Martin County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Martin County runs no building inspection program. The state’s contact sheet, updated September 8, 2026, lists the local building inspector as “None” and sends commercial construction to the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) for building permits. A house still has to meet the Kentucky Residential Code, but the only inspections are the electrical, HVAC and plumbing ones. Septic permits and the state plumbing inspector’s office hours are at the Martin County Health Department on Rockcastle Creek Road in Inez.

What requires a building permit in Martin County?

With no local program anywhere in the county, the state rule applies across Martin County, Inez and Warfield alike: every building other than a one- or two-family home or townhouse (the dwellings under the residential code) goes to HBC for plan review and approval before work begins.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Kentucky lets a county choose whether to run an inspection program; Martin County has not set one up, according to the state’s sheet. That leaves building plan review and inspection for non-residential buildings with HBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement, and the county’s role at the local level with the judge/executive’s office, which the sheet names as the contact for finding the local electrical inspector.

Martin County building department: who handles permitting

The state sheet lists the people who inspect here: the state building inspector for non-residential work, a manufactured housing inspector, and state electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors. For the local electrical inspector it tells you to ask the county judge/executive’s office or the city office where the work is being done.

Cities in Martin County

The county has two small cities, and the sheet’s “None” covers them as well: neither has a local building inspector listed.

Martin County permit types

Martin County has no local permit office or portal for buildings. State plan reviews, HVAC permits and plumbing permits are all handled by HBC, mostly through its SmartGov portal.

Residential permits

For a house, the permits are the trade ones. The electrician takes out the electrical permit with the local electrical inspector; a licensed HVAC contractor buys the HVAC permit; and the plumbing permit goes to a licensed master plumber or to the homeowner. A homeowner’s plumbing permit covers a home they live in or are building for their own use, requires an affidavit and personal work, and HBC grants only one such permit for a new home to the same person in any five years. Manufactured homes are covered by HBC’s manufactured housing section and its inspector for the county.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial plans are submitted to HBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement, which reviews them, issues the building permit and inspects the work through its state building inspector for Martin County. Plumbing plans for buildings that serve the public are reviewed separately by HBC’s Division of Plumbing, and elevators have their own state plan review and permit.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit applications through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Septic. Where there is no sewer, get the health department’s onsite sewage permit before fixing the house site.
• Floodplain. Martin County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, so work in a mapped flood zone needs floodplain approval; ask the judge/executive’s office who reviews it.
• State roads. An entrance or other work on a state highway right of way needs a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet encroachment permit from District 12 in Pikeville.
• City matters. Inside Inez or Warfield, check with city hall for any city requirement before building.

Martin County permit fees

With no local building program, there is no county building permit fee. The fees that apply are the state’s: HBC charges its own plan review fees on commercial projects, and its plumbing fees took effect on March 1, 2022.

Worked example. Replacing a water heater: one $50 state permit. Adding a bathroom with four new openings to a house: $50 + (4 × $14) = $106.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. Even without a building program, electrical work is permitted and inspected by a certified electrical inspector; the judge/executive’s office or the city office tells you who that is. HBC licenses electricians and electrical contractors, and a homeowner may do their own wiring with a permit.
• HVAC. Martin County is not on HBC’s list of local HVAC jurisdictions. Only licensed or authorized people may buy the permit, through SmartGov, and the state HVAC inspector for the county inspects.
• Plumbing. HBC’s Division of Plumbing permits and inspects. Its inspector for Martin County keeps office hours at the health department in Inez on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. All plumbing other than a homeowner’s own permitted work must be installed by a licensed journeyman under a licensed master plumber.
• Boilers and elevators. Separate state inspectors, both on the sheet.

How to get permits for a Martin County project

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Owners of small commercial buildings are most often caught out by the state rule: with no local program, even a modest shop or office must have HBC approval before construction, and the state building inspector inspects it. For a house, delay usually comes from plumbing started without a permit, which state law forbids, or from missing the plumbing inspector’s weekly one-hour office slot.

Inspections in Martin County

A house in Martin County receives no building inspections. HBC’s state HVAC inspector checks the heating and air system, a certified electrical inspector checks the wiring, and the state plumbing inspector checks the plumbing. Non-residential buildings are inspected by HBC’s state building inspector for the county as the approved plans are built, and elevators and boilers by their own state inspectors. Arrange plumbing inspections with the inspector, whose office hours are at the health department.

Kentucky building code

All construction in Martin County must meet the 2018 Kentucky Building Code or Kentucky Residential Code; the lack of a local program changes who checks the work, not the standard. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Martin County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, on a flood map dated 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

Martin County permit search and official resources

State plan approvals can be looked up through HBC’s online plan search, run by its Building Codes section, and SmartGov shows the permits filed there. There are no county permit records because the county issues no building permits.

• HBC Martin County inspector contact sheet
• HBC Contact an Inspector
• HBC Building Codes: state and local jurisdiction
• HBC Division of Building Code Enforcement
• HBC Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• HBC plumbing FAQ: what needs a permit
• HBC Division of HVAC
• HBC SmartGov portal
• KYTC highway districts by county
• KYTC permit contacts by district
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Martin County permit FAQs

Does Martin County have a building inspector?

No. HBC’s sheet, updated September 8, 2026, lists the local building inspector as “None”.

Do I need a building permit for a new house?

The published sources show no local building permit for houses. The house must still meet the state residential code, and the electrical, HVAC and plumbing work need permits and inspections.

Who issues commercial building permits?

HBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement, which must approve the plans before work starts.

Who issues building permits in Inez?

The sheet lists no local inspector for Inez either, so non-residential buildings there go to HBC; ask city hall about city requirements.

Where do I get a septic permit?

The Martin County Health Department, Rockcastle Creek Road, Inez (606-298-7752).

Can I do my own plumbing in Martin County?

Yes, in your own residence with an HBC homeowner permit, applied for before starting and done by you personally.

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