Graves County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

The state’s contact sheet names the City of Mayfield’s inspector as the local building inspector in Graves County. Inside Mayfield, building, demolition, sign and zoning applications go to the city’s Codes Office (270-251-6200). Outside the city, the county’s own pages describe no county building permit program, so the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction reviews commercial and other non-residential buildings, and the published sources show no local building permit for houses. Septic permits come from the Graves County Health Department, starting with a $150 site evaluation.

What requires a building permit in Graves County?

The answer depends on which side of the Mayfield city limits the lot sits. The fiscal court’s website lists its departments and ordinances, and none of them is a building inspection program or a building or zoning ordinance; the posted ordinances cover all-terrain vehicles, the occupational license and the transient room tax.

Where a jurisdiction has no local program, the state code sends every construction project except dwellings under the Kentucky Residential Code, meaning houses, duplexes and townhouses, to the state’s Division of Building Codes Enforcement before work starts. Those homes must still meet the Residential Code but get no building inspections beyond the mechanical and electrical ones.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Kentucky’s codes are the same everywhere; a county decides only whether to run an inspection program. HBC’s Graves County contact sheet, updated August 5, 2026, names the City of Mayfield as the local building inspector and lists a “state and local” building inspector for the county alongside the state manufactured housing, electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors. Ask the Judge/Executive’s office (270-247-3626) whether any county requirement applies to your project before you build outside the city. On September 14, 2026 the fiscal court amended an interlocal agreement with the City of Mayfield to remove administration fees; the minutes do not describe what the agreement covers.

Graves County building department: who handles permitting

Four offices cover most projects: the City of Mayfield’s Codes Office inside the city, HBC for state-reviewed buildings and the trades, the health department for septic, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for state roads.

The fiscal court’s 2026 minutes record its meetings at 1002 Medical Drive in Mayfield; the county website still gives 1102 Paris Road for the Judge/Executive’s office.

Cities in Graves County

Graves County permit types

Mayfield posts its applications as printable PDFs on the Fire/EMS/Codes permits page. The city asks applicants to print and complete the form, then call the Codes Office at 270-251-6200 to book an appointment with the senior code enforcement officer to turn in the paperwork and go over the next steps.

Residential permits

Inside Mayfield a house, addition or remodel uses the residential building permit application, and storm shelters and portable storage buildings have forms of their own. In the rest of the county, a house build starts with the health department’s site evaluation if there is no sewer, followed by the state HVAC permit, the state plumbing permit and the electrical permit and inspection; the published sources show no local building permit for the house itself.

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

Commercial permits

In Mayfield, a business moving into or renovating a space files the tenant occupancy/renovation application. Outside the city, commercial and industrial projects, and any building over the state’s size or occupancy limits anywhere in the county, go to HBC’s Division of Building Codes Enforcement for plan review before construction.

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

• Zoning in Mayfield. Zoning changes, variances, conditional uses and home occupations each have a city application; the county’s pages show no county zoning.
• Septic. A site evaluation and then an installer’s permit from the health department wherever city sewer is not available.
• Right of way. Mayfield’s encroachment permit for city streets; a KYTC permit from District 1 for an entrance on a state highway.
• Floodplain. Graves County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program; ask the Judge/Executive’s office who reviews building in a mapped flood zone outside the city.

Graves County permit fees

Neither the fiscal court nor the City of Mayfield posts a building permit fee schedule online; ask Mayfield’s Codes Office for city fees. The health department and HBC publish theirs.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The HBC sheet tells applicants to contact the Judge/Executive’s office, or the city office where the work is done, for the local electrical inspector. HBC licenses electricians and electrical contractors; an owner may do the electrical work on their own home with a permit.
• Plumbing. HBC’s state plumbing inspector for Graves County keeps office hours on Tuesdays and Fridays, 8 to 9 a.m. Central, at the health department on Central Avenue, and HBC takes plumbing permit applications online. Plumbing permits go to licensed master plumbers, or to homeowners for plumbing in their own personal residence.
• HVAC. Licensed contractors buy HVAC permits from HBC through the SmartGov portal; a state HVAC inspector covers the county.
• Septic installers. Only a certified installer can get the septic construction permit; the health department keeps the list.

How to get permits in Graves County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The health department takes site evaluation applications only in the morning window, and inspectors may ask for backhoe pits before they can finish the evaluation. The septic installer’s drawing must show all setbacks and grade shots before a permit is issued. In Mayfield, paperwork is turned in by appointment, and zoning changes or variances add a board step before the building permit.

Inspections in Graves County

Inside Mayfield, the city’s building inspector inspects work under city permits. Outside the city, HBC’s state building inspector for the county inspects the buildings HBC approved, and a house gets the HVAC, plumbing and electrical inspections but no local building inspections. The health department’s certified inspector makes a final inspection of each new septic system to confirm it was built to the permit and to Kentucky’s on-site sewage rules. Plumbing rough-in and final inspections are arranged with the state plumbing inspector.

Kentucky building code

Mayfield enforces the 2018 Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code inside the city, and HBC enforces them on state-reviewed buildings in the rest of the county. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Graves County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program on a flood map dated December 3, 2009.

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

Graves County permit search and official resources

For Mayfield permit records, the City Clerk takes requests on the city’s public records inspection application; for county records, ask the Judge/Executive’s office. Fiscal court minutes are posted on the county’s meeting records page.

• Graves County Fiscal Court
• Graves County frequently asked questions
• Graves County ordinances
• Fiscal court meeting records
• Minutes, September 14, 2026: Mayfield interlocal agreement
• City of Mayfield MFD/Code Enforcement permits and forms
• Mayfield permit applications and forms
• Mayfield Code Enforcement
• Mayfield City Projects & Planning
• Graves County Health Department: on-site sewage and plumbing
• HBC Graves County inspector contact sheet
• HBC Building Codes: state and local jurisdiction
• HBC Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• HBC Division of HVAC
• HBC SmartGov portal
• KYTC district permit contacts
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Graves County permit FAQs

Does Graves County issue building permits?

The county’s pages describe no county building permit program. The state lists Mayfield’s inspector as the local program, and HBC reviews commercial buildings outside the city.

Do I need a permit to build a house outside Mayfield?

The published sources show no local building permit for a house there, but you still need septic, plumbing, HVAC and electrical permits; ask the Judge/Executive’s office to confirm.

Who issues permits in Mayfield?

The city’s Codes Office in the Fire/EMS/Codes department; call 270-251-6200 to book a paperwork appointment.

How much does a septic permit cost in Graves County?

$150 for the site evaluation and $150 for a new system permit ($100 for a repair), paid to the health department.

Can I do my own plumbing?

HBC issues plumbing permits to homeowners for plumbing in their own residence; the state plumbing inspector is at the health department on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

Is Graves County in the flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the county as participating, on a flood map dated December 3, 2009.

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