Mount Washington, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

The City of Mount Washington issues its own building permits: the Department of Building Codes at 311 Snapp Street (502-538-0515), led by Building Official Anthony Branham, reviews, permits and inspects all construction in the city, and also permits residential electrical and HVAC work. Every residential job starts with a zoning compliance certificate from Bullitt County Planning and Zoning (502-543-6832). A new house costs 12 cents a square foot plus a $180 or $200 plan review and inspection fee, and permits expire after 12 months.

What requires a building permit in Mount Washington?

The city’s rule is that every permit is obtained before any construction starts, and its residential application shows how wide the net is. The building permit covers the structure only; electrical, HVAC and encroachment work take separate permits.

Starting without a permit costs a penalty equal to the standard fee, never less than $500, on top of the fee itself.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Mount Washington’s layer is its building code department, its fee schedules (City Ordinances 150.15 to 150.18, cited on the application), its Commercial and Planning Design ordinance (Chapter 158), its stormwater program and its encroachment rules. Zoning compliance, the comprehensive plan and the Board of Adjustment are Bullitt County’s; the city keeps its own zoning map and zoning regulations, including a Community Planning Area (Smart Code) and site plan review amendments. According to the city’s building page, the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) inspects and approves all plumbing and elevators, buildings for state-licensed facilities such as day cares, hospitals and nursing homes, institutional buildings, and industrialized buildings over 100 occupants and 20,000 square feet.

Mount Washington building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Building Codes is the Building and Housing Department’s permit counter; its staff includes the building official, a residential building, electrical and HVAC inspector, a code enforcement officer and a stormwater inspector.

The county side, including Buildings and Safety for unincorporated land, is in the Bullitt County guide. HBC’s Bullitt County contact sheet (updated June 12, 2026) lists Mount Washington’s inspector as “Building Inspector Only”, while the city’s own pages list residential electrical and HVAC inspection and post electrical and HVAC permit applications and fee schedules.

Mount Washington permit types

The city’s forms page holds the residential and commercial procedures, the residential building application, electrical, HVAC (commercial, multi-family, one- and two-family and homeowner), commercial refrigeration and exhaust hood, sign, solar panel, demolition, dumpster and encroachment applications, a duct pressure test verification form, and the fee schedules.

Residential permits

After the county’s zoning compliance certificate is in hand, the applicant submits the building permit and encroachment applications with a scope of work, plans (electronic submittal preferred, by email to the permitting address) and fees. A new single-family dwelling also needs a signed, stamped and dated survey by a Kentucky registered land surveyor, and the water meter and sewer tap are bought when the building permit is purchased. All contractors and subcontractors need a current Mount Washington business license and a certificate of liability insurance. Erosion and sediment control devices must be installed before construction starts and kept up for the whole job.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work starts with plan review: three copies of the building plans and three of the drainage plans, signed, stamped and dated, with the scope of work, the Commercial and Planning Design checklist, the New Development checklist, the encroachment application, and the encroachment and plan review fees. Drainage plans must show erosion and sediment control, sidewalks and utility easements, and the plans must meet Chapter 158. The city sends approval letters for the building plans, utilities, stormwater and road authority, then quotes the permit fee; the building permit itself follows once the county’s zoning compliance certificate is filed.

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

Subdivisions, site plans and encroachment classes

The encroachment and land disturbance application sorts work into four classes. Class 1 covers minor work on a single lot, such as detached structures, additions, sidewalk repairs, fences and entrances; Class 2 a single- or multi-family home on one lot and right-of-way work across up to five lots; Class 3 small commercial, industrial and residential development under 5 acres; Class 4 large commercial sites and subdivisions over 5 acres. Class 3 and 4 projects that need a Notice of Intent with the state Division of Water also pay plan review: $2,000 plus $250 an acre for a primary or secondary subdivision or a commercial, industrial, multi-family or mobile home park site development plan, $500 for a planned unit development concept plan and $1,000 for its master plan and zoning. The city may also send plats and site plans to a private consultant for review. Each permit is valid for a year, and the $500 deposit is forfeited if the entrance or other right-of-way work is not finished as specified within that year.

The city’s zoning page posts the district regulations (B-1 highway business, B-2 central business, agricultural and conservation, industrial, and the R-1 to R-4 residential zones), text amendments adopted by Ordinances 2021-19 and 2021-20, the Community Planning Area (Smart Code), and amendments on site plan review and the R-3 zone. County zoning hearings are held in Shepherdsville: the Board of Adjustment at 149 North Walnut Street and Planning Commission hearings at 300 South Buckman Street.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning compliance. From Bullitt County Planning and Zoning; the city needs a copy of the certificate.
• Encroachment and land disturbance. A city permit by class, with a $500 refundable deposit.
• Water and sewer. Meter and tap purchased with a new-house permit.
• Floodplain. The stormwater page links FEMA’s flood map for the city’s flood zones; ask the department before building in one.
• Business license. For every contractor and subcontractor.

