For a commercial or multifamily building in Kentucky, check that the code analysis cites the 2018 Kentucky Building Code, which 815 KAR 7:120 makes mandatory as the 2015 IBC with Kentucky amendments, and that each discipline cites the editions the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) lists, such as the 2015 IMC, the 2012 IECC for commercial buildings, ICC A117.1-2009, and the 2023 NEC. Then confirm whether DHBC or the local building department reviews the plans. AI can flag conflicts; the design professional and the reviewing official decide compliance.
What does the Kentucky Building Code cover?
815 KAR 7:120 says KRS 198B.040(7) and 198B.050 require DHBC to adopt a mandatory uniform state building code for all buildings, and it makes the 2015 IBC that code, with the Kentucky amendments in the 2018 Kentucky Building Code (KBC) superseding any conflicting provision. It incorporates the 2018 KBC, Fourth Edition, February 2024, and its history shows the latest amendment effective December 3, 2024. One- and two-family dwellings and townhouses fall under 815 KAR 7:125, the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code (the 2015 IRC with Kentucky amendments, incorporated as the Third Edition, August 2024), and manufactured homes under KRS 227.550 to 227.665. 815 KAR 7:125 sends other residential occupancies to the IBC and KBC, and says permits, inspections, and certificates of occupancy are not required for a single-family dwelling unless a local ordinance requires them. DHBC’s list of codes currently adopted adds the 2015 IMC, the 2015 IFC (for new construction only where the KBC references it), the 2012 IECC for commercial buildings and the 2009 IECC for residential buildings, ICC A117.1-2009, the Kentucky State Plumbing Law, Regulations and Code (815 KAR Chapter 20), the 2015 IEBC, and NFPA standards at the editions it lists: NFPA 13, 13D, 13R, 14, and 72 at 2013, NFPA 54 at 2012, NFPA 70 at 2023, and NFPA 101-2012 for health care facilities. DHBC says the list is for reference only and points to KBC and IBC Chapter 35 for other standards.
We found no proposed replacement for 815 KAR 7:120 or 7:125 on DHBC’s proposed regulations page or in the Legislative Research Commission’s Chapter 7 listing, which shows both as current. All checked October 29, 2026. Do not cite the 2021 or 2024 IBC as Kentucky’s building code until DHBC adopts a new edition by regulation.
Electrical requirements change on their own schedule. DHBC’s July 15, 2026 NEC update says several 2023 NEC provisions that had been delayed under the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code, covering receptacle locations at islands and countertops, surge protection for dwelling services, and ceiling fan outlet boxes, became enforceable on July 15, 2026, while some GFCI provisions remain delayed. Projects whose plan review approval or electrical permit came before that date are not required to follow the newly enforced provisions. A DHBC task force announcement says the department has begun reviewing the 2026 NEC for possible adoption, so do not cite the 2026 NEC until DHBC adopts it.
Plan review is divided by statute. KRS 198B.060 makes local governments responsible for reviewing plans for smaller buildings within limits it sets on height, floor area, occupant load, and occupancy, and gives DHBC review of all other buildings except single-family dwellings. DHBC’s Plan Submission Application Guide summarizes the split: local programs review the smaller projects and the state reviews the larger ones, and where a city or county has no code enforcement program, DHBC is responsible for all buildings other than single-family dwellings. Under 815 KAR 7:110 a local government can be granted expanded jurisdiction, but DHBC keeps review of institutional buildings, state-owned and state-leased buildings, facilities licensed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services such as day care centers, hospitals, and nursing homes, and industrialized building systems, and of educational and high-hazard buildings unless agreed otherwise in writing. DHBC takes new submissions through its SmartGov portal, and commercial and multifamily plumbing plans go to its Division of Plumbing, in some counties after the health department. Fire safety in buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings is governed by the Kentucky Standards of Safety, 815 KAR 10:060, which supplements the KBC and incorporates NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 at the 2018 editions. It gives the State Fire Marshal, an agency of DHBC, primary jurisdiction unless a local government has adopted its own fire inspection program. Permit routing is on the Kentucky page, and the model codes have their own guides: IBC, IRC, IECC, NFPA 101, and NFPA 70.
Gather the code analysis, the review route, and each discipline’s Kentucky references
Collect the drawings DHBC’s plan review checklist asks for: a title block with the KBC type of construction, use group, installed fire protection systems, and design options, the site plan and survey, floor plans, wall, floor, and foundation sections, door, hardware, window, and interior finish schedules, the list of fire-rated assemblies, accessibility details, electrical plans with exit signs and egress lighting, mechanical plans with an air balance schedule, design loads, seismic design data and the special inspection letter where required, the geotechnical report, and the specifications. Add the energy compliance forms (COMcheck or REScheck), the fire suppression design criteria form, and the note on which fire protection, hood, and other shop drawings will follow.
