Georgetown, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

In Georgetown the building permit comes from the local building inspection office at 100 North Court Street (502-863-9802), which the state lists as the building and HVAC inspector for “Scott County (including the city of Georgetown)”. Zoning, subdivision plats, floodplain and addresses go through the Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission at 230 East Main Street (502-867-3701). Under the city’s zoning ordinance, updated through Ordinance 26-13 of July 27, 2026, a building permit is acted on within 10 days and the certificate of occupancy carries no fee.

What requires a building permit in Georgetown?

Georgetown’s zoning ordinance (Article V, in effect in the city only) sets the local rule: no one may start excavating for, or building, any structure, accessory buildings included, or start moving or altering one, until the building inspector has issued a permit. Permanent electrical, plumbing or fuel connections may not go into a building meant to be occupied, mobile homes included, until that permit exists.

The ordinance adds a rule that catches subdivision buyers: no building permit issues in a subdivision or development that is in substantial non-compliance with its approved plat or plan. Owners who bought their lots before the problem was found are exempt, but the developer is not, and a notice is posted at the subdivision entrances while the problem stands.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Locally, the building inspection office reviews and inspects buildings in the local program’s share of the Kentucky Building Code, all houses, and HVAC work, since Scott County is one of the state’s local HVAC jurisdictions. The planning commission controls zoning, plats, development plans, floodplain permits, stormwater and addresses. The state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction keeps plumbing permits and inspections and the plan review of buildings that the code reserves for the state.

Georgetown building department: who handles permitting

The state’s Scott County contact sheet (updated September 10, 2026) names one local office as both building inspector and HVAC inspector for “Scott County (including the city of Georgetown)”, at 100 North Court Street, and the state’s separate list of local HVAC jurisdictions gives the same 502-863-9802 number. The zoning ordinance has the Fiscal Court and the cities of Georgetown, Stamping Ground and Sadieville appoint the enforcement officers who issue building permits and certificates of occupancy.

The same planning commission serves rural Scott County, Stamping Ground and Sadieville; county-side details are in the Scott County permit guide.

Georgetown permit types

The building application goes to the building inspection office; most of the paperwork that has to be settled first is on the planning commission’s forms page, which lists applications for a land disturbance permit, a stream construction permit, a business sign approval, a Board of Adjustment case, an address and a development plan or subdivision plat.

Residential permits

Under section 5.2.3 the application includes a plan drawn to scale with the lot dimensions, the outside dimensions of every new and existing building, their uses, yard depths and any screening where zones meet. It must also carry the county health officer’s certificate approving the water and sewage arrangements. Running a business from home is allowed as a home occupation if it takes no more than 25% of the ground floor and never more than 300 sq ft, with a wall sign of 5 sq ft at most.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial and multi-family projects go through a development plan at the planning commission (preliminary, then final) before the building permit, with engineering review of streets, stormwater and erosion control. The building inspection office then reviews the building itself unless it falls in the state’s plan review share.

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. Only addresses assigned by the commission’s GIS staff are valid; they also go into the E911 system.
• Zoning and plats. Zone changes, development plans and subdivision plats go to the Planning Commission; variances and conditional uses go to the Georgetown Board of Adjustment.
• Floodplain and streams. Development in the floodplain, or across or along a stream, needs state, local and/or federal permits first; the commission notes that the state Division of Water floodplain general permit does not replace the local permit.
• Stormwater. The commission’s stormwater manual has applied across Scott County since 2021, and land disturbance permits are issued through its engineering staff.
• Historic district. A historically significant building or stone fence in the historic overlay cannot be demolished, moved or substantially altered without a conditional use permit from the Board of Adjustment.
• Water and sewer. Taps are bought from Georgetown Municipal Water and Sewer Service.
• State roads. Entrances on state highways need a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit (District 7 covers Scott County).

Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment hearings are held in the third-floor Fiscal Court room of the Scott County Courthouse, 101 East Main Street; the posted calendar shows the commission meeting on November 12 at 6:00 p.m. and the Georgetown board on December 7 at 5:30 p.m. The board may grant a dimensional variance only when conditions unique to the land would deny the owner reasonable use, the hardship was not created by the applicant after zoning was adopted, and the change will not harm public safety or the character of the neighborhood; money alone does not prove hardship. A separate special variance covers an undersized lot of record that existed before July 31, 1958 where the owner holds no adjoining land.

