Magoffin County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Magoffin County has no local building inspection program: the state’s contact sheet, updated November 14, 2025, lists no local building inspector and refers commercial construction to the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction for building permits (502-573-0373). The published sources show no local building permit for houses in the county or in Salyersville. A house still needs state HVAC and plumbing permits, an electrical permit arranged through the County Judge/Executive’s office (606-349-2313) or the city office, and a septic permit from the Magoffin County Health Department.

What requires a building permit in Magoffin County?

Magoffin County, Salyersville included, falls under the state code’s fallback rule. Where no local inspection program exists, the state Division of Building Code Enforcement has jurisdiction to review plans, issue permits and inspect every building except dwellings covered by the Kentucky Residential Code, and the state requires those projects to be approved before construction starts.

For houses the state puts it this way: with no single-family inspection program, the builder still has to meet the Kentucky Residential Code, but no building inspections take place other than the mechanical inspection by the state HVAC division and the electrical inspection by the local county electrical inspector.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The local side of permitting in Magoffin County is the electrical inspection, reached through the County Judge/Executive’s office or the Salyersville city office, and septic permits through the Magoffin County Health Department. The state handles plan review and building inspection of all non-house buildings, HVAC and plumbing permits, manufactured homes, elevators, boilers and trade licensing.

Magoffin County building department: who handles permitting

On the Magoffin County sheet are the state building inspector, the manufactured housing inspector, the state electrical inspector, and the elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors, plus the health department office where the plumbing inspector keeps office hours.

Cities in Magoffin County

Magoffin County permit types

State permits make up nearly the whole list in Magoffin County, and they are filed online through SmartGov. For questions on whether a building is under state review, the Division of Building Code Enforcement’s building codes line is 502-573-0373.

Residential permits

Building a house means three trade permits. The HVAC permit is a state permit that only a licensed or authorized person can buy. The plumbing permit is a state permit for a licensed master plumber or for an owner plumbing a home they live in or are building to live in, with an affidavit filed first and the work done by the owner. The electrical permit is a local one, through the judge/executive’s office for county land or City Hall for Salyersville. Placing a manufactured home involves the state manufactured housing section, the state administrative agency for manufactured housing, which assigns an inspector to the county.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, public and multi-family work is filed with the Division of Building Code Enforcement and approved before construction. Its plan review fee uses the outside dimensions of the building and a per-square-foot rate for the occupancy, with a $285 minimum, and construction approval waits until it is paid. The state building inspector for Magoffin County inspects during construction. Salyersville posts a schedule of annual license fees by trade, business or profession, from a City Council revision of December 18, 2017.

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

• Septic. The Magoffin County Health Department evaluates the site and issues the onsite sewage permit where no sewer is available.
• Water. A tap from Salyersville Water Works (606-349-3743) or from the Water Works the city lists under Magoffin County (606-349-6812).
• Floodplain. The county participates in the National Flood Insurance Program on a flood map effective September 16, 2015; ask the County Judge/Executive’s office about floodplain review before building in a mapped flood area.
• State highway. A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit from the District 10 office in Jackson for any entrance or work on a state road right-of-way.

Magoffin County permit costs

No county or city building permit fee is published, because neither runs a building program. The state’s fees apply:

Example. A 3,000 sq ft storage building is reviewed at 3,000 × $0.15 = $450; with the fast-track option the extra 50% would be $225, which is raised to the $400 floor, for $850 in all. A home with 11 plumbing openings pays $50 + (11 × $14) = $204 for its state plumbing permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The state’s SmartGov portal does not issue private-property electrical permits; the Magoffin County sheet points to the County Judge/Executive’s office (606-349-2313) or the city office where the work is done.
• HVAC. A state permit is required for all new construction, and only a licensed or otherwise authorized person may buy it.
• Plumbing. A state plumbing construction permit comes before any plumbing work. Licensed master plumbers and homeowners doing their own residence can hold one; a person may receive only one homeowner permit for a new home in five years. The state plumbing inspector’s office hours are Tuesday mornings, 8:00 to 9:30, at the health department on Parkway Drive.
• Farmsteads. A farm dwelling and farm buildings on 10 acres or more outside city limits, in bona fide agricultural use and registered with the Magoffin County PVA, may qualify for the state plumbing farmstead exemption.

How to get permits in Magoffin County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Non-house projects cannot start until the state approves the plans, and approval waits on the fee. The plumbing inspector is at the health department on Tuesday mornings only. For a lot near the Salyersville line, whether it is inside the city decides which office the state sheet names for the electrical permit.

Inspections in Magoffin County

State-reviewed buildings are inspected by the state building inspector for Magoffin County. A house gets the trade inspections only: the state HVAC inspector, a local electrical inspector, and the state plumbing inspector on permitted plumbing work. Manufactured homes, elevators and boilers have their own state inspectors on the county sheet.

Kentucky building code in Magoffin County

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Magoffin County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map effective September 16, 2015.

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

State plan approvals can be searched through the Division of Building Code Enforcement’s online plan search, and state HVAC and plumbing permits are kept in its portal. Property records sit with the Magoffin County Court Clerk (606-349-2216) and the Property Valuation Administrator (606-349-6198).

• State contact sheet for Magoffin County inspectors (November 14, 2025)
• State building codes: places without a local program
• State Division of Building Code Enforcement
• 2018 Kentucky Building Code, fourth edition (sections 104.16 and 121)
• State SmartGov permit portal
• State modular and manufactured housing
• State plumbing permits and fees
• State plumbing FAQ: homeowner permits and farmstead exemption
• State HVAC permits
• Salyersville City Hall
• Salyersville and Magoffin County contact numbers
• Salyersville license fee forms
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit contacts
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Magoffin County permit FAQs

Does Magoffin County issue building permits?

No local building inspector is listed for the county; the state permits commercial and other non-house buildings.

Does Salyersville have a building inspector?

None is listed on the state sheet, and the city’s website shows no building or zoning permit.

Do I need a building permit for a house?

The published sources show no local building permit for houses. The house needs state HVAC and plumbing permits, an electrical permit and a septic permit if there is no sewer.

Who handles electrical permits?

The County Judge/Executive’s office (606-349-2313) for county land, or Salyersville City Hall (606-349-2409) inside the city.

Where do I get a septic permit?

The Magoffin County Health Department, 723 Parkway Drive, Salyersville; 606-349-6212.

How much is a plumbing permit for a new house?

$50 plus $14 for each opening; 11 openings come to $204.

Who issues permits for a driveway onto a state highway?

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 10 office in Jackson; 606-666-8841.

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