Somerset, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Inside Somerset, building permits come from the city: the Building Inspection Department at the Somerset Energy Center, 306 East Mount Vernon Street (606-679-6366, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays), is certified by the state to regulate residential and commercial construction, reviews the drawings and inspects the building, mechanical and electrical work. The city charges by floor area, 15 cents a square foot for homes and most other uses, and commercial plan review starts at $285. Electrical inspections are done by four inspectors approved through Pulaski County Government.

What requires a building permit in Somerset?

The department’s page states the rule broadly: no building or structure the code regulates may be erected, built, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, converted or demolished without its own building permit, one per building. Somerset’s zoning ordinance says the same from the land-use side (section 8.3): nothing may be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without a permit from the administrative official, and no permit issues unless the work fits the zoning rules. The department lists the building types it handles:

A plan review fee is not charged on a job that is plumbing only, according to the city’s plan review worksheet, but the plumbing permit itself is still required.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The city runs plan review, permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy for the occupancies on its list, under the Kentucky Building Code and Residential Code it is certified to enforce. It also controls zoning, subdivision, stormwater and utility connections. The state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction keeps plumbing permits and inspections, the statewide HVAC permit, and plan review of the larger buildings that the Kentucky Building Code assigns to it. Land outside the city limits is Pulaski County’s, and the county says it has no zoning and requires no building permit for houses.

Somerset building department: who handles permitting

The City of Somerset Building Inspection Department, whose page names Joe Lyons as the building inspector. The 2022 permit application uses the heading “Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Building Inspection Division”, the city’s own name for the office, and should not be confused with the state department of the same name. The state’s Pulaski County contact sheet (updated March 3, 2026) lists Somerset’s inspector separately from the inspector who serves the rest of the county and Burnside.

Burnside, Eubank, Ferguson and Science Hill are separate cities with their own arrangements, and unincorporated land follows the county’s rules described in the Pulaski County permit guide.

Somerset permit types

One building permit application covers new construction, additions and remodels for every occupancy, with the square footage and occupancy type filled in on the first page. The department also posts a sign permit application, a temporary tent and site placement application and the affidavit of assurances.

Residential permits

For a house, the application needs a site plan showing where the building sits and how far it is from neighboring buildings and property lines, structural drawings where they apply, the owner’s and contractor’s details and a certificate of insurance. Each contractor and subcontractor must hold a Somerset business license and pay the city’s occupational tax. An owner doing all the work signs a statement to that effect; if the owner later hires anyone, a subcontractor list has to be filed before final approval, or the certificate of occupancy can be held up.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings need site plan approval before the building permit, and the application carries a $285 minimum non-refundable deposit for commercial plan review. The reviewer records the occupancy class, floor area and height against the code’s allowable-area tables, and checks for items such as a design professional’s seal, a site survey by a licensed surveyor, sprinkler and fire alarm plans, range hoods and pre-engineered metal buildings. A grease interceptor permit costs $100 where one is needed. Before the certificate of occupancy, the department asks for as-built drawings.

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. The use must be allowed in the zone (R-1 to R-3 residential, B-1 to B-3 business, I-1 and I-2 industrial, P public). A zone change costs $402, plus the cost of the hearing sign and newspaper notice; the sign goes up 14 days before the hearing.
• Utility sign-offs. Representatives of the city’s gas, water and sewer departments sign the application after locating existing lines.
• Stormwater. Under 750 sq ft of disturbed ground, a sketch plan is enough. From 750 sq ft to one acre, the city wants a professional plot plan, its standard stormwater pollution prevention form and a certified erosion-control contractor. Over one acre adds a grading and drainage plan and the state construction stormwater permit, and more than 10,000 sq ft of new hard surface on such a site adds a stormwater quality management plan.
• Historic district. Exterior work in a designated historic district needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Board of Architectural Review (zoning ordinance section 2.49).
• State roads. A new entrance on a state highway needs a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit (District 8 serves Pulaski County).

Somerset permit costs and fees

The building inspection page publishes the city’s fee schedule by occupancy and floor area, and says it applies to inspections in the areas where Somerset has jurisdiction. The permit application repeats the same rates and adds three more occupancy types.

For commercial plan review the city uses a 2018 Kentucky Building Code worksheet. New construction and additions are priced at the rate for the occupancy times the gross area, measured to the outside walls and including mezzanines, basements and covered areas. Alterations and repairs cost 0.30% of the cost of the work, or the new-construction figure if that is lower. A fast-track review of the site and foundation alone adds 50% (at least $400), and no plan review fee falls below $285. Sprinkler, fire detection, standpipe, suppression, range hood and hazardous-materials tank systems carry their own fees when their plans are submitted.

