Henderson, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

The City of Henderson issues its own building permits. Its Code Enforcement Division at 100 Fifth Street (270-831-1277, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) reviews every new building, addition, remodel, demolition, accessory structure and sign, enforces the city zoning and property maintenance codes, and registers the contractors who work in the city. Permit fees follow schedule C233-6, effective March 23, 2020: a house pays a valuation-based permit fee plus a $50 plan review. The city does not issue plumbing, HVAC or electrical permits, and zoning maps, subdivisions, addresses and floodplain permits run through the Henderson City-County Planning Commission.

What requires a building permit in Henderson?

The city’s rule is short: all construction, new or remodel, needs a permit from Code Enforcement, from the state, or from both. The building codes page lists the work that triggers one, and the fence review form adds the city’s fence limits.

Every fence under 7 feet still has to be approved on the city’s fence placement review form. A front-yard fence may be no more than 3½ feet tall, and a side or rear fence no more than 7 feet unless an accessory permit is issued. A fence in a public utility easement needs an easement encroachment permit, and one in a public right-of-way needs an encroachment permit from the city manager.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Henderson reviews and inspects smaller buildings and houses. Section 104.16 of the 2018 Kentucky Building Code keeps state plan review for assembly, business, factory and mercantile buildings for more than 100 people (church buildings only above 400 people and 6,000 square feet), all educational, high-hazard and institutional buildings, and any building over three stories or 20,000 square feet; the city’s application marks each job “State” or “Local”, and the city waives its plan review fee where the state has approved the plans. The city adds its own rules through the zoning ordinance (Appendix A of the city code), the sign rules in Article 10 and a 2011 building code amendment requiring carbon monoxide detectors in residential construction.

Henderson building department: who handles permitting

HBC’s Henderson County contact sheet, updated April 21, 2025, lists a separate local building inspector for the city at 270-831-1277, the Code Enforcement number. The other offices a city project meets are below.

Unincorporated land around the city is permitted by the county Codes Department on Barrett Court; see the Henderson County guide.

Henderson permit types

Code Enforcement posts one application for new construction, additions, remodels and accessory structures, residential or commercial, plus separate forms for demolition, fences, manufactured homes, building-mounted and freestanding signs, solar, antennas, billboards and commercial range hood and exhaust systems.

Residential permits

A house, addition or accessory building application needs a copy of the recorded plat (or the deed if there is no plat), a scaled site plan with property lines, easements, rights-of-way, structure dimensions and distances to the lot lines and off-street parking, labeled wall sections, floor and roof plans or truss diagrams, a window schedule giving brand, model and size for anything but an accessory building, existing and proposed floor plans for an addition, and the contractor list with occupational license and workers’ compensation details. A manufactured home goes on a zoning permit application with the plat and site plan and the installer’s registration number.

Manufactured home rules changed in spring 2026: Ordinance 10-26, amending the zoning ordinance on single-family dwellings and manufactured homes and setting architectural compatibility standards under KRS 100.348(4), had its first reading on April 14 and was adopted on second reading by the Board of Commissioners on April 28, 2026, so ask Code Enforcement how the new standards apply to a placement.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial jobs use the same application. Plan review is priced by floor area, and the city’s fee is waived where HBC has approved the plans. A new business moving into an existing building, or a business run from a home, first files a zoning verification form before the city will issue its occupational license.

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. Code Enforcement interprets the zoning ordinance on setbacks, uses and parking. Variances and conditional uses go to the city Board of Zoning Adjustment, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month except January; applications are filed at 100 Fifth Street with the fee.
• Zone changes and plats. Through the planning commission: a rezoning is $200 plus a $50 land-use-restriction fee, a site or development plan $50, a minor subdivision plat $50 plus $1 a lot.
• Floodplain. All floodplain development needs a local permit from the planning commission’s floodplain administrator under the joint city-county ordinance in force since February 20, 2013.
• Address. The planning commission assigns street addresses throughout Henderson County.
• Utilities. Water, sewer, power and gas come from the city-owned utilities; the application form carries a utility notice box.
• State road access. A driveway onto a state highway needs a Transportation Cabinet permit.

Henderson permit costs and fees

The City of Henderson building permit fee schedule C233-6 took effect on March 23, 2020. It covers building, sign and demolition permits only; plumbing, HVAC and electrical fees are charged by the offices that issue those permits.

The schedule has eight commercial bands in all; the table shows three. Worked example: a new house valued at $250,000 falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band. The value above $100,001 is $149,999, which counts as 150 thousands (a fraction counts as a whole), so the permit fee is $219 + 150 × $1.75 = $481.50. Adding the $50 plan review gives $531.50, before plumbing, HVAC and electrical permits.