Mount Washington permit costs and fees

The fees below come from the city’s residential, commercial, electrical and mechanical fee schedules and its encroachment application. Plan review and inspection fees are paid in full when plans are submitted, and permits are not issued until all fees are paid and the plans approved.

Worked example: a new 2,400-square-foot house pays 2,400 x 12 cents = $288 for the building permit plus the $200 plan review and inspection fee for a house over 2,000 square feet, or $488. Its electrical permit with a new service is $200, one HVAC system $105, and the Class 2 encroachment permit for a single-family home $250 plus the $500 deposit, refunded when the entrance is built as permitted. Water meter and sewer tap charges are separate.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The city issues electrical permits. The application asks for the electrical contractor and master electrician license numbers, or a homeowner box for an owner doing his or her own work, and each applicant certifies workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance coverage for everyone on the job.
• Heating and air conditioning. The city issues HVAC permits under the state HVAC statute and regulation, with separate forms for commercial, multi-family, one- and two-family and homeowner installations. A homeowner permit needs the duct design, a load calculation and an affidavit that the owner will live in the home.
• Plumbing. State work, inspected by HBC’s plumbing inspector, who keeps office hours at the Bullitt County Health Department on weekday mornings from 8 to 9. HBC issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers and to homeowners for their own residences.
• Contractors. No state general contractor license, but every contractor and subcontractor needs a Mount Washington business license and liability insurance.

How to apply for a Mount Washington building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

No permit issues until the plans are approved and every fee is paid, and commercial projects need their plan review finished, with utility, stormwater and road authority letters, before permits can be obtained. Common delays are a missing county zoning compliance certificate, a contractor or subcontractor without a city business license, a new-house file without the land survey, and erosion controls not in place when work starts. Permits run 12 months. The residential fee schedule lists a $120 renewal, while the permit procedures and the department’s page say a renewal costs the same as the original building permit fee, so the renewal charge depends on which the department applies.

Inspections and certificates in Mount Washington

The permit holder must request all inspections and provide access, and the building may not be used or occupied without final inspections. A re-inspection costs $60 and must be paid before the next inspection. Where a certificate of occupancy is required, it is not issued until state regulations and local ordinances are met; a temporary certificate costs $120, paid before it issues.

Residential electrical and HVAC work is inspected by the city’s residential building, electrical and HVAC inspector under the city permits, and plumbing by the state plumbing inspector. Stormwater compliance is checked by the city’s stormwater inspector; a stormwater notice of violation can be appealed in writing within 15 calendar days, with a hearing set within 30 days.

Kentucky building code in Mount Washington

Mount Washington reviews and inspects under the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code with all referenced codes and standards. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Mount Washington (community 210382) 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

Mount Washington permit search and official resources

For a permit’s status, contact the Department of Building Codes at 502-538-0515 or the permitting email address; for past permit files, use the open records request link on the city’s home page.

• Building, Housing, and Construction
• Forms and applications
• Residential building permit procedures
• Residential building application
• Residential building fee schedule
• Commercial construction and remodeling procedures
• Commercial building fee schedule
• Electrical permit application
• Electric permit fee schedule
• Mechanical permit fee schedule
• HVAC permit application, homeowner
• Encroachment and land disturbance application
• City zoning map and regulations
• Stormwater
• City contacts
• Bullitt County Planning and Zoning
• HBC county contact sheet, Bullitt County
• HBC Division of Plumbing
• HBC SmartGov portal
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Mount Washington building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Mount Washington?

The city’s Department of Building Codes at 311 Snapp Street, after Bullitt County Planning and Zoning issues zoning compliance.

How much is a permit for a new house?

12 cents per square foot (minimum $125) plus a plan review and inspection fee of $200 over 2,000 square feet or $180 under; a 2,400-square-foot house is $488 before trade and encroachment permits.

Do I need a permit for a deck or a shed?

Yes. Decks, pools, carports and pergolas are $50 plus inspection fees, and sheds pay the accessory building rate.

Can I install my own HVAC or wiring?

The city has homeowner HVAC and electrical permits; the HVAC homeowner permit needs a duct design, load calculation and owner-occupant affidavit.

Can I do my own plumbing?

In your own residence, yes, with a state plumbing permit from HBC.

How long is a building permit good for?

Twelve months from issue. The procedures say a renewal costs the same as the building permit fee; the fee schedule lists $120.

What is the encroachment permit for?

Driveway entrances and other work in the right of way and land disturbance; it goes with every building permit except a basement finish, with a $500 refundable deposit.

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