Kentucky — statewide
Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction
In short
Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues 4 permits we publish for Kentucky — statewide, last verified 2026-09-03. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Contractor Licensing — Kentucky Construction Regulations (815 KAR)only if it applies to you | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-03 |
| HVAC Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction | $250 a year for a master contractor; $50 for a journeyman | annual — expires the last day of the licensee's birth month | 2026-09-03 |
| Plumbing Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction | $250 a year for a master plumber plus a $150 exam fee; a journeyman is $60 a year plus a $50 exam fee | annual — expires the last day of the applicant's birth month | 2026-09-03 |
| Electrical Contractor License | Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction | $400 for two years for a contractor license; a master electrician is $200 and an electrician $100 | biennial — renews on or before the last day of the birth month in the second year | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
General Contractor Licensing — Kentucky Construction Regulations (815 KAR)
No fee is recorded. The chapter index of Title 815 of the Kentucky Administrative Regulations, the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction's regulations, lists chapters for the building code, elevators, home inspectors, boilers, manufactured homes, fire protection and three specific trades, and lists no general contracting chapter among them. What the state licenses instead is a narrow set of trades: heating and air conditioning, plumbing and electrical, each through its own regulation with its own fee and renewal cycle. A general contractor still answers to local building permits and to the occupational license tax wherever they work.
HVAC Contractor License
A master HVAC contractor pays $250 a year and a journeyman mechanic $50, and both renew on a personal rather than a shared calendar — the license expires on the last day of the individual's own birth month, so no two licensees necessarily renew at the same time. Restoring an expired master license costs $125, a journeyman's $25; going inactive and later reactivating each costs $20; a fully terminated license can be reinstated within limits at $250 per twelve-month period lapsed, capped at $750. A master HVAC contractor must also carry insurance under the governing statute.
Plumbing Contractor License
A master plumber sits a $150 examination and then pays $250 a year to hold and renew the license; a journeyman's examination is $50 and the license itself $60 a year. As with HVAC, the renewal date tracks the individual's birth month rather than a fixed calendar date. Examinations run four times a year, in February, May, August and November, and a passing score stays valid for three years if the license itself is not taken up immediately. Master plumbers must carry insurance under the governing statute.
Electrical Contractor License
Three tiers, each priced at double the one below it and each running two years rather than one: an electrical contractor license is $400, a master electrician $200, and an electrician $100, all renewing on or before the last day of the licensee's birth month in the second year of the cycle — except a contractor license held by a corporation or partnership with no birth month, which instead renews on the month it was originally issued. A contractor license cannot stand alone: it requires an affiliated licensed master electrician and proof of insurance. Renewing late adds a flat $50, and reinstating a terminated license costs the full renewal fee again on top of the missed one. This regulation is the newest of Kentucky's three trade fee schedules, current from May 2025.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Kentucky — statewide
- Phone
- (502) 573-2002
- Website
- dhbc.ky.gov
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 815 KAR 20:030 — plumbing licensing fees, effective 5 December 2023Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 815 KAR 35:060 — electrical licensing fees, effective 6 May 2025Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 815 KAR 8:010 — HVAC licensing fees, effective 5 December 2023Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Title 815 KAR — the complete chapter index of the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, containing no general contractor licensing chapterKentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other Kentucky statewide offices
- Kentucky Department of Revenue, Division of Registration
- Kentucky Secretary of State, Business Filings Division
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Food Safety Branch
- Kentucky Board of Barbering
- Kentucky Board of Cosmetology
- Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Division of Regulated Child Care
Kentucky jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.