Boyle County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Boyle County runs its own building inspection program. The Boyle County Building Inspection office, 445 West Main Street, Danville (859-238-1107), permits one- and two-family homes, commercial buildings, additions, decks, garages, pools and demolitions, and charges 25 cents a square foot for a new house under its 2025 fee schedule. Zoning comes from the Danville-Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission, a joint agency of the county and its three cities, in the same building.

What requires a building permit in Boyle County?

The county’s Building Inspection page lists the work that needs a permit, and it reaches well past new houses. Contractors and owners file the residential or commercial application, and manufactured homes have a separate site permit.

The farmstead exemption follows the state code’s farm rule as the county’s affidavit words it: the tract must be registered with the Boyle County PVA as agricultural or horticultural, the building must sit on one lot of at least 10 acres outside any city, and it must be a dwelling or a building used in running the farm, not a commercial or public building that is a regular workplace for ten or more people. The owner signs that no construction inspections will be made.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Boyle County’s layer is its inspection program and fee schedule, its contractor licensing and the joint zoning ordinance (Boyle County Zoning Ordinance 920.70), administered by the Danville-Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission. Two 2026 actions matter for builders. In June the fiscal court adopted a 12-month moratorium on accepting, reviewing or approving any application, permit or request for data centers within Boyle County, so the planning commission can write rules for them; it runs to June 2027 unless the fiscal court ends or extends it. In October the county announced the unanimous passage of Ordinance 920.29, which adds manufactured, qualified manufactured and mobile home rules to the zoning ordinance.

The state keeps manufactured housing and the buildings section 104.16 of the Kentucky Building Code assigns to the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC): assembly, business, factory and mercantile buildings for more than 100 people (church buildings only above 400 people and 6,000 square feet), educational, high-hazard and institutional buildings, industrialized building systems, anything over three stories or 20,000 square feet, and state-owned property. The county still charges a local permit fee on those state-jurisdiction projects.

Boyle County building department: who handles permitting

Building Inspector William (Rusty) Cox runs the county office and also appears on the planning commission’s staff list. Both offices are at 445 West Main Street, the Danville city building, with mail to P.O. Box 670, Danville, KY 40423.

Cities in Boyle County

HBC’s county contact sheet, updated February 25, 2026, lists a single local building inspector for Boyle County and names no city with an inspector of its own. All three cities belong to the joint planning and zoning commission: the fiscal court and Danville appoint four members each, Junction City and Perryville one each.

Boyle County permit types

The county posts 2025 residential and commercial permit applications, a manufactured home site permit application, the farmstead exemption affidavit, a range hood permit application and the contractor and subcontractor forms. Documents and payments can also go through the county’s online permit portal, linked from the Building Inspection page, and a separate portal handles contractor licensing.

Residential permits

The residential application covers single-family and multi-family homes (calculable area includes a finished basement and the attached garage), additions, renovations, decks, porches, in-ground pools, solar installations, demolition and moving a dwelling or structure over 400 square feet. It asks for the estimated construction cost and whether the work is in a floodplain, and if so whether state and local floodplain permits have been issued. Blueprints or detailed plans go to the inspector on request. A manufactured, modular or mobile home needs the county site permit ($200), which records the seal (HUD, B1 or B2), foundation type, sewer or septic, the installer’s license and whether Planning and Zoning has approved the placement.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial new construction, additions, remodels and changes of use are charged by area, with flat fees for range hood and fire alarm systems, cell towers, commercial demolition (which requires an asbestos survey and disposal report) and solar. Before any multi-family, commercial or industrial job, the joint commission’s zoning permit application needs two 11 x 17 plan sets, landscape, drainage or stormwater plans where they apply, water, sewer and floodplain verification letters, and site evaluation information if the project will not be on public sewer. Larger buildings also go to HBC for state plan review.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Zoning map amendments, site development plans and subdivision plats go to the Planning Commission, which meets at 9 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday, with filing deadlines three weeks earlier; variances and conditional uses go to the Board of Adjustments.
• Contractor license. General contractors and subcontractors need the county’s one-year license ($50), proof of at least $350,000 in liability insurance, workers’ compensation and occupational license compliance.
• Septic. On unsewered land, a site evaluation and septic permit from the health department.
• Floodplain. State and local floodplain permits before a building permit for work in a mapped flood zone.
• Driveways. A Transportation Cabinet permit for any access to a state highway.

Boyle County permit costs and fees

Building fees come from the county’s 2025 Building Permit Fee Schedule; the minimum permit fee is $50. Checks are payable to the Boyle County Fiscal Court, and cards are accepted in person, by phone or through the portal.

