Building permits, zoning and land rules in Pulaski County, Kentucky

A home in unincorporated Pulaski County does not need a county residential building permit, while commercial construction does require one¹. The Pulaski County Commercial Building Inspector handles commercial permit and building-code questions¹. Pulaski County does not issue certificates of occupancy, though municipal or state requirements may differ¹.

Kentucky's residential and commercial building codes still apply where the relevant code and inspection jurisdiction reaches the work². An owner building a personal home has no county residential permit from which to seek an exemption, although state licensing requirements for electrical, plumbing and HVAC work can still apply¹. Kentucky plumbing work requires a permit before construction or alteration, and a homeowner may obtain that permit for plumbing in the homeowner's own personal residence³.

Pulaski County does not present a general residential building department because county residential building permits are not required in unincorporated areas¹. For commercial work, call the Pulaski County Commercial Building Inspector at the number shown on the county government page¹. The county confirms the commercial requirement but does not publish an application form, review timeline or current fee schedule¹.

Local governments may set building-permit fees, but those fees must cover no more than the cost of the service performed⁷. Ask the commercial inspector for the current amount and submission method. Before treating the county answer as controlling, confirm that the parcel is outside an incorporated municipality; Somerset regulates land through its own planning and zoning bodies⁸.

Unincorporated Pulaski County has no county zoning laws or county zoning districts¹. The county therefore sets no zoning-based minimum dwelling size, setbacks, lot-coverage cap or building-height limit there¹. Septic, floodplain, subdivision, health and state construction rules can still control a project¹.

Somerset is different because the city publishes zoning districts within city limits⁴. A rural parcel has no county zoning-based minimum lot size, but LCDHD separately requires qualifying lots intended for human habitation and created after January 1, 2007 to have at least 22,000 square feet under its private-wastewater regulation⁹. Creating three or more habitation lots also requires LCDHD subdivision approval⁹.

Lake Cumberland District Health Department handles Pulaski County's onsite sewage work¹⁰. Start with a site-evaluation application, a floor plan and the $227 evaluation fee^5,10. LCDHD then calls for 2 to 4 test holes, each 42 inches deep and spaced 50 to 100 feet apart, before evaluating the soil¹⁰. A certified septic installer must next apply for the system permit with a detailed drawing and a separate $271 fee^5,10. Every system that is installed, constructed, altered or repaired must be inspected by a certified inspector⁵.

Only 24.7% of Pulaski County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so the site evaluation is a meaningful early due-diligence step¹¹. Off-grid sanitation is not permit-free: private systems require evaluation, permitting, compliant installation and inspection, and a private sewage system is prohibited when public sewer becomes available⁹.

Unincorporated Pulaski County imposes no county zoning restriction on private-land RV placement or temporary camping, but septic, electrical, health and floodplain rules still apply¹. LCDHD says its post-soil-evaluation temporary electric sticker is not issued for an RV or mobile home¹⁰. A service-only electrical approval provides temporary construction power and does not authorize occupancy¹².

Tiny homes, manufactured homes and accessory dwellings face no county zoning prohibition in unincorporated Pulaski County, but that does not waive building, utility, septic or floodplain requirements¹. A parcel offered to the public with two or more transient RV spaces is an RV community and must follow the state health-permit regime¹³. Inside Somerset, ask the city about its published zoning districts before placing any of these homes⁴.

1. Confirm that the parcel is in unincorporated Pulaski County, where a county residential building permit is not required, rather than inside a municipality with different rules^1,8.
2. Apply to LCDHD for the septic site evaluation, submit a floor plan and pay the $227 evaluation fee^5,10.
3. Complete the required soil test holes, then have a certified installer apply with the detailed system drawing and $271 septic-permit fee^5,10.
4. Obtain the separate Kentucky plumbing permit before plumbing work begins³.
5. Ask the Pulaski County Road Department about the entrance culvert for a county-road driveway; a driveway connecting to a state highway instead requires written application to the state District Engineer^14,15.
6. Have LCDHD inspect the installed septic system before it is covered⁵.

Verify the jurisdiction first because Somerset publishes municipal zoning districts even though unincorporated Pulaski County has no county zoning^1,4. Check septic feasibility early: conventional drain-field soils rate poorly across much of the county, and LCDHD requires its own evaluation and permit sequence^5,11. Pulaski County is 58.4% wooded, while 43.9% of its land has a slope of 15% or less, making clearing, grading and usable building area parcel-specific concerns¹¹.

Development in an identified floodplain needs both state and local floodplain permits¹⁶. Pulaski County also restricts floodway encroachments and requires larger subdivision proposals in flood-hazard areas to supply flood-elevation data¹⁷. Finally, verify access with the Road Department for a county-road entrance or the state District Engineer for a state-highway driveway^14,15.