Henry County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Henry County has a local building inspection program: HBC’s county contact sheet, updated August 29, 2025, lists a local building inspector for the county along with the state inspectors assigned to it. Land use is governed by one planning commission for Henry County and the cities of Campbellsburg, Eminence, New Castle, Pleasureville and Smithfield, working from the Henry County Comprehensive Plan. Septic systems and plumbing permits go through the Henry County Health Department at 75 Park Road in New Castle, and the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) reviews the larger buildings.

What requires a building permit in Henry County?

HBC says single-family homes are reviewed and inspected by the local county or city building official where such an inspection program exists, and its sheet lists a local building inspector for Henry County. The sheet does not say whether the program also covers the cities, so builders inside a city should confirm with city hall which inspector applies.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Locally, the county runs its inspection program and shares planning with the cities. New Castle’s code shows how the pieces fit: it adopts the Henry County Comprehensive Plan by reference, adopts the zoning regulations of the “Henry County, Campbellsburg, Eminence, New Castle, Pleasureville, and Smithfield Planning Commission”, and names a city department to act as liaison with Henry County Planning and Zoning. The state keeps the large and high-risk buildings: section 104.16 of the 2018 Kentucky Building Code gives HBC church buildings for more than 400 people and over 6,000 square feet; assembly, business, factory and mercantile buildings for more than 100 people; every educational, high-hazard and institutional building; any other building over three stories or 20,000 square feet; and state property.

Henry County building department: who handles permitting

For Henry County, the HBC sheet names one local building inspector plus the state inspectors for buildings, manufactured homes, wiring, elevators, HVAC, plumbing and boilers. Jurisdiction questions go to HBC’s Building Codes line, 502-573-0373.

Cities in Henry County

All five cities belong to the joint planning commission. HBC’s sheet lists no separate city building inspector.

Henry County permit types

A Henry County project usually needs zoning approval, the local building permit, an HVAC permit, state plumbing and electrical permits and, off sewer, a septic permit.

Residential permits

For a new house, check the zoning with Henry County Planning and Zoning, then take the building application to the local inspector listed on HBC’s sheet. Settle septic first where there is no sewer: the health department’s environmental staff (502-845-7995) evaluate the site and issue the permit. The heating and cooling system needs a state HVAC permit, and a manufactured home is set by an HBC-certified installer, with the state manufactured housing inspector for the county named on the sheet.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings below the state thresholds go to the local program. Buildings listed in KBC 104.16 are submitted to HBC through its SmartGov portal; HBC issues no construction approval until its plan review fee is paid.

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. The joint planning commission’s zoning regulations apply in the county and each city.
• Subdivision. New lots follow the commission’s subdivision regulations; in New Castle, a request to extend city water or sewer is filed with three copies of the commission’s preliminary plat, followed by design drawings once the city approves.
• Septic. Health department permit where there is no sewer. The Henry County Health Department belongs to the North Central District Health Department, whose posted procedures ask for the site evaluation application, a copy of the plat with the lot dimensions and directions, and a $250 fee. The owner books the appointment, has a backhoe and operator on site, marks the property lines and stakes the house and other structures; the evaluation is honored for two years and is not transferable, and extra visits or a re-evaluation after two years cost $125. The septic permit itself is a further $250, is issued to the person installing the system, is valid for one year, and a homeowner may install his or her own system once every five years, with an excavation inspection and an installation inspection.
• Flood zones. Henry County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, so development in a mapped flood hazard area falls under local floodplain rules.
• Road access. Transportation Cabinet permit for a driveway onto a state highway.

Henry County permit costs and fees

The local inspector quotes the county building permit fee with the application. Where HBC reviews a building, its fees come from section 121 of the 2018 Kentucky Building Code; state electrical inspections follow HBC’s 2019 fee schedule.

Worked example: a 10,000-square-foot elementary school addition (educational, always a state building) owes 10,000 × 15 cents = $1,500 in HBC plan review fees. Local, HVAC, plumbing and septic fees are separate.

