Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-08-08
46 of Kentucky's 120 counties — 38% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 7th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Wayne County (73/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 969 counties nationwide → Kentucky: no building codes → Kentucky: no codes, no zoning → Full Kentucky profile →
46 of 120 Kentucky counties · sorted by Index score
The county's official page states plainly that "The County of Wayne does not have a zoning ordinance," with land use governed only by individual deed restrictions.
Wayne County KY General Information ↗Lee County's official elected-officials/offices listing shows no planning and zoning office, commission, or zoning administrator, consistent with rural Kentucky counties that ha…
Lee County Government - Elected Officials & County Offices ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed among Green County's departments and agencies.
Green County, KY - Departments & Agencies ↗Zoning exists only within incorporated cities such as Russell Springs; no countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated Russell County was located on official sources.
City of Russell Springs Planning & Zoning Commission ↗No planning and zoning department is listed by the county Fiscal Court, consistent with rural Kentucky counties lacking countywide zoning.
Metcalfe County, Kentucky - Fiscal Court ↗No county planning or zoning ordinance or planning commission is referenced on Butler County's official site; the county appears among rural Kentucky counties that have not adop…
Butler County, KY Official Website ↗Zoning in Ohio County is administered only within the cities of Hartford and Beaver Dam by their Joint Planning Commission; unincorporated county land has no county-wide zoning.
Ohio County Cities Zoning (Hartford/Beaver Dam Joint Planning Commission) ↗Monroe County's official departments/agencies list shows no planning and zoning office; Kentucky does not mandate county-wide zoning and this rural county appears to have none f…
Monroe County, KY – Departments and Agencies ↗No county planning and zoning commission or county-wide zoning ordinance is published for Morgan County; only the incorporated City of West Liberty maintains a municipal zoning …
Morgan County, Kentucky - Fiscal Court ↗No county planning/zoning department exists; zoning regulation applies within the City of Lebanon rather than the unincorporated county.
Marion County, Kentucky (county government) ↗Estill County's government is organized as a Fiscal Court with no planning or zoning office listed on its official site, consistent with rural Kentucky counties that have no cou…
Estill County, KY - Official Website ↗Webster County lists no planning or zoning commission; zoning verification is directed to the municipality where a property lies, and unincorporated county land has no county-wi…
Webster County Fiscal Court ↗Zoning is administered municipally (the City of Marion has a Planning Commission); no countywide zoning ordinance covers unincorporated Crittenden County.
City of Marion, KY - Planning Commission ↗Magoffin County's official government directory lists no planning-and-zoning office or building department, consistent with a rural Kentucky county without countywide zoning.
Magoffin County, KY official government directory ↗Zoning is municipal only (City of Owingsville maintains its own zoning code); the DHBC building inspector is designated 'City of Owingsville Only,' with no evidence of countywid…
Kentucky DHBC – Bath County inspector sheet (building regulation limited to City of Owingsville) ↗Caldwell County states directly that there are no zoning restrictions in the county; incorporated municipalities may apply their own rules.
Caldwell County - Frequently Asked Questions ↗The Cumberland County government departments directory lists no planning, zoning, codes, or building office, consistent with a rural county lacking countywide zoning.
Cumberland County, Kentucky - Departments & Agencies ↗The official Menifee County offices roster lists no planning, zoning, or code-enforcement office, consistent with a rural fiscal court that has not adopted countywide zoning und…
Menifee County official government site ↗The county's official Ordinances and Codes page lists only reapportionment, occupational-license, and business-license ordinances, with no countywide zoning ordinance (zoning ad…
Adair County - Ordinances and Codes ↗The county states plainly that 'Breckinridge County does not have planning and zoning'; only its incorporated cities (Cloverport, Hardinsburg, Irvington) have zoning.
Breckinridge County Government — Ordinances ↗The county provides a 'No zoning letter' and lists no planning or zoning office, indicating Rockcastle County has no countywide zoning.
Rockcastle County Fiscal Court - Elected Officials ↗The county Planning Commission has adopted only Subdivision Regulations (2016); no countywide zoning ordinance is listed, with zoning administered by the incorporated cities.
