Administrative overview · FIPS 21189
Owsley 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 Code Enforcement; Owsley County Judge Executive's Office for local electrical jurisdiction
For a project in or near Owsley 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
State Building Inspector Alison Joyce: 859-358-4467, alison.joyce@ky.gov; Owsley County Judge Executive's Office: 606-593-6202; State Electrical Inspector James Burt: 502-330-3513; HVAC Inspector Charles Ray Moore: 606-671-7127; Plumbing Inspector Steven Sparks: 859-376-2248; Owsley County Health Department: 606-593-5181; DHBC Building Code Enforcement general: 502-573-0373
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Owsley County Courthouse / Judge Executive's Office, 20 Main Street, Booneville, KY 41314; Owsley County Health Department, 501 Kentucky Highway 28, Booneville, KY 41314; DHBC, 500 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40601
Operating hours
County courthouse offices generally operate Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The DHBC county roster lists plumbing inspector office hours Wednesday, 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST at the Owsley County Health Department; other state inspections are scheduled with the assigned inspector or through SmartGov.
Review expectation
N/A. No Owsley County or DHBC project-specific plan-review timeline was published; confirm timing with Alison Joyce or through SmartGov.
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 Owsley 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 State Building Inspector Alison Joyce: 859-358-4467, alison.joyce@ky.gov; Owsley County Judge Executive's Office: 606-593-6202; State Electrical Inspector James Burt: 502-330-3513; HVAC Inspector Charles Ray Moore: 606-671-7127; Plumbing Inspector Steven Sparks: 859-376-2248; Owsley County Health Department: 606-593-5181; DHBC Building Code Enforcement general: 502-573-0373.
How long might review take?
N/A. No Owsley County or DHBC project-specific plan-review timeline was published; confirm timing with Alison Joyce or through SmartGov.
How are inspections scheduled?
Use the DHBC SmartGov portal for state-jurisdiction plan submissions and permit transactions, and contact State Building Inspector Alison Joyce at 859-358-4467 for project-jurisdiction and inspection direction. The DHBC roster directs private-property electrical applicants to the county judge executive's office or the city office where work occurs. Plumbing inspector Steven Sparks is listed Wednesday, 12:00-1:00 p.m. at 859-376-2248, Owsley County Health Department, 501 KY Highway 28, Booneville. HVAC Charles Ray Moore: 606-671-7127; manufactured housing Tracee Brewer: 606-359-4656; elevator Benjamin Pennington: 502-234-8725; boiler David Miller: 606-594-8146.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
DHBC enforces the 2018 Kentucky Building Code and 2018 Kentucky Residential Code, based on the 2015 International Building Code and 2015 International Residential Code with Kentucky amendments, together with applicable state electrical, plumbing, HVAC, elevator, manufactured-housing, boiler, fire, and energy requirements. The current Owsley County DHBC roster says there is no local building inspector and routes commercial construction to DHBC; single-family work must still comply with the KRC even where state building inspection jurisdiction differs. No Owsley County-specific minor or cosmetic exemption list was verified. Kentucky agricultural exemptions may apply to qualifying farm dwellings and farm buildings outside municipal boundaries when incidental to farm operation and not used for retail trade, regular employment of 10 or more people, or timber storage/processing; confirm eligibility with DHBC and the county judge executive. Local electrical, plumbing, HVAC, health, and other requirements may still apply.