Mercer County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Mercer County is one of the Kentucky counties with a local building inspector: the state’s contact sheet, updated March 3, 2026, lists one with an office line of 859-613-8185, and that office is the first call for a building permit in the county. In Burgin, the city issues its own building permits from City Hall on South Maple Street, charging $0.12 per square foot for a house and $0.20 per square foot of main floor for a commercial building. Septic permits and the state plumbing inspector’s office hours are at the Mercer County Health Department on North College Street in Harrodsburg.

What requires a building permit in Mercer County?

The sheet confirms a local inspection program exists but does not say which places or building types it covers, so ask the inspector’s office (859-613-8185) what it permits at your address. Two things are settled by published sources: Burgin permits construction inside the city, and the state’s trade permits apply everywhere.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Kentucky allows only the state codes, so local programs differ in what they inspect and charge, not in the rules. The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) reviews and inspects the larger and higher-risk buildings its code reserves to the state, even in a county with a local inspector, and handles manufactured home installation through its manufactured housing section (502-573-1795).

Mercer County building department: who handles permitting

HBC’s Mercer County sheet lists the local building inspector together with the state building, manufactured housing, electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors. For the local electrical inspector, it tells you to contact the county judge/executive’s office or the city office where the work is done.

Cities in Mercer County

Mercer County permit types

Burgin posts its building permit application as a PDF on the city’s Forms page. For other addresses, get the application from the local inspector’s office. State approvals go through HBC’s SmartGov portal.

Residential permits

Burgin’s one-page form asks for the site address, subdivision and lot, acreage, dimensions, square footage and number of bedrooms, and whether there is a basement. It must be accompanied by a plat showing the property, a set of building drawings, a copy of the water tap receipt and a copy of the health department’s onsite sewage permit, and it is signed off by the city clerk and an inspector. Elsewhere, the house’s trade permits are the same as anywhere in Kentucky: electrical through the local electrical inspector, HVAC from HBC, and plumbing from HBC to a licensed master plumber or to the owner of the home, who may take out one homeowner permit for a new home every five years.

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

Commercial permits

In Burgin, a new commercial building pays $0.20 per square foot of main floor; renovating an existing commercial building is $50 if the use group stays the same and $0.14 per square foot of renovated space if it changes, for example from a business to a restaurant. Buildings in the state’s jurisdiction also need HBC plan review, and HBC’s Division of Plumbing reviews plumbing plans for buildings serving the public.

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

• Water and sewage. Burgin wants the water tap receipt and the onsite sewage permit with the application; outside sewer areas, the health department on North College Street issues septic permits.
• Zoning. Ask the local inspector’s office which planning and zoning rules apply to the site before drawing plans.
• Floodplain. Mercer County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program on a flood map that took effect October 16, 2025; check the new map before building near a stream.
• State roads. A KYTC District 7 encroachment permit for an entrance onto a state highway.

Mercer County permit fees

Burgin prints its building fees on its application. For permits from the county inspector, ask that office (859-613-8185) for its current fee schedule before you budget. HBC’s plumbing fees took effect on March 1, 2022.

Worked example. A 1,800 sq ft house in Burgin: 1,800 × $0.12 = $216 for the city building permit. Renovating all 2,000 sq ft of a shop into a restaurant (a change of use group): 2,000 × $0.14 = $280.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. Every electrical installation needs a permit and an inspection by a certified electrical inspector; the HBC sheet sends you to the judge/executive’s office, or Burgin’s or Harrodsburg’s city office for work inside those cities, to reach the local electrical inspector. HBC licenses electricians, and homeowners may wire their own homes with a permit.
• HVAC. Mercer County is not on HBC’s list of local HVAC jurisdictions; licensed or authorized people buy the permit from HBC through SmartGov, and the state HVAC inspector for the county inspects.
• Plumbing. HBC’s Division of Plumbing. Its inspector’s office hours for the county are Wednesday mornings at the health department in Harrodsburg. Homeowner permits require an application before work starts, an affidavit and the owner’s own labor.
• Boilers and elevators. Their own state inspectors, on the sheet.

How to apply for a building permit in Mercer County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Burgin’s application lists four attachments, and a missing water tap receipt or sewage permit is the simplest reason for it to wait. Elsewhere, uncertainty about which office covers the address causes the most lost time, so call the inspector first. Commercial work in the state’s jurisdiction cannot start before HBC approves the plans.

Inspections in Mercer County

Building inspections are done by the local inspector for the work it permits, and in Burgin by the inspector who signs the city’s permit. Electrical work is inspected by a certified electrical inspector, heating and air by the state HVAC inspector, and plumbing by the state plumbing inspector. Buildings in HBC’s jurisdiction are inspected by the state building inspector for the county, and manufactured homes by the state manufactured housing inspector.

Kentucky building code

Every permit in Mercer County is issued under the 2018 Kentucky Building Code or Kentucky Residential Code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Mercer County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map effective 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

Mercer County permit search and official resources

Burgin City Hall posts an open records request form on its Forms page; for permits issued by the county inspector, ask that office. State filings can be followed in SmartGov.

• HBC Mercer County inspector contact sheet
• HBC Contact an Inspector
• City of Burgin building permit application and fees
• City of Burgin forms, including open records request
• City of Burgin
• HBC Building Codes: state and local jurisdiction
• HBC Division of Building Code Enforcement
• HBC Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• HBC plumbing FAQ
• HBC Division of HVAC
• HBC SmartGov portal
• KYTC highway districts by county
• KYTC permit contacts by district
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Mercer County permit FAQs

Does Mercer County have a building inspector?

Yes. The state’s sheet, updated March 3, 2026, lists a local building inspector with an office line of 859-613-8185.

How much is a building permit in Burgin?

$0.12 per square foot for a house and $0.20 per square foot of main floor for a commercial building.

What do I attach to a Burgin application?

A plat, building drawings, a copy of the water tap receipt and a copy of the health department’s onsite sewage permit.

Where do I get a septic permit?

The Mercer County Health Department, 900 North College Street, Harrodsburg (859-734-4522).

Who issues HVAC and plumbing permits?

The state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, through SmartGov for HVAC.

Can I do my own plumbing?

In your own home, yes, with an HBC homeowner permit obtained before you start.

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