A house fee is the floor area times 15 cents, but the published pages do not say which areas of a house (garage, porch, basement) are counted, so ask the department to measure your plan before you budget.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. The city does not employ electrical inspectors. Four inspectors approved and contracted through Pulaski County Government do the work in Somerset, and one of them takes commercial jobs only; their numbers are on the city’s building inspection page and you call them directly to ask questions or book. Electricians need state licenses; the state permit portal sends private-property electrical permits to the local authority.
• Plumbing. Permits come only from the state plumbing inspector, who keeps hours at the Pulaski County Health Department on Tuesday to Friday mornings, 8:00 to 9:30 Eastern. A licensed master plumber can buy the permit, and so can a homeowner plumbing their own home. Where the lot uses septic, the health department’s on-site sewage permit must come first.
• HVAC. Somerset is not on the state’s list of local HVAC jurisdictions, so the HVAC permit is the state one, bought on the state’s SmartGov portal by a licensed or authorized person. The city still inspects mechanical systems as part of its building inspections.
• Contractors. There is no state general contractor license. Somerset requires every contractor and subcontractor to hold a city business license, pay occupational tax and carry workers’ compensation and liability insurance.

How to apply for a Somerset building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The application says a permit is approved only when every review is complete, and the department may issue it in phases or with conditions. Files stall most often for a missing site plan, a subcontractor who has no Somerset business license, missing utility sign-offs and stormwater documents that do not match the disturbed area. On commercial work, check early whether the building falls in the state’s plan review jurisdiction. The city also posts the affidavit of assurances on workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, which the form itself reserves for projects under state jurisdiction where there is no local building official.

Inspections in Somerset

The contractor is responsible for calling for inspections, and the department inspects at the stages of construction for building and mechanical work; electrical rough-in and final inspections go to the county electrical inspector you hired for the job, and plumbing to the state inspector. The department’s checklist ends with an inspection report, any as-built drawings and a signed certificate of occupancy letter. No certificate of occupancy issues until the as-built drawings are in, and an owner who used workers not on the subcontractor list risks a delay at final.

Outside the city limits there is no house inspection by the county: Pulaski County requires permits only for commercial construction and does not issue certificates of occupancy.

Kentucky building code in Somerset

Somerset enforces the 2018 Kentucky Building Code (fourth edition) and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code (third edition), both built on the 2015 International Codes. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Somerset as a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated July 22, 2010 that shows flood zones without base flood elevations.

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

To check a permit or an old certificate of occupancy, call the Building Inspection Department at 606-679-6366; zoning cases and Board of Adjustments files sit with the Planning and Zoning coordinator in the same building. City minutes, ordinances and resolutions are posted under the city’s public records pages.

• City of Somerset Building Inspection (fee schedule, checklist, electrical inspectors)
• Building permit application (2022)
• 2018 KBC plan review fee worksheet
• Affidavit of assurances (workers’ compensation)
• Sign permit application
• Somerset Planning and Zoning
• Somerset boards and commissions (meeting times)
• Zone change application (2026)
• Somerset zoning ordinance
• Somerset subdivision regulations
• Pulaski County Government directory (county building and electrical inspectors)
• Lake Cumberland District Health Department: new home on-site sewage
• Health district lot size rule for septic systems
• Health district note on plumbing permits
• State contact sheet for Pulaski County inspectors
• State Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• State HVAC division: permits
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Somerset permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Somerset?

The city’s Building Inspection Department at the Somerset Energy Center, 306 East Mount Vernon Street; 606-679-6366.

How much is a building permit for a house in Somerset?

The residential rate is 15 cents per square foot of floor area. Ask the department which parts of the house it counts.

Who inspects electrical work in Somerset?

One of the four electrical inspectors approved through Pulaski County Government; you call the inspector directly. One of them does commercial work only.

Can I do my own plumbing?

Yes, on your own home: the state plumbing division issues permits to homeowners for their own residences, as well as to licensed master plumbers.

What does a contractor need to work in Somerset?

A city business license, occupational tax registration, and workers’ compensation and liability insurance.

Do I need a permit just outside the city limits?

Not for a house: Pulaski County has no zoning and requires permits only for commercial construction.

When are zone changes heard?

At the Planning and Zoning Commission, which meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. when it has business. The hearing sign goes up 14 days before the hearing, and the newspaper notice runs within the 7 days before it.

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