Administrative overview · FIPS 21119
Knott County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
State Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked State Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Building Codes Enforcement / Knott County Fiscal Court
For a project in or near Knott County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
606-359-4062 (State Building Inspector Levi Wells); Knott County Fiscal Court 606-785-5592; DHBC plan review 502-573-0373.
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Knott County Fiscal Court, 54 W. Main Street, Hindman, KY 41822 (DLG also lists P.O. Box 505); Knott County Health Department, 880 W. Main Street, Hindman, KY 41822.
Operating hours
County Fiscal Court hours were not published on the verified county pages; plumbing inspection office Thursday, 8:00-9:30 a.m. EST.
Review expectation
N/A. No current Knott County or DHBC plan-review turnaround time was published on the verified pages.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
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
Frequently asked questions for Knott County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked State Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 606-359-4062 (State Building Inspector Levi Wells); Knott County Fiscal Court 606-785-5592; DHBC plan review 502-573-0373..
How long might review take?
N/A. No current Knott County or DHBC plan-review turnaround time was published on the verified pages.
How are inspections scheduled?
For commercial/state building permit plan review and inspections contact Levi Wells at 606-359-4062 or matthewl.wells@ky.gov and submit through DHBC SmartGov. Local electrical questions go to the county judge executive or city office; state electrical inspector James Burt is 502-330-3513. Manufactured-housing inspector Randy Jones is 606-872-9306; elevator inspector Rodney Napier is 606-671-1358; HVAC inspector Billy Blair is 502-395-4879; plumbing inspector Ricky Adams is 606-359-3850 or 606-785-3144, with Thursday 8:00-9:30 a.m. EST office hours at Knott County Health Department, 880 West Main Street, Hindman; and boiler inspector Scott Shepherd is 502-382-0545. County Fiscal Court general contact is 606-785-5592.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
The current DHBC assignment states that Knott County has no local building inspector and directs commercial construction to DHBC for building permits. DHBC enforces the 2018 Kentucky Building Code and 2018 Kentucky Residential Code, based on the 2015 IBC/IRC with Kentucky amendments. No newer 2026 KBC or KRC adoption was verified; DHBC announced July 2026 NEC updates for electrical work. No current Knott County-specific building exemption list was published. Under Kentucky’s statewide framework, single-family dwellings in counties without a local single-family inspection program must still meet the KRC, but building inspections may not be performed except required mechanical/electrical inspections; ordinary maintenance and narrowly defined code exceptions may be exempt. Confirm any farmstead, manufactured-home, above-grade-pool, structural, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, septic, or floodplain exception with Levi Wells or the County Judge Executive before work.