Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
Electrical permits: 5 business days; zoning-only permits such as fences, small sheds, and driveways: 1-3 business days; residential permits: 12 business days; commercial permits: 12 business days. Actual approval times vary with workload and application completeness.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call 859-957-2408 (Building Permits); 859-331-8980 (PDS main). if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Planning and Development Services of Kenton County, Building Codes Administration / One Stop Shop is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 859-957-2408 (Building Permits); 859-331-8980 (PDS main)..
Electrical permits: 5 business days; zoning-only permits such as fences, small sheds, and driveways: 1-3 business days; residential permits: 12 business days; commercial permits: 12 business days. Actual approval times vary with workload and application completeness.
Submit building, zoning, planning, subdivision, HVAC, and electrical applications through the PDS online portal or use the downloadable forms and email them to permits@pdskc.org. PDS reviews plans, issues permits, and conducts field inspections through completion. Permit-process questions go to 859-957-2408; commercial plan review/inspection questions to Tim Tholemeier; residential plan review/inspection questions to Danny Arlinghaus; zoning/code enforcement to Rob Himes at 859-331-8980. Electrical inspections may be performed by Cathryn Robinson/IBI at 513-381-6080 or Steve Helmer/NKYEI at 859-746-9111. Keep work accessible and follow the assigned inspection sequence; a permit expires if work does not begin within six months, stops for more than six months, or has no inspections, although extensions may be requested.
Kenton County Code §150.01 adopts the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code with future amendments, designates the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission/PDS as local enforcement agency for unincorporated Kenton County, and establishes a building inspection program for all buildings including single-family dwellings. The current statewide framework is the 2018 KBC and 2018 KRC, based on the 2015 IBC/IRC with Kentucky amendments; building and electrical inspections must be performed by Kentucky-certified inspectors. No newer 2026 KBC or KRC adoption was verified. PDS lists as exempt from a building permit: one-story detached tool/storage sheds, playhouses, or similar accessory structures up to 200 square feet; fences up to 7 feet; sidewalks and driveways no more than 30 inches above grade, not over a basement/story, and not on an accessible route; painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work; swings and playground equipment accessories to one- and two-family dwellings; replacement windows and wall-supported window awnings; new siding/residing; ordinary re-roofing without sheathing or structural-member repairs; and ordinary drywall or door repairs. Items identified by PDS as requiring a zoning permit still need that zoning approval, and structural repairs are not ordinary repairs.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.