Add the project location and whether the local government has a code enforcement program or expanded jurisdiction, the occupancy, height, area, and occupant load that set the review route, any Cabinet for Health and Family Services licensing, the planned submission date, and, for existing buildings, the scope of work and the path the team uses under KBC Chapter 34 or the 2015 IEBC.
Trace the Kentucky codes through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Building code edition | Cover sheet, code analysis, general notes, 815 KAR 7:120 | Confirm the 2018 Kentucky Building Code (2015 IBC with Kentucky amendments) is cited, not the 2021 or 2024 IBC or an unamended 2015 IBC. |
| KBC or Kentucky Residential Code | Occupancy data, unit count, building type, 815 KAR 7:125 | Record whether the building is a one- or two-family dwelling or townhouse under the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code or another residential occupancy under the KBC. |
| State or local review | Occupancy, height, area, and occupant load, licensing status, local program status | Record whether DHBC or the local building department reviews the plans under KRS 198B.060 and 815 KAR 7:110, and confirm it with that office. |
| Discipline editions | Mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, electrical, sprinkler, and fire alarm notes and specifications | Check each discipline against DHBC’s list: the 2015 IMC, the Kentucky plumbing code, NFPA 54-2012, the 2023 NEC, and the 2013 NFPA 13 and 72, unless DHBC confirms a different edition. |
| Energy and accessibility | COMcheck or REScheck, envelope details, accessibility plans and details | Match commercial energy to the 2012 IECC and residential energy to the 2009 IECC, and accessible elements to the KBC and ICC A117.1-2009. |
| Fire safety basis | Life safety plans, fire protection notes, code analysis | Confirm whether the project also needs a Kentucky Standards of Safety review, and record the NFPA 101 edition the reviewer applies to health care occupancies. |
Sprinkler and alarm sheets continue in the NFPA 13 guide and the NFPA 72 guide, fire safety in the NFPA 1 guide and the IBC Chapter 9 guide, mechanical and fuel gas in the IMC and NFPA 54 guides, existing buildings in the IEBC guide, accessible details in the ICC A117.1 guide, electrical sheets in the electrical drawing checklist, and structural criteria in the structural drawing checklist. Neighboring state codes are in the Ohio guide, the Indiana guide, and the Virginia USBC guide.
Example: a day care set drawn to newer model codes
Hypothetical example. A single-story child day care center in a Kentucky city with its own building department is designed in fall 2026 by a team that usually works in states on the 2021 codes. The code analysis cites the 2021 IBC, the energy forms use the 2021 IECC, the accessibility sheets cite ICC A117.1-2017, the sprinkler notes cite NFPA 13-2022, and the cover sheet says plans will be submitted to the city building department.
The code analysis cites the 2021 IBC, while 815 KAR 7:120 makes the 2018 Kentucky Building Code, based on the 2015 IBC, the mandatory code. The energy forms, accessibility sheets, and sprinkler notes cite editions other than the 2012 IECC, ICC A117.1-2009, and NFPA 13-2013 on DHBC’s list. The cover sheet routes the plans to the city, while 815 KAR 7:110 keeps review of facilities licensed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, including day care centers, with DHBC. Confirm the review route and coordinate the code analysis, energy, accessibility, and sprinkler references.
The architect confirms with DHBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement that it will review the plans, revises the code analysis and discipline references, and submits through the SmartGov portal. The finding is a citation conflict; DHBC decides compliance.
Review a Kentucky set with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. The Kentucky Administrative Regulations are free on the Legislative Research Commission website, and DHBC publishes its plan submission guide and code lists. Upload 815 KAR 7:120 and 7:125 and the 2018 Kentucky Building or Residential Code amendments as code files, with the 2015 IBC or IRC, the 2015 IMC, the 2012 or 2009 IECC, ICC A117.1-2009, the 2023 NEC, and the NFPA standards DHBC lists, using copies you are licensed to use where the license permits uploading them. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the cover sheet, code analysis, and every discipline’s general notes with the architectural, life safety, accessibility, structural, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, electrical, fire protection, and energy documents. Flag citations to IBC, IRC, IECC, A117.1, or NFPA editions other than those in the supplied 2018 Kentucky Building Code and DHBC code list, energy forms not on the 2012 IECC for commercial work, missing title block items such as type of construction, use group, and fire protection systems, fire protection or hood work with no shop drawing note, and a stated review agency that does not match the occupancy described in my instructions. Use the supplied Kentucky regulations, amendments, and codes and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the note or sheet and to the Kentucky regulation, amendment, or code you uploaded. It compares what the documents state; it does not decide which agency reviews the plans or which edition applies.
Document review does not certify compliance, approve plans, or replace the design professional, DHBC, the State Fire Marshal, or the local building official.