Georgetown permit costs and fees

The building permit fee is charged by the building inspection office, and its fee schedule is not among the documents the planning commission or the utility posts; call 502-863-9802 for the amount for your project. Several of the other costs that come with a Georgetown permit are published:

The water and sewer connection fees were adopted by the utility’s Board of Commissioners on November 15, 2011. For a typical new house on a 5/8 by 3/4 inch meter with one sewer unit, the two connections come to $3,500 before the building permit and plumbing permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• HVAC. Local. Scott County is on the state’s list of local HVAC jurisdictions, with 502-863-9802 as the number, so heating and air permits and inspections for Georgetown work go through the local office rather than the state portal.
• Electrical. The state contact sheet says to ask the county judge/executive’s office or the city office where the work is done. Scott County’s department list includes an Electrical Inspection office at 125 West Clinton Street (502-863-9811). Electricians need state licenses, and the zoning ordinance bars permanent electrical connections until the building permit is issued.
• Plumbing. State permit, state inspector. The inspector’s office hours at the Scott County Health Department are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Permits go to licensed master plumbers and to homeowners plumbing their own residence.
• Contractors. Kentucky has no general contractor license; trade contractors hold state licenses from the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction.

How to apply for a Georgetown building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The ordinance gives the enforcement officer 10 days to act on a building permit application, and a refusal comes in writing with the reasons. An appeal to the Board of Adjustment must be filed within 60 days of a refusal, and the board decides within two weeks of its hearing. The usual causes of delay are a missing health officer’s certificate, an address that was not assigned by GIS, floodplain or stream work that still needs its state permit, and a lot in a subdivision that has been found out of compliance with its plat. A permit is void six months after issue unless real progress has been made, but it can be renewed before it lapses.

Inspections in Georgetown

Book building and HVAC inspections with the local office at 502-863-9802, electrical inspections with the electrical inspector, and plumbing with the state plumbing inspector. Before anyone moves in, the building inspector checks that the work matches the permit, health department rules and zoning requirements such as setbacks, road frontage and lot width, and that sewage treatment is installed safely. The certificate of occupancy is free, is decided within five working days of the building being ready for its new use, and is needed for mobile homes as well as houses, offices and plants. Occupants may not use public water, sewer or electricity until it is issued, although utilities can be used during construction.

Kentucky building code in Georgetown

Georgetown’s inspectors enforce the 2018 Kentucky Building Code (fourth edition) and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code (third edition), both based on the 2015 International Codes. FEMA lists Georgetown as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program on the flood maps that took effect on December 21, 2017, the same date the planning commission gives for the Scott County maps.

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 and inspection records are kept by the building inspection office (502-863-9802). The planning commission’s zoning map, plat finder and floodplain map show recorded plats and zones online, its past meeting records hold packets and minutes, and its open records rules and request form cover planning files.

• Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission
• Planning commission forms and applications
• Georgetown zoning ordinance (updated through Ordinance 26-13)
• Georgetown subdivision regulations
• Zone change application and fees
• Development plan application and fees
• Subdivision plat application and fees
• Floodplain information
• Engineering, stormwater and land disturbance
• Address requests
• Board of Adjustment
• Draft Data Centers Ordinance (September 1, 2026)
• Georgetown Municipal Water and Sewer Service fees
• Scott County departments (electrical inspection)
• State contact sheet for Scott County inspectors
• State list of local HVAC jurisdictions
• State Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Georgetown permit FAQs

Where do I get a building permit in Georgetown?

At the local building inspection office, 100 North Court Street (502-863-9802), which covers both the city and rural Scott County.

Who handles zoning in Georgetown?

The Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission at 230 East Main Street (502-867-3701) for zone changes, plats and plans; the Georgetown Board of Adjustment hears variances and conditional uses.

How fast is a building permit decided?

The zoning ordinance gives the enforcement officer 10 days from submission to issue or refuse it.

Is there a fee for a certificate of occupancy?

No. The ordinance says no fee is charged, and the certificate is decided within five working days.

Who issues HVAC permits in Georgetown?

The local office at 502-863-9802; Scott County is one of the state’s local HVAC jurisdictions.

Can I do my own plumbing?

In your own home, yes, with a homeowner permit from the state plumbing inspector, who keeps office hours at the Scott County Health Department.

What do water and sewer taps cost?

$1,750 for the smallest (5/8 by 3/4 inch) water meter and $1,750 per residential unit for sewer, from Georgetown Municipal Water and Sewer Service.

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