Greenup County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

The state’s Greenup County contact sheet, updated November 20, 2025, lists a local building inspector (office 606-836-3147), and the fiscal court at 301 Main Street, Room 102, in Greenup (606-473-6440) runs the county offices a project usually touches: the floodplain coordinator, the road department, the Division of Stormwater Management and the Greenup County Joint Planning Commission, which plans land use and oversees subdivisions for the county and its member cities. Septic permits and the state plumbing inspector’s office hours are at the Greenup County Health Department.

What requires a permit in Greenup County?

Greenup County’s website does not post a building ordinance or a list of projects that need a county building permit, so the local building inspector on the state sheet is the first call for any house, addition or outbuilding. What the county does publish are the land-use, flood and stormwater layers that come before construction.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Kentucky’s building codes are uniform; local governments decide whether to run an inspection program, and plan land use under KRS Chapter 100. The state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) reviews and inspects the larger and higher-risk buildings its code reserves to it and issues plumbing and HVAC permits throughout the county. HBC’s sheet lists the local building inspector with the state building, electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors for Greenup County, but it does not say which cities the local inspector covers, so ask the inspector or the city office before applying.

Greenup County building department: who handles permitting

The county’s permitting contacts are spread over several offices in Greenup, the county seat.

HBC’s sheet gives the health department’s address as 8000 US 23; the county’s own page gives 806 Seaton Avenue on US 23, which is used here.

Cities in Greenup County

Each city and the county appoint two members to the Joint Planning Commission. Few of the eight cities publish permit information.

Greenup County permit types

No county building permit application or fee sheet is posted. The permits below are the ones the county and state publish.

Residential permits

For a house, call the local building inspector about a building permit, then line up the septic permit from the health department where there is no sewer, the state plumbing permit, the HVAC permit through a licensed contractor and the electrical permit. A new lot carved from a larger tract goes through the Joint Planning Commission, which oversees the subdivision of land in the county and its member cities. Ground disturbance must follow the county’s erosion prevention and sediment control rules.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and other buildings that fall under HBC’s jurisdiction go to the state for plan review before construction. Development sites also come under the county’s post-construction stormwater management ordinance and, where public sewer is involved, the 2012 ordinance on the Greenup Joint Sewer Agency and wastewater facilities.

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

• Planning commission. Items for the commission must be filed by the first day of the month of the meeting; the 2026 meetings are March 17, May 19, July 21, September 15 and November 17 at 6 p.m.
• Floodplain. Check with the floodplain coordinator before building near the Ohio River or any mapped flood area.
• Stormwater. The Division of Stormwater Management, created in 2006, runs the county’s erosion prevention and sediment control program under federal and Kentucky Division of Water mandates.
• Address. A new home needs a valid 911 address from Greenup County Public Safety’s 911 Addressing and Mapping Department. The request form asks for the name on the deed, the closest existing address and GPS coordinates if possible; staff call back if they need more or want a site visit. A phone map pin is not a valid 911 address.
• Roads. County road work through the road department; an entrance on a state highway needs a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit from District 9.

Greenup County permit fees

Greenup County does not publish a building permit fee schedule, and the Joint Planning Commission page lists no filing fees; ask the building inspector (606-836-3147) and the commission when you file. HBC’s trade fees are published:

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. HBC’s sheet tells applicants to contact the Judge/Executive’s office, or the city office where the work is done, for the local electrical inspector, and it lists the state electrical inspector for the county. HBC licenses electricians; an owner may wire their own home with a permit.
• Plumbing. The state plumbing inspector holds office hours at the Greenup County Health Department on Wednesdays from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Eastern (606-473-9838). HBC issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers or to homeowners for plumbing in their own personal residence.
• HVAC. Licensed HVAC contractors buy permits from HBC through the SmartGov portal; a state HVAC inspector covers the county.
• Elevators and boilers. Each has a state inspector on the HBC sheet.

How to get permits in Greenup County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Joint Planning Commission meets only five times in 2026, and anything for a meeting must be filed by the first of that month, so a missed deadline can push a subdivision back two months. Projects in a flood area need the coordinator’s review, and state-reviewed buildings wait for HBC plan approval.

Inspections in Greenup County

Building inspections are arranged with the local building inspector (606-836-3147). Plumbing inspections are with the state plumbing inspector, HVAC with the state HVAC inspector, and electrical with the local electrical inspector. HBC’s state building inspector for the county inspects buildings HBC approved. The county stormwater program’s erosion and sediment controls apply while the site is disturbed.

Kentucky building code

The 2018 Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code apply across Greenup County and its cities. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Greenup County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, on a flood map dated September 26, 2014.

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

Greenup County permit search and official resources

Ask the local building inspector for building permit records and the fiscal court office for county records. Fiscal court agendas and meeting videos are posted on the county website.

• Greenup County Fiscal Court
• Greenup County Joint Planning Commission
• Floodplain coordinator
• Division of Stormwater Management and ordinances
• Ordinance 02-2006: erosion and sediment control
• Ordinance 01-2010: post-construction stormwater management
• Greenup County Road Department
• 911 mapping and address requests
• Greenup County Health Department
• Fiscal court agendas and meeting videos
• City of Russell boards and commissions
• City of Wurtland
• HBC Greenup 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

Greenup County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Greenup County?

HBC’s sheet lists a local building inspector for the county (office 606-836-3147); confirm coverage for your city with the inspector or city hall.

Who approves a new subdivision?

The Greenup County Joint Planning Commission oversees subdivisions in the county and its member cities; file by the first of the meeting month.

Where do I check flood zones?

With the county floodplain coordinator (606-923-3748); the county participates in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Where do I get a septic permit?

The Greenup County Health Department on US 23 in Greenup (606-473-9838).

When is the plumbing inspector available?

Wednesdays from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Eastern at the health department; homeowners may get a plumbing permit for their own residence.

How do I get an address for a new house?

Apply to Greenup County Public Safety’s 911 Addressing and Mapping Department with the deed name, nearest address and GPS coordinates.

Does the county regulate construction stormwater?

Yes. Ordinance 02-2006 covers erosion and sediment control and Ordinance 01-2010, amended in 2013, covers post-construction stormwater.

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