Bolthole Index

Jefferson County, Kentucky

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Shively, Kentucky

Shively, Kentucky requires a city compliance certificate before Louisville Metro issues the building permit.1 Shively adopts zoning regulations and maps for land inside city limits in Jefferson County.2 Septic work goes through Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, separately from city approval.3

At a glance

Building permit
City compliance certificate first; Louisville Metro building permit next1
Zoning
Shively adopts zoning regulations and maps for land inside city limits2
City certificate fee
Minimum $30; residential construction or demolition at $0.05 per square foot4
Septic
Louisville Metro health department requires a permit for onsite sewage work3
Driveway
Contact Shively Public Works for an inspection before construction5
Private well
No property-owner application or fee under state rules; certified driller required6

Who to call

Building permits

Shively City Hall — Compliance Certificates

City compliance certificates before Louisville Metro building permits

502-449-5000

3920 Dixie Highway Shively, Kentucky 40216

Building permits

Louisville Metro — Building Permit Office

Building permits after the Shively compliance certificate

502-574-3321

444 South 5th Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Planning & zoning

Shively Code Enforcement

City code questions and referral for Shively zoning review

(502) 449-5000

[email protected]

3920 Dixie Hwy Shively, KY 40216

Septic permits

Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness — Onsite Program

Onsite sewage permits, site evaluation and inspection

502-574-6655

Roads & driveways

Shively Public Works

Inspection before constructing a residential driveway

502.449.5010

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Shively means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Do you need a building permit in Shively, KY?

Shively’s compliance certificate is a city approval that comes before the Louisville Metro building permit; the city form explicitly says the certificate is not a building permit.1 Construction in Shively is subject to the Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code, with enforcement divided by jurisdiction.7 Start with Shively City Hall for the compliance certificate, then take the paid certificate to the Metro building permit office using the sequence on the city form.1 Ask that office which inspections and occupancy approvals your particular residential project requires; we could not confirm a complete Shively-specific inspection or occupancy schedule.

Who handles building approvals and fees in Shively?

Shively City Hall’s compliance-certificate form gives the city contact as 502-449-5000 and directs applicants onward to the Metro building permit office at 502-574-3321.18 The city certificate has a $30 minimum fee; residential construction or demolition is charged at $0.05 per square foot.4 A single-family residential project carries a $300 bond, while projects with total expenses below $2,000 are exempt from the bond.4 The city form also requires contractors to have a Shively business license.1 Ask City Hall to confirm the current certificate charge and bond for your scope before paying; the certificate fee does not replace the separate building-permit step.1

Does Shively have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

Shively has zoning: the city adopts the Jefferson County zoning district regulations and the zoning maps covering land within Shively, including amendments adopted by the city.2 The relevant starting point is the parcel’s zoning district and the city’s adopted regulations, rather than an assumption that a small dwelling avoids zoning.2 We could not confirm Shively’s residential RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home or accessory-dwelling rules, or the applicable minimum lot size, dwelling size and setbacks. Ask Shively Code Enforcement for the zoning-review contact and a district-specific answer before committing to those uses; the office publishes its city contact at [email protected].9

How do septic permits and private wells work inside Shively?

Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness requires a permit for all work on onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems.3 Kentucky’s local health departments administer onsite sewage programs and perform site evaluations and inspections; homeowners installing their own systems must obtain a homeowner’s permit through the local health department.10 The Metro program requires inspection of installed septic components before soil covers them and will not stamp building plans until the onsite construction permit has been issued.3 Ask the Onsite Program about the parcel’s suitability before finalizing a home design. Kentucky does not require a property-owner application or fee to construct or abandon a private well, but the work must be performed by a Kentucky Certified Water Well Driller.6 We could not confirm Shively’s public water or sewer connection requirements.

Building a home in Shively: what are the steps?

  1. Ask Shively for the parcel’s zoning district and the adopted district regulations before choosing the home’s location and use.2
  2. If the property needs onsite sewage disposal, consult the Metro Onsite Program about the site evaluation and construction permit before seeking the program’s building-plan approval.3
  3. Obtain Shively’s compliance certificate, then take the paid certificate to Louisville Metro for the building permit.1
  4. Before constructing a residential driveway, contact Shively Public Works for an inspection; the city limits driveway width at the curb to 20 feet.5
  5. Ask the building permit office which inspections must be scheduled before construction work is concealed and which approval allows occupancy; we could not confirm those project-specific requirements.

What should you check before buying land in Shively?

