Bolthole Index

Kenton County, Kentucky

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Park Hills, Kentucky

Park Hills, Kentucky directs building-permit questions to the PDS One Stop Shop; confirm the requirements for your project there before construction.1 Park Hills adopts its own zoning regulations, while PDS administers the city’s zoning and building-code services.23 Septic inspections in Kenton County come from the Northern Kentucky Health Department.4

At a glance

Building permits
City directs applicants to the PDS One Stop Shop1
Zoning
Park Hills zoning applies inside city limits; PDS administers it23
Septic permits
Local health department permit required before installation or alteration5
RV and tiny-home living
We could not confirm Park Hills occupancy rules; ask PDS3
Private wells
No state owner permit application or fee; certified driller required6
Building code
Kentucky Residential Code still applies to single-family construction7

Who to call

Zoning

Park Hills City Building

City contact for Park Hills zoning questions and referral to PDS for building permits

(859) 431-6252

1106 Amsterdam Road Park Hills, KY 41011

Building permits

Planning and Development Services of Kenton County — One Stop Shop

Administers Park Hills zoning and building-code services under the One Stop Shop agreement

859-957-2408

1840 Simon Kenton Way, Suite 3400, Covington, Kentucky 41011-3693

Septic permits

Northern Kentucky Health Department

Septic site evaluations, new and repair installation permits, and inspections for onsite sewage systems in Kenton County

859-341-4264

8001 Veterans Memorial Drive Florence, KY 41042

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 Park Hills means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Park Hills, KY?

Park Hills directs residents with building-permit questions to the PDS One Stop Shop.1 PDS lists Park Hills among the jurisdictions receiving building-code services, including building-plan review, building-permit application review and construction inspections.3 Ask PDS for the building-permit checklist and inspection requirements for your exact project before starting work.3

Kentucky’s statewide rule does not require building permits, inspections or certificates of occupancy for single-family dwellings unless a local ordinance requires them; that exception does not establish a permit exemption in Park Hills.8 The Kentucky Residential Code still applies to single-family construction even where there is no local inspection program.7

Who handles building permits and zoning in Park Hills?

Call PDS Building Permits at 859-957-2408 for Park Hills building-code questions.3 PDS lists its office at 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Suite 3400, Covington, Kentucky 41011-3693.3 The Park Hills City Building can be reached at (859) 431-6252 and directs building-permit inquiries to PDS.1

Park Hills adopts the city’s zoning regulations and amendments by reference; PDS administers the jurisdiction’s zoning ordinance, reviews zoning permits and provides code enforcement under the One Stop Shop agreement.23 Bring PDS the property address and proposed use, and request the applicable city zoning standards alongside the building-permit requirements.3 Septic inspections remain with Northern Kentucky Health rather than the building-permit counter.4

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Park Hills?

Park Hills has its own zoning regulations inside city limits.2 We could not confirm Park Hills rules for RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny homes, manufactured homes or accessory dwellings; ask PDS, which administers the city’s zoning ordinance, about the proposed living arrangement before buying a parcel.3

We also could not confirm Park Hills district-specific minimum lot sizes, setbacks, minimum dwelling sizes, lot coverage or height limits; request the current district standards from PDS.3 For property outside Park Hills, use the Kenton County guide for unincorporated-area zoning, rather than treating the county ordinance as the city ordinance.9

How do septic permits work inside Park Hills?

A septic system in Park Hills needs a local health department permit before construction, installation or alteration under Kentucky’s statewide onsite sewage rules.5 Northern Kentucky Health provides septic inspections in Kenton County, and its site-evaluation application requires a $300 fee.4 The installer must request the Health Department’s inspection before covering the installed work.4

For a home served by an existing septic system, the Health Department says local building-code offices require an inspection before issuing a building or remodeling permit.4 Kenton County’s soil figures show only 0.2% rated not limited for conventional drain fields; that countywide rating does not determine a Park Hills lot’s suitability or make septic impossible, so obtain a site evaluation.10

What should you check before building a home in Park Hills?

Start with PDS: request the current Park Hills zoning district, permitted residential use and building-permit requirements for the project.23 Next, if the property will use septic, arrange the Northern Kentucky Health site evaluation and obtain the installation permit before septic construction; have the installed system inspected before it is covered.54 Then ask PDS for the building-code inspection sequence and whether the project needs a certificate of occupancy.3

For a proposed private well, Kentucky requires a certified water-well driller but no owner permitting application or fee for construction or abandonment.6 We could not confirm Park Hills public-water or sewer connection requirements, driveway approvals or floodplain development requirements; ask the City Building to identify the responsible office for the address.1

Watch-outs

  • The statewide single-family building-permit exception depends on local ordinances; confirm Park Hills requirements with PDS before relying on an exemption.83
  • We could not confirm permission to live in an RV or tiny home in Park Hills; obtain the city zoning answer from PDS before purchasing.3

Sources

  1. Park Hills City Building (parkhillsky.gov)
  2. § 150.01 Zoning Code Adopted by Reference (Park Hills), quoted and re-checked
  3. Planning and Development Services of Kenton County — One Stop Shop (pdskc.org)
  4. Northern Kentucky Health Department (nkyhealth.org)
  5. 902 KAR 10:110. Issuance of on-site sewage disposal system permits (Kentucky statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  6. Water Well Information for Home Owners (Kentucky statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. Building Codes (Park Hills), quoted and re-checked
  8. 815 KAR 7:125, Kentucky Residential Code (Kentucky statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Zoning Services, quoted and re-checked
  10. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data

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 Park Hills

Park Hills’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Park Hills city limits; the city adopts its own zoning regulations by reference.

    • The code incorporates the city’s zoning regulations and all amendments by reference.
    “The city’s zoning regulations and any and all amendments are hereby adopted by reference and incorporated herein as if set out in full.”

Rules another office applies inside Park Hills

Park Hills 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 in Park Hills city under Kentucky’s statewide building-code framework.

    • The cited page states the adoption date and editions; Kentucky-specific amendments are linked on the page.
    “The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction adopted the 2018 Kentucky Building Code, Second Edition and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code, Second Edition on August 3, 2019.”
  • InspectionsLimited

    Single-family homes constructed inside Park Hills city.

    • Inspection is by the local county or city building official if such an inspection program exists.
    • If a county or city lacks a single-family inspection program, there are no building inspections except mechanical-system inspections by Kentucky HVAC and the local county electrical inspector.
    • The builder must still meet the Kentucky Residential Code.
    “All single-family homes built in Kentucky will be reviewed and inspected by the local county or city building official if such an inspection program exists. For those counties or cities that do not have a single-family inspection program, the builder is still required to meet the KRC, but there will not be any building inspections except for the mechanical systems, which will be inspected by the Kentucky Division of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and by the local county electrical inspector.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Park Hills or Kenton County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Park Hills city limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions for construction inside Park Hills city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Park Hills city limits.
  • Zoning districts — Zoning-district map and district classifications inside Park Hills city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Park Hills city zoning districts.
22 more unanswered
  • Minimum lot size
  • 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
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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 Park Hills publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Kenton County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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