Georgetown, KY Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 8-2(a) applies to any owner, authorized agent or contractor who desires to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to insert other items, such as heating, electrical, etc. That person must first apply to the building official and obtain the required permit. Section 8-2(b) carves out ordinary minor repairs, which can be made with the approval of the building official without a permit, provided the repairs do not violate any provision of the Code.

Under Section 8-3, each application, with the required fee, is filed with the building official on a form he furnishes. It must contain a general description of the work and its location and be signed by the owner or the owner's authorized agent. It must also indicate the proposed occupancy of all parts of the building and of the portion of the site or lot not covered by the building, plus any other information the building official requires.

The technical rules behind the permit are the International Building Code with the Kentucky Building Code amendments (815 KAR 7:120) and the International Residential Code with the Kentucky Residential Code amendments (815 KAR 7:125), which Section 8-31 says the city enforces as though set forth fully in the Code. Section 8-32 designates the Georgetown-Scott County Department of Building Inspection as the local enforcement agency, and Section 8-33 sets up the building inspection program, which includes plan review.

Fees are not printed in the Code. Section 8-34 points to the schedule attached to City of Georgetown Ordinance 2023-09, kept in the office of the city clerk. The schedule adjusts automatically every two years, effective July 1 of odd years, by a three percent increase across the entire schedule. Per-square-foot fees are rounded to the nearest cent and all other fees to the nearest dollar.

Projects in the historic district add a step. Section 2-734(a) requires plans for construction, exterior renovation, signage, demolition and relocation to be filed with the architectural review board at least 72 hours before application for a building permit, and the building official shall not issue the permit without the board's endorsement or within 72 hours of that endorsement. Appeals of actions of the building inspector go to the five-member building inspection appeals board created by Section 8-6.