A Shively compliance certificate, building permit and septic approval are separate steps handled by the city, Metro building permit office and Metro health department respectively.13 Do not use a farmstead exemption as a shortcut for a Shively parcel: the cited exemption requires land outside a municipality’s corporate limits.11 We could not confirm Shively-specific floodplain development requirements or a general owner-builder exemption; ask City Hall for the responsible reviewer before planning either. For land outside Shively, consult the Jefferson County guide for the county’s building and land-use answers. Kentucky’s well rule addresses property-owner applications and fees, while still requiring a certified driller; it does not confirm a particular Shively lot’s utility connection requirements.6

Watch-outs

  • Shively’s compliance certificate is not the building permit; the city form sends applicants to Louisville Metro afterward.1
  • We could not confirm whether Shively allows residential RV or tiny-home occupancy; ask Shively Code Enforcement for the applicable zoning-review contact before buying for that use.9
  • The farmstead exemption requires land outside municipal corporate limits, so it does not cover land inside Shively.11

Sources

  1. Shively City Hall — Compliance Certificates (shivelyky.gov)
  2. Shively Code § 156.01, Adoption by Reference (Shively), quoted and re-checked
  3. Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness — Onsite Program (louisvilleky.gov)
  4. City of Shively Compliance Certificate (Shively), quoted and re-checked
  5. City of Shively FAQ (Shively), quoted and re-checked
  6. Water Well Information for Home Owners (Kentucky statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Building Code Enforcement (Shively), quoted and re-checked
  8. Louisville Metro — Building Permit Office (shivelyky.gov)
  9. Shively Code Enforcement (shivelyky.gov)
  10. Onsite Sewage Disposal Systems Program, quoted and re-checked
  11. dhbc.ky.gov, quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Shively

Shively’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Shively city limits; Shively adopts and enforces zoning regulations and zoning maps for land within the city.

    • The adopted materials are the Zoning District Regulations for all of Jefferson County, Kentucky and applicable zoning maps, as amended and adopted by the city.
    “are hereby affirmed, ratified, and adopted.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Construction of residential driveways inside Shively city limits.

    • Contact Shively Public Works for an inspection before constructing the driveway.
    • Public Works contact is 502-449-5010, Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
    • If the property is wider than 64 feet, the driveway may be up to 32 feet wide.
    • If the property is shorter than 64 feet wide, the driveway may be no larger than half the property width.
    • At the curb, the driveway may be no more than 20 feet wide regardless of driveway width.
    • The city requests the applicant email a name, address, phone number, and rough drawing for review.

    maximum driveway width for property wider than 64 feet: <= 32 feet · maximum curb width: <= 20 feet (regardless of driveway width)

    “You must contact public works to ask for an inspection before constructing your driveway”
  • Permit feesPublished

    City compliance-certificate fees and bonds for construction or demolition inside Shively city limits.

    • The document states a minimum fee of $30.00.
    • Residential construction or demolition is charged at .05 times square feet.
    • Commercial construction or demolition is charged at .08 times square feet.
    • Projects spending less than $2,000 in total project expenses are exempt from the bond.
    • The compliance certificate expires 12 months from the date construction or demolition begins.

    minimum fee: 30 USD · residential construction or demolition fee: per 0.05 USD per square foot · commercial construction or demolition fee: per 0.08 USD per square foot · single-family residential bond: 300 USD · multi-family residential bond: 2000 USD · commercial or industrial bond: per 0.05 USD per square foot (not less than $2,000.00)

    “Fees: Minimum Fee $ 30.00 Construction or Demolition of Commercial Property .08 X Square Feet = Construction or Demolition of Residential Property .05 x Square Feet = Bond: (required to be posted will be returned upon completion of project) Projects spending less than $ 2,000 on total project expenses shall be exempt from Bond. Single Family residential Unit: $ 300.00 Multi- Family residential Unit: $ 2000.00 Commercial or Industrial $ .05 per square foot, but not less than $ 2,000.00”

Rules another office applies inside Shively

Shively does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Shively city is subject to the statewide Kentucky Building Code and Kentucky Residential Code, with local/state enforcement according to jurisdiction.

    • The cited page states adoption on August 3, 2019; the page also identifies the 2018 editions and Kentucky-specific amendments.

    adoption date: 2019-08-03

    “The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction adopted the 2018 Kentucky Building Code, Second Edition”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Shively or Jefferson County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Shively city limits.
  • Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Shively city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Shively city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Shively city limits.
  • Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size inside Shively city limits.
18 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Shively publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Jefferson County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Jefferson County: county rules, score and offices