Nicholasville, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Nicholasville, building and electrical permits come from the city’s Planning & Zoning department at City Hall, 517 North Main Street (859-885-9385). Applications go to permits@NicholasvilleKY.gov or are mailed or dropped off. Under Ordinance 171-2024, a single-family house costs $900 plus 5 cents a square foot and an electrical permit $35, and a permit expires if work has not begun within six months.

What requires a building permit in Nicholasville?

Section 320 of the city’s zoning ordinance is the base rule: no building or other structure may be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without a permit from the Administrative Official, and no utility (electric, gas, water or other), temporary or permanent, may be connected until the utility has confirmation of a valid building permit. The city’s fee ordinance shows the kinds of work that are permitted:

An application for any structure on a permanent foundation needs an engineered site plan from a licensed professional engineer or land surveyor showing setbacks, easements and utilities. Decks and porches open on three sides are excused when staff can see the zoning rules are met.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The city enforces zoning and the building codes, oversees subdivisions and infrastructure, enforces floodplain rules and runs its flood insurance community rating work. HVAC permits and inspections, plumbing permits and inspections, elevators, boilers and manufactured housing are handled by the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, which also reviews buildings outside a local program’s jurisdiction. The state’s Jessamine County contact sheet (updated October 27, 2026) lists a local building inspector at the city’s Planning & Zoning number, 859-885-9385.

Nicholasville building department: who handles permitting

Planning & Zoning, led by Planning and Zoning Director Tim Cross, holds the building inspection staff (a building inspector supervisor and a building inspector), a zoning enforcement official, the city engineer and a certified floodplain administrator. The Planning Commission (nine members) reviews plans and makes recommendations to the City Commission, which decides; the Board of Adjustment (seven members) hears variances and conditional uses. Members of both are appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Commission.

Nicholasville is the seat and largest city of Jessamine County, with 33,857 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Its permits stop at the city limits; for Wilmore and the unincorporated county, see the Jessamine County building permit guide.

Nicholasville permit types

The Forms and Links page carries the building permit application, the fee schedule, the contractor registration form, the grading application, development, conditional use, dimensional variance and zoning map amendment applications, the electrical permit forms and the zoning ordinance and map.

Residential permits

The one-page building permit application asks for the construction address and subdivision, applicant, contractor (with business license number) and owner, zoning district, proposed use, lot dimensions and size, number of units, construction type, heating fuel, outside dimensions, stories and height, foundation type, whether the lot is in the floodplain, living and non-living square footage, bedrooms and baths, parking spaces and costs. Attach the site plan and building plans. A notarized registration form lists the builder, general contractor and every subcontractor, and the zoning ordinance bars issuing a permit until the builder holds the city occupational licenses and that list has been filed. New construction must also hand in a copy of the state notice of intent to disturb land before the permit is issued.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial and multi-family projects that need a development plan under Article 15 of the zoning ordinance take it to the Planning Commission first, billed at $300 plus a per-lot or per-acre charge and an engineering review fee of $100 an hour on every check and recheck. The building application then adds parking lot layout and landscape plans. Remodels, tenant fit-ups and changes of use are permitted on the construction cost or square footage.

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. Check the district on the city zoning map (revised July 2026); variances and conditional uses go to the Board of Adjustment, rezonings to the Planning Commission and City Commission.
• Erosion control and grading. No permit for land-disturbing work is granted without an approved erosion and sediment control plan or grading permit, and silt controls must be installed and approved before any inspection.
• Utilities. The city’s utility department serves electric, water and sewer customers in and near the city; utilities cannot be connected without a valid building permit.
• Floodplain. The application asks whether the lot is in the floodplain, and the department’s floodplain administrator enforces the flood rules, including the FP Flood Plain district where the Planning Commission decides the uses.
• Historic overlay. Property in an H-1 historic overlay needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Nicholasville Historic Preservation Commission.
• State highways. An entrance on a state route needs a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit from the District 7 office, 800 Newtown Court, Lexington (859-246-2355); curb cuts on city streets carry a $35 city permit for a house.

Nicholasville permit costs and fees

Fees are set by the City Commission. The current schedule is headed Ordinance 171-2024; the zoning ordinance’s amendment notes date that ordinance October 28, 2024.

