Richmond, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Inside Richmond’s city limits, the City of Richmond Building Inspection Department (239 West Main Street, 859-625-6428) reviews plans, issues permits and inspects work under a contract with the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. Apply through the city’s Accela portal or with a paper application; fees are set by Ordinance 22-26 (June 28, 2022), with a $30 minimum building permit. The department does not work in Berea or in the rest of Madison County.

What requires a building permit in Richmond?

Richmond’s own question-and-answer page draws the line. Every new house or commercial space needs a permit; work on a building that already exists is treated as a renovation, alteration or addition and needs one when it falls in the list below.

Two linked rules catch pool owners: the pool must meet the barrier rules in section R326.8 of the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code, and the electrical permit for the pool has to be submitted before the pool permit is issued. Residential rooftop solar needs a building permit with stamped structural drawings and a structural engineer’s letter plus an electrical permit, and the Development Ordinance does not allow ground-mounted solar in residential sections of the city.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Richmond enforces the Kentucky codes by contract with the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction and through Chapter 150 of its own code, so plan review, permits and inspections for buildings inside the city run through City Hall. Zoning, subdivision plats, historic district review, floodplain and land disturbance permits belong to the city’s Planning and Zoning Department and its boards. The state keeps plumbing permits, trade licensing and the right of appeal: section 113.4 of the Kentucky Building Code lets any property owner take a code interpretation to the state.

Richmond building department: who handles permitting

The Building Inspection Department, led by Director Daniel Abrams, has residential, commercial and HVAC/mechanical inspectors and a permit technician. It does not review plans or inspect anywhere outside the Richmond city limits, and it does not work inside Berea. Parcels near the edge of town are best checked on the city map or by phone before anything is filed, because Madison County’s own planning office handles the land outside both cities.

The state contact sheet for Madison County, updated October 27, 2026, lists three separate local programs: the City of Richmond for building and HVAC inspection, the City of Berea, and Madison County. That matches what each office says about its own territory.

Richmond permit types

The forms page lists the permits the department issues: building, HVAC/mechanical, electrical, fire detection, fire suppression and structure demolition, plus a certificate of occupancy application. Each can be filed in Accela Citizen Access or on the paper form, and completed paper forms can also be emailed to the department’s permit technician.

Residential permits

A new house carries a building permit priced on the cost of construction, a separate HVAC permit, a separate electrical permit and a state plumbing permit. Additions, basement finishes, decks, porches, accessory buildings and pools take their own building permits under the triggers above. The department posts code handouts with its forms for the details inspectors check most: pool barriers, deck construction, draft-stopping and fire-blocking, drilling and notching, emergency escape openings, safety glazing, stairs, handrails, guards and smoke detector placement.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work pays a plan review fee by building area as well as the building permit, and a fit-up of an existing space is reviewed at 0.30% of its cost or at the area rate, whichever is less. Kitchen hoods, hood suppression systems, sprinklers, standpipes and fire alarm systems are reviewed separately, and commercial solar must meet the Development Ordinance’s zoning rules before any permit issues. Plans are not reviewed until fees are paid.

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

• Zoning. Use, setbacks and accessory-building limits come from the Development Ordinance: no more than two roofed accessory structures per lot, placed in a side or rear yard and covering no more than 25% of it.
• Plats and site plans. Civil and site development plans go to Planning and Zoning through its online portal, with the department’s checklists.
• Historic district. In the H1 district every exterior change, including decks and accessory structures, needs Architectural Review Board approval first.
• Flood zone and land disturbance. Planning and Zoning issues a flood plain/flood zone permit and land disturbance permits.
• Utilities. Water and sewer service comes from Richmond Utilities.
• State routes. A new entrance onto a state highway, or other work in its right-of-way, needs a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit from the District 7 office in Lexington (859-246-2355); a city street encroachment is a $100 city permit.

Richmond permit fees

Ordinance 22-26, given its second reading on June 28, 2022, rewrote the fee schedule in Chapter 150 of the city code. The department’s posted fee sheets carry the same figures. The building permit is priced on the cost of construction for both commercial and residential work:

