Franklin County, KY Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 150.02 of the Franklin County Code adopts the Kentucky Building Code and the Kentucky Residential Code, with all later revisions, for new structures, additions, rehabilitations and conversions outside the City of Frankfort, other than agricultural buildings. Section 150.02(B) makes it unlawful to build any of those without first obtaining a building permit and having the work inspected under those codes and Ch. 155. A building or structure used in a bona fide farming operation is excepted.

All inspection services required under KRS 198B.060, the Kentucky Building Code, § 150.02 or Ch. 155 are performed by a qualified Building Inspector of the county government (§ 150.02(C)(1)). After inspection and a determination that the proposed construction meets the statute, regulation and ordinances, and after the fee is paid, any qualified Building Inspector is authorized to approve and issue the permits required (§ 150.02(C)(2)).

The residential fee schedule in § 150.02(D) prices the inspection stages. A first inspection costs $25, a second inspection $50, a third inspection $100, and a fourth and each subsequent inspection $200. The same schedule lists plan review at $25 and one/two-family construction at $0.15 psf with a minimum fee of $250 per unit. Commercial plan review and inspections follow the Kentucky Building Code fee schedule. Section 150.02(E) warns that filing an application after commencing construction can bring additional fees, and § 150.02(F) says collected fees belong to the county. Electrical work is inspected separately under § 150.05, with its own electrical permit and fee schedule. Because repeat inspections get steeply more expensive, a contractor who schedules the inspection only when the work is ready avoids the higher tiers.