Bardstown, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Since August 2024 the City of Bardstown Building & Safety Department has run the city’s own building and electrical inspection program under Ordinance B2024-11, covering houses as well as commercial buildings inside the city limits. Building official Justin Wagner’s office is at City Hall, 220 N. Fifth Street (502-348-5947 ext. 2243); applications and payments go through the city’s iWorQ portal. A new house pays $225 for the building permit, after zoning compliance from the Joint City-County Planning Commission.

What construction needs a permit in Bardstown?

Ordinance B2024-11 set up a building inspection program for every building covered by the Kentucky Building Code and expressly added plan review and inspection of houses under the Kentucky Residential Code. The Residential Plan Application lists the project types the office expects to see on a house lot.

The city fee schedule applies the accessory-building fee to garages, storage buildings and homes over 120 sq ft, so the smallest garden sheds fall below the fee line; ask the office whether a smaller shed still needs a zoning permit or a historic-district approval.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The council adopted the program and its fees, and fee or form changes are set by the building and electrical inspector with council approval. The city named its Building & Electrical Inspector the local enforcement agent, and all building and electrical inspections must be done by people certified by the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC). The state keeps the buildings that section 104.16 of the Kentucky Building Code reserves for it, the plumbing permit and the trade licenses, and it authorized the new city program before inspections began, as the city administrator reported to council on August 27, 2024.

Bardstown building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Safety Department is part of city government at City Hall, with building official Justin Wagner at extension 2243. It issues building, electrical and mechanical permits and does the inspections. Lots outside the city limits go to Nelson County Code Enforcement. Because the city runs its own water, sewer, electric and cable utilities, its Engineering Department keeps their records and maps, approves new driveways, sidewalks, drainage and sanitary sewer connections, and reviews every subdivision development plan.

Bardstown permit types

The department’s document center holds a Residential Plan Application, a Commercial Plan Application, electrical and mechanical permit applications, the homeowner Electrical Affidavit, a special application for range hoods, fire alarms and sprinklers, a pool enclosure acknowledgement and an energy-conservation checklist. Applications can be filed and paid through iWorQ, which also shows approvals and inspection results.

Residential permits

The Residential Plan Application covers single-family homes, row houses or townhouses and duplexes and is attached to the plans. The city’s Building Permit Checklist asks for the completed building permit and zoning compliance application, one set of construction documents, a plot plan, the address request form, a copy of the approved city or county encroachment permit and a copy of the approved zoning compliance permit, with fees payable to the City of Bardstown.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the Commercial Plan Application. Plan review is charged by floor area and occupancy, and sprinkler, fire detection, standpipe, suppression and range hood systems carry their own review fees. Projects of the size or type that section 104.16 of the state code assigns to HBC are reviewed by the state instead.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Land disturbance permit from city Engineering for any disturbance over 1,000 sq ft, obtained before the building and zoning compliance permits.
• Zoning compliance permit from the Joint City-County Planning Commission, using its “City of Bardstown” checklists; variances and conditional uses go to the Bardstown Board of Adjustment.
• Certificate of appropriateness in the historic district: Historic Review Board vote, then City Council at its next regular Tuesday session.
• Entrance or encroachment. City Engineering for city streets; a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit (District 4, Elizabethtown, 502-764-0744) for state routes.
• Floodplain. Mapped flood areas need the state floodplain construction application with the local administrator’s endorsement under Article 16 of the joint zoning regulations.

Bardstown permit costs and fees

The fees are the schedules attached to Ordinance B2024-11, adopted August 15, 2024, and posted as the Building and Safety Department Fee Schedule. Checks are payable to the City of Bardstown, and card payments carry a 3.5% fee.

