mobile home inspector after it is installed, and it must be underpinned around its whole perimeter, in masonry, treated wood, plastic or another material in keeping with the home, within 60 days of receiving the habitation permit, with a moisture barrier under the home.

Wiring is inspected by the local electrical inspector, plumbing by the state plumbing inspector and HVAC by the state HVAC inspector. Under the Administrative Code the county’s Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office makes the building and electrical inspections on all new construction in local jurisdiction; the state inspects buildings in state jurisdiction. A used mobile home bought other than from a dealer needs its B-seal inspection first; the checklist sends applicants to the state’s manufactured housing line in Frankfort (502-573-1795) for an appointment.

Kentucky building code in Allen County

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Allen County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, on a current flood map effective July 4, 2011; the county asks for floodplain verification from Planning and Zoning before it permits a home.

Kentucky has one mandatory statewide building code that local governments may not add to. Cities and counties enforce it and run zoning. The state reviews plans for larger and higher-risk buildings, and the local program reviews smaller ones. Kentucky rules

Permit search and official resources

For a copy of a county permit or other county record, the Fiscal Court posts an open records request form; mobile home permits are filed with the Judge/Executive’s office at 201 West Main Street. Plumbing and HVAC permits are applied for through the state’s online portal, which also serves the state building code division.

• Allen County mobile home permit page
• Mobile home checklist
• Mobile home permit application
• Allen County Fiscal Court contact
• County Judge/Executive office
• Allen County open records request form
• Allen County Administrative Code (August 1, 2025)
• Transportation Cabinet district permit contacts
• State contact sheet for Allen County inspectors
• State building codes: local and state jurisdiction
• State plumbing permits and fees
• State HVAC permits
• State online permit portal (SmartGov)
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Allen County permit FAQs

Does Allen County have a building inspector?

Yes. The state’s contact sheet updated May 27, 2026 lists a local building inspector for the county whose coverage includes Scottsville, and the county’s Administrative Code says its Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office inspects all new construction.

Does Allen County have zoning?

Yes. The Administrative Code says the Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement Office administers the Allen County Zoning Ordinance; call 270-237-4180.

How much is a mobile home permit?

$100, paid at the County Judge/Executive’s office in Scottsville.

Can I live in a mobile home before the inspection?

No. The unit needs a permit for erection and habitation, approved electric and septic or sewer, and a passed final inspection before power is turned on.

Where do I get an address?

From the Planning and Zoning office, 270-237-4180; the green address sign costs $7.50.

Who issues electrical permits?

The local electrical inspector listed on the state sheet; private-property electrical permits do not go through the state portal.

Can a homeowner do their own plumbing?

The state issues homeowner plumbing permits for a home the owner lives in or is building for personal use, with an affidavit.

Who handles septic systems?

The Allen County Health Department, 107 North Court Street, Scottsville; 270-237-4423.

Simplify Allen County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Kentucky. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Allen County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.