Spencer County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Spencer County go through the Taylorsville-Spencer County Joint Planning and Zoning office at 220 Main Cross Street, Taylorsville (502-477-3218), which takes applications only in person. HBC’s county contact sheet lists a local building inspector for the county, the forms separate structures over and under 200 square feet, and farm buildings on 10 acres or more can be exempted by affidavit.

What requires a building permit in Spencer County?

The joint office sorts every project by three questions printed on its forms page: what type of structure it is, how many square feet it has, and what it will be used for (residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial). The answers decide which form applies:

The office publishes its own yearly permit counts, which show the mix of work it handles:

Accessory buildings cover all non-commercial storage buildings, garages, pole barns and sheds; “other” covers pools, decks, additions, remodels, carports and signs. The 2022 row on the office’s page is incomplete.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The commercial form carries its own warning: depending on the size and use of the building, inspections may be handled at the state level. The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) reviews and inspects the larger and higher-risk buildings everywhere in Kentucky. Zoning and subdivision rules are local: the joint commission reviews proposed zoning map amendments and subdivisions and, after a public hearing, recommends action to the governing body concerned, the fiscal court or the City of Taylorsville.

Spencer County building department: who handles permitting

The Taylorsville-Spencer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission has eight citizen members, four appointed by the mayor of Taylorsville and four by the county judge/executive. It also prepares updates to the zoning regulations, the subdivision regulations and the comprehensive plan, whose goals and objectives the fiscal court readopted on October 3, 2022. Its office staff (an administrator, an assistant administrator and an enforcement officer) take permit applications. HBC’s Spencer County contact sheet, updated April 7, 2026, lists the local building inspector as a county inspector (502-643-9039), the same number the forms page gives for electrical questions.

Taylorsville

Spencer County permit types

Residential permits

Choose the form by size and use. A house, garage, pole barn, deck, ramp, remodel or wood stove installation goes on the Primary residential application; a shed or carport under 200 sq ft goes on the Secondary one. Pools have their own 2026 forms, one for above-ground pools and one for in-ground pools. A farm building qualifies for the agricultural exemption only on 10 acres or more and only when it is used for farming; the affidavit replaces the permit for that building. The office counts manufactured homes in its permit totals alongside site-built houses, and HBC’s sheet names a state manufactured housing inspector for the county.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial and industrial buildings use the Commercial/Industrial Structure Permit Application. A business moving into an existing commercial building files a Change of Occupancy Permit Application. Signs, temporary banners and canopy wraps need a sign permit, and cell towers have their own application. Whether HBC or the local inspector reviews the plans depends on the building’s size and use.

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

• Zoning. The project must fit the zoning district. Zoning map amendments, conditional use permits and variances each have an application; the zoning regulations were updated several times in 2024 and 2025, including commercial district changes in December 2024 and June 2025.
• Address. A new building needs an address, on the office’s address request form.
• Subdivision. Lot splits use the minor plat application; larger subdivisions go through preliminary and final plats under the 2022 subdivision regulations.
• Septic. The Spencer County Health Department permits onsite sewage systems.
• Floodplain. Work in a flood zone needs the local floodplain application under the county’s flood damage prevention ordinance (the fiscal court adopted an amending ordinance on September 3, 2025); Taylorsville has its own 2025 ordinance. Sites disturbing an acre or more need state KYR10 stormwater coverage.
• Solar. The fiscal court adopted an ordinance establishing licensing requirements for solar energy systems on April 21, 2025.
• Roads. County road entrances go through the road department; state highways need a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet permit.

Spencer County permit fees

The joint office does not print fee amounts on its forms page; it calculates the fee from the structure’s type, size and use when the application is filed. Call 502-477-3218 for the amount before you come in. What the page does set out is how to pay:

The local amounts are not published, but the state plumbing figures show how trade costs add up: a new house with 15 plumbing openings would pay $50 + 15 × $14 = $260 to HBC.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. Electrical inspections are applied for at the joint office on a separate electrical inspection form and paid by check or cash; questions go to the county inspector at 502-643-9039. HBC licenses electrical contractors and electricians, and a homeowner may do their own electrical work on their home with a permit and inspection.
• Plumbing. The state plumbing inspector’s office hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 8 to 9 a.m., at the health department, 88 Spears Drive. HBC’s Division of Plumbing issues permits to licensed master plumbers, or to homeowners doing plumbing in their own residence.
• HVAC. HBC’s HVAC inspector for Spencer County inspects heating and air work; licensed HVAC contractors buy the permits from HBC.
• Wood stoves. The county puts wood stove installations on the Primary residential permit, so a stove needs a building permit as well.

How to apply for a Spencer County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

An easy slip is filing on the wrong form: a building under 200 sq ft that is really a garage, or a barn on less than 10 acres claimed as agricultural. Because the office accepts no electronic applications and closes for lunch every day, plan the visit. Commercial projects can be held up while it is settled whether HBC or the local inspector has the review, and rezoning requests wait for a commission hearing and final action by the fiscal court or the city.

Inspections in Spencer County

Building inspections on permitted work are made by the county inspector HBC lists for Spencer County; call the joint office or the inspector’s number to schedule. Electrical inspections are arranged through the separate electrical inspection application. The state plumbing inspector works from the health department on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the state HVAC inspector covers heating and air, and HBC’s building inspector for the county handles buildings under state jurisdiction. Commercial buildings reviewed by HBC are inspected by HBC.

Kentucky building code in Spencer County

Spencer County enforces the same 2018 Kentucky Building Code and Residential Code as every county in the state. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Spencer County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated October 16, 2025, and the county posted a new flood damage prevention ordinance the same year.

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

Spencer County permit search and official resources

There is no online permit search. Ask the joint office for a permit on file, or send a written open records request to the fiscal court’s records custodian at 12 W. Main Street, P.O. Box 397, Taylorsville (502-477-3205, openrecords@spencercountyky.gov); the county answers within five working days and charges 10 cents a page for copies.

• Taylorsville-Spencer County Joint Planning & Zoning
• Applications and forms
• Planning and Zoning Commission, minutes and permit counts
• Floodplain information and ordinances
• Zoning regulations
• Subdivision regulations
• Spencer County ordinances
• Spencer County Road Department
• Open records requests
• City of Taylorsville
• HBC Spencer County inspector contact sheet
• HBC Building Codes Enforcement
• HBC Division of Plumbing
• HBC Division of HVAC
• KYTC district permit contacts
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Spencer County permit FAQs

Where do I apply for a building permit in Spencer County?

In person at the Joint Planning and Zoning office, 220 Main Cross Street, Taylorsville (502-477-3218). Applications are not accepted electronically.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Yes. A shed or carport under 200 sq ft uses the Secondary residential form; anything larger uses the Primary form.

Is a farm building exempt?

Only if it is used for farming on 10 acres or more, and you sign the Agricultural Structure Permit Exemption Affidavit.

Who inspects houses?

HBC’s contact sheet lists a county building inspector for Spencer County (502-643-9039).

Can I pay online?

Yes, through certifiedpayments.net with bureau code 1391112, except electrical inspection fees, which are check or cash.

Does a wood stove need a permit?

Yes. The county lists wood stoves among the projects that use the Primary residential permit application.

Where do I get a septic permit?

The Spencer County Health Department, 88 Spears Drive, Taylorsville (502-477-2890).

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