Example: a 2,000 sq ft house on a single lot pays the city $225 for the building permit, $150 for electrical and $300 for the land disturbance permit, $675 in all, plus a refundable bond of at least $1,000 (more where a sidewalk is required). The Planning Commission adds 16 cents a square foot for zoning compliance ($320 here), and the state plumbing permit is $50 plus $14 per opening. The ordinance says initial HVAC installations pay the state’s fees, while Attachment E prints $105 for a one-system house, so ask the office which applies before you count it.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The city’s own certified electrical inspector issues and inspects. A homeowner may take out the permit only for wiring their own single-family home or accessory building and must sign the Electrical Affidavit: the owner does the work, lives in the home for at least a year after completion, will not lease or transfer it for a year, and attaches a driver’s license showing the property address. The affidavit cites KRS 227A.030 and excludes rental property. Everyone else uses a state-licensed electrical contractor.
• Mechanical. Contractors file the city’s Mechanical Permit Application. Mail-in mechanical applications need proof of insurance, a copy of the mechanical license and the applicant’s contact details on file first.
• Plumbing. Not a city permit. HBC’s Division of Plumbing issues it to licensed master plumbers or to homeowners doing the plumbing in their own personal residence, and the state inspector keeps office hours at the Nelson County Health Department.
• Licenses. Mail-in electrical applications require proof of insurance, copies of the master and contractor licenses, and a current city occupational license fee. Contractors working on a land disturbance permit must hold a valid City of Bardstown business license.

How to apply for a Bardstown building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The ordinance says no permit is issued until its fees are paid, and an amended permit with a bigger scope waits for the extra fee. The land disturbance office will not review incomplete submittals and may charge half the review fee again for major revisions on larger sites. In the historic district, timing depends on the Historic Review Board’s meeting calendar and the council vote that follows. Violations of the building ordinance carry fines of $100 to $500 a day, plus state penalties.

Inspections in Bardstown

Inspection results are posted in iWorQ. A new home or addition is inspected at least three times, at the footer, at framing and at final, with a written report each time; accessory buildings and dwellings over 120 sq ft get footer and final inspections. A house’s electrical permit includes three inspections, and each failed or extra electrical visit is $50. The ordinance was adopted to require permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy, and the inspector may visit a site several times to advise at no extra cost. On land disturbance permits, the city releases the permit and bond after a final inspection once the site is 70% vegetated; allow two weeks for the bond to come back.

Kentucky building code in Bardstown

On July 14, 2026 the City Council approved Resolution R2026-06, a 12-month moratorium on accepting, processing and approving applications to develop data centers; the posted minutes do not give a separate end date, so ask City Hall before planning one. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Bardstown as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program, on a flood map effective October 16, 2025.

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

Permit status, approvals and inspection results are in the city’s iWorQ portal. For older files or copies, the city takes requests through its Request Open Records page, and council actions on permits and fees are in the posted agendas and minutes.

• Building & Safety Department (forms and iWorQ link)
• Building and Safety Department fee schedule
• Building permit checklist
• Residential plan application
• Homeowner electrical affidavit
• Council minutes adopting Ordinance B2024-11 (August 15, 2024)
• Council minutes, July 14, 2026 (data center moratorium)
• City Council agendas and minutes
• Engineering Department
• Land disturbance permits for home builders
• Encroachment and land disturbance fee schedule (June 2022)
• Owning property in the historic district
• Historic Review Board COA fees (August 18, 2026)
• Zoning compliance permits and checklists
• Planning Commission fee schedule (March 24, 2026)
• Floodplain management
• Request open records
• State plumbing permits and fees
• State contact sheet for Nelson County
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit contacts
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Bardstown building-permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Bardstown?

The city’s Building & Safety Department at City Hall, 220 N. Fifth Street (502-348-5947 ext. 2243). Lots outside the city limits go to Nelson County Code Enforcement.

How much is a permit for a new house?

$225 for the building permit and $150 for electrical on a house up to 3,000 sq ft, plus a $300 land disturbance permit with a bond, and 16 cents a square foot for zoning compliance.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

The city’s accessory-building fee applies to sheds, garages and storage buildings over 120 sq ft. A zoning compliance permit or, in the historic district, a certificate of appropriateness may still be needed for smaller ones.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical work?

Yes, on a single-family home or accessory building they own and live in, after signing the city’s Electrical Affidavit. Rentals are excluded.

What if my house is in the historic district?

Any exterior change needs a certificate of appropriateness: the Historic Review Board votes first and City Council approves at its next regular Tuesday meeting. Interior work does not need the board.

Is there a moratorium on data centers?

Yes. Resolution R2026-06, approved July 14, 2026, stops the city accepting or approving data center applications for 12 months.

Who handles plumbing permits?

The state, not the city. A licensed master plumber, or a homeowner for their own residence, gets the permit from HBC, which charges $50 plus $14 per opening for a house.

Simplify Bardstown 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 Bardstown permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.