Worked example: a new 2,000-square-foot house with no finished basement is 2,000 x $0.25 = $500; adding a 500-square-foot attached garage, also at 25 cents, makes it $625. The joint commission’s own fees (effective January 1, 2020) are separate: conditional use permits and variances $275, administrative appeals $100, land use certificates $50, zoning map amendments $275 to $495 by district, site development plans $595, major subdivision plats $495 and minor plats $105, and zoning compliance permits at 20 cents a square foot for multi-family, commercial and industrial construction ($75 for a change or temporary use, $100 for paving only).

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The county’s Building Inspection page gives a separate contact for electrical permits, and HBC’s sheet directs applicants to the County Judge/Executive’s office or the city office where the work is done. HBC licenses electricians and electrical contractors; a homeowner may do the wiring in his or her own home with a permit.
• Plumbing. State permits and inspections, with the state plumbing inspector’s office hours at the Boyle County Health Department on Monday and Thursday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. (859-236-2053, ext. 121). HBC issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers and to homeowners for their own residences.
• Heating and air conditioning. State HVAC permits, inspected by the HVAC inspector HBC assigns to the county; the framing inspection waits for the service rough-ins.
• Fire protection. Commercial range hoods, alarm and sprinkler systems need county permits.
• Contractors. Boyle County issues its own contractor license, valid for a year; there is no state general contractor license.

How to apply for a Boyle County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county does not publish a review time. Its own forms show the usual snags: a contractor without a current county license, insurance certificate or occupational license filing, a building in a flood zone without its state and local floodplain permits, and a manufactured home placed before Planning and Zoning approves the site. Zoning cases follow the commission’s monthly calendar, with filing deadlines about three weeks before each meeting, and data center proposals cannot be accepted at all while the moratorium lasts.

Inspections in Boyle County

The applicant or agent must tell the Building Inspection office when the project reaches each stage:

• Foundation: footer excavated and reinforcement installed, ready to pour concrete.
• Framing: project fully framed, after the service rough-in inspections and before insulation and drywall.
• Final: all final service inspections done and the house ready to occupy.

New dwellings cannot be occupied without a certificate of occupancy, and extra inspections or call-backs can cost $50 each. Buildings under the farmstead exemption get no construction inspections. Plumbing is inspected by the state plumbing inspector and heating and cooling by the state HVAC inspector under their own permits.

Kentucky building code in Boyle County

Boyle County enforces the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code through its own inspection program, with zoning under the joint Danville-Boyle County ordinance. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Boyle County (community 210322) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current effective flood map dated 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

Boyle County permit search and official resources

The county’s online permit portal shows applications filed through it. For older permit files, use the county’s Open Records Request page; zoning case files are requested from the planning commission on its public records inspection request form, which asks whether the records are for a commercial purpose and whether you agree in advance to pay for copies.

• Building Inspection: permit list, forms and portal links
• 2025 building permit fee schedule
• Residential permit application 2025
• Commercial permit application 2025
• Manufactured home site permit application 2025
• Farmstead exemption affidavit
• Contractor license application
• Contractor and subcontractor ID form
• Data center moratorium resolution, June 9, 2026
• Ordinance 920.29, manufactured and mobile homes
• Open records request
• Danville-Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission
• Planning and zoning FAQs (joint commission)
• Applicant hub: zoning applications
• Planning and zoning fee schedule (effective January 1, 2020)
• Zoning permit application
• 2026 planning commission meetings and deadlines
• Planning commission public records request form
• HBC county contact sheet, Boyle County
• HBC building codes: state and local jurisdiction
• HBC Division of Plumbing
• 2018 Kentucky Building Code, Fourth Edition
• HBC SmartGov portal
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Boyle County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Boyle County?

25 cents per square foot of living area, including a finished basement and attached garage, with a $50 minimum; a 2,000-square-foot house is $500.

Does a shed need a permit?

Storage buildings and other residential structures over 200 square feet do, at 15 cents a square foot.

Do contractors need a county license?

Yes. The building inspector issues a one-year contractor license for $50, and contractors must show $350,000 in liability insurance and workers’ compensation.

Are farm buildings exempt?

Yes, with the farmstead affidavit and a $50 registry fee, for buildings on a PVA-registered farm of at least 10 acres outside city limits; no inspections are made.

Can I do my own plumbing?

In your own residence, yes: HBC issues plumbing permits to homeowners for their own homes as well as to licensed master plumbers.

Who handles zoning in Boyle County?

The Danville-Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission, a joint agency of the county, Danville, Junction City and Perryville, at 445 West Main Street (859-238-1235).

Can a data center be built in Boyle County now?

Not while the fiscal court’s 12-month moratorium of June 9, 2026 is in effect; no data center applications or permits are being accepted or processed.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The 2025 schedule adds a penalty of 50% over the permit fee.

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