Contractors pay a separate annual registration under the city’s posted guidelines: $250 for a general contractor and $125 for a specialty contractor or state-licensed tradesman, each running January 1 to December 31.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. Not a city permit. The planning commission’s contact list routes electrical inspections in the city through the shared mailbox hendersoncoelectricalpermit@gmail.com, and HBC’s sheet points to the city office for the local electrical inspector.
• Plumbing. A state permit; the state plumbing inspector keeps office hours at the Henderson County Health Department, 472 Klutey Park Plaza, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 to 9 a.m. Central. HBC issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers and to homeowners for their own residence.
• Heating and air conditioning. State HVAC permits from HBC; a homeowner may do his or her own HVAC work with a permit.
• City contractor registration. Every contractor working in the city needs a city occupational license and workers’ compensation coverage or an exemption, and electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors must hold state licenses. The guidelines add a general contractor registration, a specialty contractor registration (roofing, siding, concrete, fencing, decks, pools, handyman work and more, even where no permit is needed) and a tradesman registration for state-licensed masters, journeymen and apprentices, with liability insurance of $1,000,000 for a residential general contractor, $2,000,000 commercial, $3,000,000 industrial and $250,000 for a specialty contractor.
• Homeowner exemption. An owner who lives in a one- or two-family home and does the work with immediate family can get a permit without a contractor registration by signing an affidavit and living in the home for two years afterward; any outside contractor hired must be registered and named on the permit.

How to get a building permit in Henderson

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Code Enforcement also sits in the city’s weekly site review. The application form has an office-use administrative hold box and asks for the contractor’s city registration number, so an unregistered contractor, a missing plat or drawing, or a window schedule left blank holds the file; a job marked for state review waits for HBC. A project that needs a variance or conditional use waits for the monthly Board of Zoning Adjustment hearing.

Inspections in Henderson

Code Enforcement inspectors check building work under the permit; call 270-831-1277 to schedule. Plumbing, HVAC and electrical work is inspected by the state plumbing and HVAC inspectors and the local electrical inspector under their own permits. Property maintenance, nuisance and similar violations go to the city’s Code Enforcement Board under the ordinance in effect since July 1, 2017, and the city keeps a lienholder notification system for its orders.

Kentucky building code

Henderson enforces the Kentucky Residential Code and Kentucky Building Code with its own carbon monoxide detector amendment of March 6, 2011. The city participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (community 210109); FEMA’s Community Status Book shows a current effective flood map of May 8, 2024 and Community Rating System class 8, a 10% premium discount.

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

Henderson permit search and official resources

The city posts no online permit lookup. Its yearly contractor registration database lists every registered contractor, which is a quick way to check a builder before hiring. For permit files, ask Code Enforcement; planning and floodplain records are held by the planning commission on Barrett Court.

• City of Henderson Code Enforcement
• Building codes and permits
• Forms and applications
• New construction, addition, remodel and accessory structure application
• Building permit fee schedule C233-6 (effective March 23, 2020)
• Fence placement review form
• Manufactured home zoning permit application
• Contractor registration guidelines and definitions
• Contractor registration application
• 2026 contractor registration database
• Zoning ordinances and Board of Zoning Adjustment
• City commission agenda, April 28, 2026
• City commission minutes, April 28, 2026 (Ordinance 10-26)
• Planning commission filing fees
• Flood damage prevention ordinance
• Street address procedures
• Building and development contacts
• HBC county contact sheet, Henderson County (updated April 21, 2025)
• HBC Division of Plumbing
• HBC Electrical Division
• 2018 Kentucky Building Code, Fourth Edition
• HBC SmartGov portal
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Henderson permit FAQs

Where do I get a building permit in Henderson?

At the Code Enforcement Division, 100 Fifth Street (270-831-1277), open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Land outside the city limits goes to the county Codes Department instead.

How much is a permit for a new house?

It depends on value. A $250,000 house pays $481.50 under the 2020 schedule plus a $50 plan review, $531.50 in all.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Every fence under 7 feet must be approved on the fence placement review form; front-yard fences are limited to 3½ feet, and a fence over 7 feet needs an accessory permit.

Does my contractor need to register with the city?

Yes. General contractors pay $250 a year and specialty contractors and state-licensed tradesmen $125, and no permit issues without proof of registration and a city occupational license.

Can I do the work on my own house?

Yes, under the homeowner exemption, if you own and live in the one- or two-family home, do the work yourself or with immediate family, sign the affidavit and stay in the home for two years.

Does the city issue electrical or plumbing permits?

No. The city’s fee schedule says plumbing, HVAC and electrical permits are issued independently of the city: plumbing and HVAC by the state, electrical through the local electrical inspector.

Who handles a variance?

The city Board of Zoning Adjustment, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month except January. File the appeal application and worksheet at Code Enforcement with the fee.

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