Worked examples. A 2,000-square-foot single-family house pays $900 + (2,000 × $0.05) = $1,000. A 300-square-foot deck pays $100 + (300 × $0.05) = $115. Starting that deck without a permit would cost three times the fee, $345. Digging footers is not treated as construction, but pouring them is, and a mobile unit set up ready for occupancy counts as construction too.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The city issues electrical permits ($35). A contractor’s application gives the Nicholasville/Jessamine County business registration number and the state electrical contractor (CE) and master electrician (ME) license numbers, and goes to permits@NicholasvilleKY.gov. A homeowner who is not an electrician may apply on the homeowner’s permit and notarized affidavit if the owner lives in the house full time, will not lease, rent or transfer it for 24 months after completion, and does all the work personally; ownership is checked against the PVA, a driver’s license copy is attached, and only one homeowner electrical permit is allowed in 24 months. Rough-in and final inspections are made by a Kentucky-certified inspector the city authorizes.
• HVAC. Nicholasville is not on the state’s list of local HVAC jurisdictions, so licensed HVAC contractors buy the HVAC permit from the state through its SmartGov portal, and the state HVAC inspector for Jessamine County inspects.
• Plumbing. State permits, sold at the health department desk at 215 East Maple on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings: $50 plus $14 per opening for a one- or two-family home, $50 plus $20 per opening commercially. Licensed master plumbers apply, or homeowners for a home they occupy or are building for themselves.
• Licenses. The builder must hold the city’s occupational licenses before a building permit is issued.

How to apply for a Nicholasville building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The zoning ordinance lets no permit issue for a project that does not conform unless the Board of Adjustment has granted a variance, conditional use or administrative review, so a setback problem means a hearing on the second Monday of a month. Planning Commission items must be filed at least 21 days before the meeting or pay a late fee of three times the normal fee, and a postponement caused by the applicant costs $150 plus postage. Missing silt fencing holds up the first inspection, and any change to an issued permit carries a revision fee.

Nicholasville building inspections and final approval

Call Planning & Zoning at 859-885-9385 to arrange inspections. Silt controls must be in and approved before the first inspection. Each required inspection includes one recheck at no charge; every further recheck costs $50, paid before more inspections are made.

No new, altered or enlarged building may be used or occupied until the Administrative Official issues a certificate of occupancy confirming that the use complies with the zoning ordinance, and occupying a building without one draws a $200 release fee. A permit expires if work has not begun within six months of issue, or if the work is not substantially complete by the date noted on the permit; after that a new permit is needed. Permits are tied to the lot and cannot be transferred.

Kentucky building code in Nicholasville

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Nicholasville as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a flood map effective December 21, 2017, and a Community Rating System class 8 rating that gives a 10% flood insurance discount. The zoning ordinance was first adopted in June 1980; the posted copy is amended through December 2024.

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

For a copy of a permit, certificate of occupancy or zoning file, ask Planning & Zoning (Planning@NicholasvilleKY.gov), which keeps the certificate records the ordinance requires and furnishes copies on request; other city records can be requested through the city’s open records request.

• Nicholasville Planning and Zoning
• Planning and zoning forms and links
• Building permit application
• Building permit and planning fee schedule, Ordinance 171-2024
• Contractor and subcontractor registration form
• Electrical permit application (contractors)
• Homeowner electrical permit and affidavit
• Grading permit application
• Zoning Ordinance (amended through December 2024)
• Zoning map (revised July 2026)
• City ordinances and City Clerk
• City utility service and forms
• State contact sheet for Jessamine County inspectors
• State SmartGov permit portal (HVAC, plumbing)
• State HVAC permits
• State list of local HVAC jurisdictions
• State plumbing permits and fees
• State plumbing FAQ: homeowner permits
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit offices
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Nicholasville building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit for a new house in Nicholasville?

$900 per unit plus $0.05 per square foot under Ordinance 171-2024, so a 2,000-square-foot house pays $1,000.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes. A residential fence or wall permit costs $35. Fences in residential districts are limited to 6 feet, and to 4 feet in front yards.

Does a shed need a permit?

Yes from 50 square feet: $25 up to 399 square feet, and $100 plus $0.05 per square foot from 400 square feet.

Can I do my own electrical work?

Yes, with the city’s $35 homeowner electrical permit and notarized affidavit, if you live in the house full time and keep it for at least 24 months after the work.

Who issues HVAC and plumbing permits?

The state. HVAC permits are bought through the state portal by licensed contractors; plumbing permits at the health department desk on East Maple.

How long is a permit good for?

Work must start within six months of issue, and the permit lapses if the work is not substantially complete by the date on the permit.

Does the city handle permits outside the city limits?

No. Nicholasville permits only inside the city; Wilmore and the unincorporated county have their own office.

What does building without a permit cost?

Three times the normal permit fee.

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