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
N/A. The county says permits and plan reviews are normally handled in the morning but does not publish a guaranteed review timeline.
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 859-734-3375 ext. 102 (Building Inspector David Coleman); Planning and Zoning: 859-734-6066 or 859-734-3375; electrical: 859-324-3285; plumbing: 859-734-7360 or 859-582-7273; HVAC: 270-283-1042; septic evaluations: Mercer County Health Department 859-734-4522 ext. 135 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
Mercer County Building Inspector / Mercer County Joint Planning & Zoning Commission 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 859-734-3375 ext. 102 (Building Inspector David Coleman); Planning and Zoning: 859-734-6066 or 859-734-3375; electrical: 859-324-3285; plumbing: 859-734-7360 or 859-582-7273; HVAC: 270-283-1042; septic evaluations: Mercer County Health Department 859-734-4522 ext. 135.
N/A. The county says permits and plan reviews are normally handled in the morning but does not publish a guaranteed review timeline.
Call the building inspector's office with the owner's name, project site, permit number, and requested inspection, allowing lead time. Required building inspections are footer, foundation, framing, insulation, and final; framing must occur after rough-ins and before drywall, and final follows plumbing, electrical, and septic completion. Zoning preliminary and final inspections do not require an appointment. Plumbing inspections are scheduled Tuesdays with Mark Long at 859-734-7360 or 859-582-7273; electrical, HVAC, and septic contacts are listed by the county.
Kentucky's 2018 State Building Code (including the Kentucky Building Code/Residential Code framework and Kentucky amendments) is the current code vintage identified by the county's official farmstead affidavit. The county building inspector handles local review; floodplain permits may additionally require Kentucky Division of Water approval. No newer county-specific 2026 code adoption was verified. Concrete patios, driveways, and fences under 6 feet are listed as exempt from the county building permit requirement. Agricultural structures in agriculturally zoned districts on tracts over 10 acres may use the farmstead exemption if the tract is qualified agricultural/horticultural land, outside municipal limits, and the structure is incidental to farm operation; the principal dwelling and excluded commercial/public or larger-workplace uses do not qualify. Zoning approval is still required regardless of state or local building-code review.
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.