Campbellsville, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

In Campbellsville, the zoning ordinance makes it unlawful to excavate for, build, move or alter any building, including an accessory building, until the city’s Building Inspector has issued a building permit. Applications go to Planning and Zoning at 109 W. Main Street (270-465-7011), the Fire Chief and City Engineer review the plans, and the ordinance gives the city two weeks to decide. HBC’s Taylor County sheet lists no local building-code inspection program, so the state handles plan review for apartment, commercial and other non-residential buildings.

What requires a building permit in Campbellsville?

Section 92.1 of the zoning ordinance is broad: no one may start excavating for, or building, any building or structure, including accessory buildings, or start moving or altering one, until the Building Inspector has issued a building permit. The city’s code enforcement page names the everyday cases: construction, demolition, signs, decks, garages and similar projects, and it tells residents to contact Planning and Zoning if they are unsure.

The city’s permit is a zoning permit at heart: the plot plan shows the lot, buildings, use, number of dwelling units and yards, and the permit is issued if the work conforms to the zoning ordinance and other city ordinances. Section 92.21 adds that a permit never waives any provision of the ordinance.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction’s Taylor County contact sheet (updated June 10, 2025) lists no local building inspector at all, only the state’s building, manufactured housing, electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors and two local electrical inspectors. Where a county has no local program, HBC reviews and inspects apartment buildings (three or more units) and commercial and other non-residential buildings; one- and two-family homes and townhouses, built under the Kentucky Residential Code, are outside its review. The city’s published sources show its zoning-based permit and fire and engineering review for houses, not a separate building-code inspection program.

Campbellsville building department: who handles permitting

Under Section 91 the ordinance is enforced by a Building Inspector appointed by the City Council: the city’s codes enforcement officer, or a city fire department member certified by the State Fire Marshal as a fire prevention inspector. Day to day, the Planning and Zoning Department, supervised by Allen Crabtree, reviews zoning and land use requests and maintains the zoning documents, and the code enforcement office assists with permits and ordinance applications.

Outside the city limits, in the rest of Taylor County, the state’s sheet again shows no local building inspector.

Campbellsville permit types

Residential permits

For a house, garage, deck, addition or accessory building, the application is a plot or plan drawn to scale. Section 92.2 lists what it shows: the actual lot dimensions; the shape, size, height and location of every building to be built, altered or moved and of those already on the lot; the existing and intended use and the number of families or dwelling units; the yard depths and widths; and the location of fire hydrants, fire lanes and access roads on public and private property. The Building Inspector keeps a record of every application and plan.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects follow the same zoning permit, with the Fire Chief (or the representative for that area) and the City Engineer reviewing the plans before construction begins. New developments must meet the Campbellsville Municipal Water & Sewer System and fire department specifications for hydrant size, type, location and spacing, with hydrants spaced to ISO requirements and approved by the fire department (Sec. 93). Building-code plan review for commercial buildings is HBC’s. Signs need a sign permit with a sign plan and a hanging plan, filed at Public Works.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning. Check the district on the city’s zoning map. Variances and special exceptions go to the five-member Board of Zoning Adjustment, appointed by the City Council; zoning map changes need a Planning Commission recommendation, a City Council public hearing, a sign posted on the property for 14 consecutive days and certified-mail notice to adjoining owners.
• Stormwater. Under the city’s MS4 program, most ground-disturbing work needs a site development permit: Level 1 or 2 for less than one acre, Level 3 (with the state notice of intent) for more than one acre, under Stormwater Ordinance No. 08-09.
• Utilities. A demolition must show disconnections from Atmos Gas, KU or Taylor County RECC, the Campbellsville Water Company (which coordinates capping the sewer) and Kinetic by Windstream.
• Septic. Outside the sewer system, the Taylor County Health Department issues onsite sewage permits.
• Historic district. Campbellsville has a Historic Preservation Commission and a historic preservation ordinance (revised December 2006, amended January 2015 and January 2016) and has been a Certified Local Government since November 2005.
• State roads. An entrance on a state highway needs a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet encroachment permit.

Campbellsville permit fees

The fees the city publishes are printed on its application forms; the code of ordinances is kept on American Legal Publishing’s site. The amounts on the city’s forms and pages:

Worked example. A business putting up a 32 sq ft wall sign and a 48 sq ft freestanding sign pays $2 × (32 + 48) = $160 for the sign permit. A new house on a lot under one acre that adds less than 3,400 sq ft of roof and paving, on slopes under 6%, falls under the $50 Level 1 stormwater permit.