HBC’s Division of Plumbing lists its installation permit fees, effective March 1, 2022: a one- or two-family house pays a $50 base fee plus $14 per opening, a water-heater-only permit is $50, and commercial work is $50 plus $20 per opening.

New Castle’s code sets the penalties for breaking the state codes inside the city: a fine of $10 to $1,000 per offense for the building code, $25 to $1,000 or up to 60 days for the Standards of Safety, and $10 to $100 or up to 90 days for the plumbing code.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. HBC’s sheet sends applicants to the County Judge/Executive’s office, or the city office where the work is done, for the local electrical inspector, and lists the state electrical inspector for the county. Electricians hold HBC licenses; a homeowner may wire his or her own home with a permit.
• Plumbing. State permits and inspections; the state plumbing inspector keeps office hours at the health department on Park Road on Tuesdays from 8 to 9 a.m. Eastern. HBC issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers and to homeowners for plumbing in their own residence. New Castle’s code names the state plumbing official as the enforcer of the plumbing code in the city.
• Heating and air conditioning. Kentucky requires an HVAC permit for all new construction, bought through SmartGov by a licensed or authorized person; a homeowner may do his or her own HVAC work with a permit.
• Contractors. Kentucky has no general contractor license. New Castle levies an occupational license fee under chapter 70 of its code.

How to get permits for a Henry County project

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Zoning comes first, so a project that needs a variance or a plat waits for the planning commission or its board. On an unsewered lot the septic permit has to be in hand before building. The state plumbing inspector’s local office hours are a single hour a week, and on state buildings HBC withholds construction approval until its fee is paid.

Inspections in Henry County

The local building inspector makes building inspections on local permits. Heating and cooling are inspected by the state HVAC inspector, plumbing by the state plumbing inspector and wiring by the electrical inspector. HBC’s building inspector for the county inspects the buildings HBC reviews. In New Castle, the chief of the volunteer fire department enforces the Kentucky Standards of Safety.

Kentucky building code

Henry County’s local program enforces the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code, and New Castle’s code adopts the building code, plumbing code and Standards of Safety by reference. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Henry County (community 210110) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current effective flood map dated October 16, 2025.

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

Henry County permit search and official resources

No online permit search is published for county permits; ask the local inspector or Henry County Planning and Zoning for a file. New Castle keeps copies of the adopted state codes at the City Clerk-Treasurer’s office for public inspection and posts each new ordinance on its website.

• HBC county contact sheet, Henry County (updated August 29, 2025)
• HBC Division of Building Code Enforcement
• HBC building codes: state and local jurisdiction
• 2018 Kentucky Building Code, Fourth Edition
• HBC SmartGov portal
• HBC Division of HVAC
• HBC Division of Plumbing
• HBC Electrical Division
• HBC 2019 electrical permit fees
• City of New Castle
• New Castle code of ordinances
• New Castle code of ordinances (PDF; chapters 130 and 131)
• New Castle new ordinances
• North Central District Health Department: on-site sewage
• Site evaluation procedures and application
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Henry County permit FAQs

Does Henry County have a building inspector?

Yes. HBC’s contact sheet, updated August 29, 2025, lists a local building inspector for Henry County.

Who handles zoning?

A single planning commission serves Henry County and the cities of Campbellsburg, Eminence, New Castle, Pleasureville and Smithfield, under the Henry County Comprehensive Plan.

Who reviews a school or a large store?

HBC. Educational buildings always go to the state, as do stores and offices for more than 100 people; plan review is 15 or 16 cents a square foot for most, with a $285 minimum.

Where do I get a septic permit?

From the Henry County Health Department, 75 Park Road, New Castle (502-845-7995).

Can I do my own plumbing?

Yes. HBC’s plumbing division will permit a homeowner to plumb his or her own residence; pick up the permit when the state inspector is at the Park Road health department, Tuesday mornings from 8 to 9.

Who do I call for an electrical inspection?

Start with the County Judge/Executive’s office in New Castle, or the hall of the city where you are building; HBC’s sheet routes local electrical inspection requests through them.

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