The bands do not run into one another exactly (the $2,001 band starts at $42 although $2,000 of work costs $30, and the $15,001 band starts at $104), so price a job inside its own band. Example: a $30,000 room addition falls in the $15,001–$50,000 band: $104 + (15 × $4) = $164. The department’s sheet adds that the $30 certificate of occupancy fee is included in every application that ends in a certificate.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The city issues the permit and inspects. A contractor needs a city business license and a state electrical license; the installer must hold a state master license, and the department may ask for a copy before issuing. A homeowner doing the work personally is exempt from those license rules but files a notarized homeowner affidavit with the application.
• HVAC and mechanical. Also a city permit and city inspection, including replacement units. The same business license, state master license and homeowner affidavit rules apply.
• Plumbing. Not a city permit. It comes from the state Division of Plumbing or through the local state plumbing inspector, who keeps office hours at the Madison County Health Department on Boggs Lane, Tuesday to Friday from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. The state issues plumbing permits to licensed master plumbers or to homeowners working on their own residence; residential permits are $50 plus $14 per fixture opening.
• Fire systems. Fire detection and fire suppression permits are city permits, with plan review priced by the sprinkler and alarm tables.
• Everyone else. Any work done by someone other than the homeowner requires a City of Richmond business license.

How to get a building permit in Richmond

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department asks for complete submissions so they can be processed promptly; a missing contractor license copy, an unsigned homeowner affidavit or missing structural drawings stops review. Unpaid fees hold the file, because review is not finished until payment is in. Work in the H1 district waits for the Architectural Review Board, and a variance waits for the Board of Adjustment, which meets on the first Wednesday of each month. The Planning and Zoning Commission meets on the third Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Inspections in Richmond

The permit holder calls the department when work is ready; work must stay exposed until it is approved. The usual building inspections are footer, foundation, slab, envelope, framing/rough-in and final, with more depending on the type of construction; the department posts separate required-inspection lists for residential and commercial permits. HVAC, mechanical and electrical installations need a rough-in before insulation and drywall and a final before the building final, while replacements and service turn-ons may need only a final. When a contractor did the trade work, the contractor has to be on site for the inspection. All inspections must pass before the department issues final approval and a letter of acceptance, and a certificate of occupancy is applied for online. For an unoccupied existing house, a certificate of occupancy is issued under the property maintenance code.

Kentucky building code in Richmond

The city’s adopted-code list starts with the 2018 Kentucky Building Code and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code and adds the 2015 International Mechanical and Fire Codes, the energy codes used with each, the state plumbing and boiler rules, NFPA sprinkler, fuel gas, electrical and fire alarm standards, and the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code. FEMA lists Richmond as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program on a flood map effective December 21, 2017; its Community Rating System class 8 gives policyholders a 10% discount.

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

The city’s Accela Citizen Access portal is where building permits and business licenses are applied for online. For a permit record, contact the Building Inspection Department at City Hall; ordinances passed in the last year or two are posted on the city’s ordinance page, and the full code is published by American Legal Publishing.

• Richmond Building Inspections department page
• Building Inspections: when a permit is required, fees, inspections
• Building Inspections forms and applications
• Accela Citizen Access: apply for a permit
• Ordinance 22-26: Chapter 150 fee schedule (June 28, 2022)
• Building permit fee schedule
• Commercial and mechanical plan review fee schedule
• HVAC permit fee schedule
• Electrical permit fee schedule
• Certificate of occupancy application
• Planning and Zoning Department
• Richmond Development Ordinance (October 2025 file)
• City maps: city limits and zoning
• City ordinances list
• Richmond Utilities
• State contact sheet for Madison County inspectors (October 27, 2026)
• State Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit contacts (District 7)
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Richmond permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Richmond?

It depends on the cost of construction: $30 for work up to $2,000, $104 plus $4 per $1,000 between $15,000 and $50,000, and so on up the bands in Ordinance 22-26. A $30,000 addition is $164.

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

A residential shed or garage needs one at 200 sq ft or more. A deck needs one at 200 sq ft or more, 30 inches or more off the ground, or when it is roofed, serves the front door or is attached to the house.

Can a homeowner pull electrical or HVAC permits?

Yes, for work done personally, with a notarized homeowner affidavit. Anyone else needs a city business license and a state master license.

Where do I get a plumbing permit in Richmond?

From the state Division of Plumbing or the local state plumbing inspector at the Madison County Health Department, 216 Boggs Lane; the city does not issue them.

Does the Richmond office handle Berea or county property?

No. It works only inside Richmond’s city limits; Berea and Madison County run their own offices.

Can I apply online?

Yes, through Accela Citizen Access, or with a paper application at City Hall.

Do I need approval to change the outside of a house in the historic district?

Yes. In the H1 district every exterior change, decks and accessory buildings included, goes to the Architectural Review Board first.

Can I put solar panels in my yard?

Not in residential sections of the city: the Development Ordinance does not permit ground-mounted solar there. Roof-mounted systems need a building permit with stamped structural drawings and an electrical permit.

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