Bracken County, KY - Planning Commission ↗No planning or zoning department/commission appears among the departments listed on the official county government site.
Martin County KY Departments & Agencies ↗Leslie County's official government office listing shows no planning/zoning office and no county zoning ordinance was found; rural Kentucky counties under KRS Chapter 100 genera…
Leslie County Government - Elected Officials ↗The Pennyrile Area Development District toolbox lists zoning maps only for incorporated cities (Central City, Greenville, Powderly, Drakesboro); no county-wide zoning ordinance …
Pennyrile Area Development District - Muhlenberg Online Toolbox ↗Owsley County is not listed among Kentucky's planning-and-zoning jurisdictions and has no county planning commission or zoning ordinance in the statewide directory.
Kentucky Planning & Zoning Directory (KADIS) ↗The county's official department list includes no planning-and-zoning or code-enforcement office; Jackson is the county's only incorporated city.
Breathitt County KY - Departments & Agencies ↗The county's official Local Resources index lists no planning or zoning office, consistent with an unzoned rural Kentucky county.
Todd County Local Resources ↗The county explicitly states 'Currently Pulaski County does not have zoning laws.'
Pulaski County, KY - Judge/Executive's Office ↗The official county government site lists no county planning or zoning department; consistent with the roughly two-thirds of Kentucky counties without countywide zoning, only th…
Powell County Local Government (official site, departments) ↗Robertson County's official departments/agencies page lists no planning-and-zoning office or building department, consistent with Kentucky's least-populous county having no coun…
Robertson County, KY official departments & agencies page ↗There is no county-wide zoning in Trigg County; zoning exists only within the City of Cadiz, with some subdivision deed restrictions.
Cadiz-Trigg County Fact Sheet for Development ↗No zoning office appears among the county's departments; the Letcher County Planning Commission records land-use restrictions under KRS 100.3681 (a planning-without-zoning tool)…
Letcher County Government - Departments ↗Only the cities of Munfordville and Horse Cave have zoning regulations; unincorporated Hart County is governed only by subdivision regulations, with no countywide zoning ordinance.
Hart County - Building Information ↗No planning and zoning office or commission appears among the county's listed offices, and Kentucky does not require counties to adopt zoning; no evidence of an adopted Carlisle…
Carlisle County, KY - County Contacts (official county site) ↗No planning or zoning commission/department is listed among county departments on the official county government site.
Ballard County KY Government Departments ↗The county's official development page lists property as 'Zoning- Not Zoned,' indicating McCreary County has no zoning ordinance.
McCreary County - Development ↗Rowan County's code of ordinances has land-use chapters (flood damage prevention, subdivision regulations, manufactured home parks) but no county-wide zoning ordinance for uninc…
Rowan County Code of Ordinances ↗The Graves County Fiscal Court's ordinance list contains no zoning ordinance (only ATV, occupational license, and transient room tax ordinances); zoning applies only within the …
Graves County Fiscal Court - Ordinances ↗The county has planning/subdivision regulations administered by the Washington County Planning Commission, but these primarily apply within Springfield, not comprehensive zoning…
Washington County, KY Government FAQ ↗Marshall County has no county zoning regulations; only the cities of Benton and Calvert City have zoning requirements.
Marshall County KY Zoning Compliance ↗No official county-wide planning and zoning; only subdivisions within a 5-mile radius of the City of Mt. Sterling are subject to the city's zoning and subdivision regulations.
Kentucky Dept of Housing, Buildings & Construction - Montgomery County sheet ↗The county FAQ states plainly: "there is no planning and zoning ordinance on the books."
Owen County, KY official FAQ page ↗No planning or zoning office appears among the county's departments, and the county's ordinance list (flood, livestock, hazmat, abandoned vehicles) includes no comprehensive zon…
Perry County, Kentucky - Ordinances ↗Zoning administration in Carroll County exists only at the City of Carrollton level (Carrollton Planning & Zoning Commission); no countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated …
Carrollton, KY - Planning & Zoning Commission ↗The county's official ordinance index lists building code, manufactured home, and other regulations but no zoning ordinance or planning/zoning commission.
Garrard County Ordinances ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Kentucky state page for all 120 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