Because the building permit fee is not printed, call Planning and Zoning at 270-465-7011 for the amount before you apply.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. HBC’s Taylor County sheet lists two local electrical inspectors besides the state electrical inspector; electrical work needs a permit and inspection by a certified electrical inspector. HBC licenses electricians, and a homeowner may wire their own home with a permit.
• Plumbing. The state plumbing inspector keeps office hours at the Taylor County Health Department, 1880 North Bypass Road, on Wednesday from 8 to 9 a.m. and Friday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. HBC issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers, or to homeowners for plumbing in their own residence.
• HVAC. HBC issues HVAC permits to licensed contractors, and a state HVAC inspector covers Taylor County.
• Manufactured homes. A state manufactured housing inspector covers the county.

How to apply for a Campbellsville building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A refused permit comes with the reason in writing, mailed to the address on the application. An appeal of the Building Inspector’s decision goes to the Board of Zoning Adjustment within 30 days of the notice under KRS 100.261, and the board’s hearing and notice add time. A variance needs all four findings in Section 105.31: conditions peculiar to the land or building, a strict application that would deny reasonable use enjoyed by neighbors, circumstances not created by the applicant after the ordinance was adopted, and no substantial detriment to the public; financial disadvantage alone does not prove hardship, and the board cannot permit a use the district prohibits. A permit becomes void six months after issue unless substantial progress has been made, so do not pull it too early. Projects that need a zoning change wait for the Planning Commission, the 14-day posting and a City Council public hearing.

Inspections and the certificate of occupancy

Section 92.3 requires a certificate of occupancy from the Building Inspector before a new building is occupied, before an altered building whose front, side or rear yards changed is used, and before a change of use. Within three days of being told a building is ready, the Building Inspector must make a final inspection and either issue the certificate or refuse it in writing with the cause. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work is inspected by the electrical inspectors and the state’s plumbing and HVAC inspectors, and buildings under HBC’s jurisdiction by the state building inspector.

Kentucky building code in Campbellsville

The state’s building and residential codes apply in Campbellsville as everywhere in Kentucky, alongside the city’s zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations and property maintenance ordinance. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Campbellsville as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, on a flood map dated May 24, 2011. The Planning Commission adopted updated comprehensive plan goals on June 28, 2022 and held the second hearing on the plan update on November 28, 2024.

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

Campbellsville permit search and official resources

The city has no online permit search; the zoning ordinance requires the Building Inspector to keep a record of all applications and plans and to furnish copies of certificates of occupancy on request to anyone with an ownership or tenancy interest in the building. Open records requests must be signed and include the requester’s name, address and contact details, can be delivered or mailed to City Hall at 110 S. Columbia Avenue, Suite B, and are answered within five business days; only Kentucky residents may inspect records.

• Campbellsville Planning and Zoning
• Campbellsville zoning ordinance
• Campbellsville zoning map
• Subdivision regulations
• 2023 Comprehensive Land Use Plan Update
• Code Enforcement
• Property maintenance ordinance
• Sign permit application
• Demolition permit application
• Stormwater permits
• Level 1–2 site development permit (under one acre)
• Level 3 site development permit (over one acre)
• Open records procedures and request form
• City documents and forms
• HBC Taylor County inspector contact sheet
• HBC Building Codes Enforcement
• HBC Division of Plumbing
• HBC Division of HVAC
• KYTC district permit contacts
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Campbellsville building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a deck or garage in Campbellsville?

Yes. The zoning ordinance requires a building permit for any building or structure, including accessory buildings, and the city lists decks and garages as examples.

Where do I apply?

Planning and Zoning, 109 W. Main Street (270-465-7011).

How long does a permit take?

The ordinance gives the Building Inspector two weeks from the application to grant or deny it.

How long is a permit good for?

Six months from issue, unless substantial progress has been made by then.

How much is a sign permit?

$2 per square foot of all signs combined.

Who reviews commercial building plans?

The state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction; HBC’s Taylor County sheet lists no local building inspection program. The city still issues its zoning-based building permit.

Do I need a stormwater permit?

For most ground-disturbing work, yes: $50 for Level 1 or 2 sites under one acre; the Level 3 fee for larger sites is temporarily waived.

Can a homeowner pull a plumbing permit?

Yes, from HBC, for plumbing in their own residence; the state inspector keeps office hours at the Taylor County Health Department.

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