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Why Steel Works in Kentucky
Steel buildings hold up in Kentucky when the frame is engineered for its own site. We are a dealer of pre-engineered steel building kits from American steel, and our metal buildings in Kentucky, from horse barns to steel homes, arrive with PE-stamped drawings for the parcel.
Wind comes first. Kentucky averages about 24 tornadoes a year, and on December 10, 2021, an EF4 tornado tracked 165.7 miles from northwest Tennessee across 11 western Kentucky counties; the outbreak killed 76 people in the state. The state code gives one wind speed table for every county, 115 mph for most buildings, and the drawings add the exposure category of the site under ASCE 7.
The ground matters too. About 55 percent of Kentucky sits on rock that can form karst, with sinkholes and caves under the pasture. In the far west, the New Madrid Seismic Zone pushes earthquake loads well above those of Louisville or Lexington. For what goes under the frame, see our guide to steel building foundations.
Frost depth, flood maps and permit rules are in the codes and permits section below.
Kentucky at a Glance
What We Engineer for:
The state code sets 115 mph for most buildings in every county; the exposure category is set per site under ASCE 7
Ground snow load of 15 psf in most counties and 20 psf in the northern river counties and the eastern mountains; winter brings ice storms
The far western counties near the New Madrid Seismic Zone carry the state’s highest earthquake loads; the seismic design category is on every drawing set
Footings go at least 24 inches deep, and up to 33 inches in Pike, Letcher and other mountain counties; a local contractor pours them to our anchor bolt layout
The 2018 Kentucky Building Code, based on the 2015 IBC, applies statewide; farm buildings on a registered farm outside city limits can be exempt
Building Codes and Permits in Kentucky
Kentucky has one mandatory code for the whole state. The 2018 Kentucky Building Code is based on the 2015 International Building Code, and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code on the 2015 IRC. The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction publishes the list of codes in force. Drawings are prepared to these editions; your building official has the final word.
A city or county with its own inspection program, such as Lexington-Fayette, reviews plans for storage and utility buildings up to three stories or 20,000 square feet, and for churches up to 6,000 square feet or 400 people. Larger buildings, and places without a local program, go to the state. A single-family home needs a permit only where a local ordinance requires one. We don’t pull the permit; we supply PE-stamped drawings, load calculations and specifications.
The code leaves out farm dwellings and farm buildings that stand outside city limits on land registered as a farm with the county property valuation administrator, unless they serve retail trade or employ 10 or more people. Counties set their own paperwork: Campbell County asks for a lot of at least 10 acres, and electrical, HVAC, plumbing and septic permits are still required.
The code lists frost depth by county: 24 inches in most of the state, 30 in Boone, Kenton and Campbell, and 33 in Pike and other eastern mountain counties. On karst ground, have the pad checked for sinkholes before the slab goes in. A local contractor pours the footings to our anchor bolt layout. Check flood risk on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and with your county.
Kentucky has one mandatory code for the whole state. The 2018 Kentucky Building Code is based on the 2015 International Building Code, and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code on the 2015 IRC. The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction publishes the list of codes in force. Drawings are prepared to these editions; your building official has the final word.
A city or county with its own inspection program, such as Lexington-Fayette, reviews plans for storage and utility buildings up to three stories or 20,000 square feet, and for churches up to 6,000 square feet or 400 people. Larger buildings, and places without a local program, go to the state. A single-family home needs a permit only where a local ordinance requires one. We don’t pull the permit; we supply PE-stamped drawings, load calculations and specifications.
The code leaves out farm dwellings and farm buildings that stand outside city limits on land registered as a farm with the county property valuation administrator, unless they serve retail trade or employ 10 or more people. Counties set their own paperwork: Campbell County asks for a lot of at least 10 acres, and electrical, HVAC, plumbing and septic permits are still required.
The code lists frost depth by county: 24 inches in most of the state, 30 in Boone, Kenton and Campbell, and 33 in Pike and other eastern mountain counties. On karst ground, have the pad checked for sinkholes before the slab goes in. A local contractor pours the footings to our anchor bolt layout. Check flood risk on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and with your county.
Steel Buildings We Deliver Across Kentucky
What a Steel Building Costs in Kentucky
The price of a steel building in Kentucky depends on its size, the loads of its site and its finish. Seismic bracing in the far west and heavier snow in the north and east add frame weight.
From 24×30 to 30×40: garages, sheds and small shops.
From 30×50 to 40×80: steel homes, horse barns with stalls and equipment barns.
From 50×100 up: riding arenas, hay and machinery barns, and warehouses.
A 40×60 in Fulton County, where the code’s short-period seismic value is 2.904, gets heavier bracing than the same building in Jefferson County at 0.227. In Pike County the roof is drawn for 20 psf of ground snow instead of 15.
The $ tier covers the kit itself: frame, roof and wall panels. Insulation, overhead doors and liner panels move it to $$, and a finished living space or office inside to $$$. Our metal building cost guide lists dollar ranges by size, and the barndominium cost guide covers steel homes.
From 24×30 to 30×40: garages, sheds and small shops.
From 30×50 to 40×80: steel homes, horse barns with stalls and equipment barns.
From 50×100 up: riding arenas, hay and machinery barns, and warehouses.
A 40×60 in Fulton County, where the code’s short-period seismic value is 2.904, gets heavier bracing than the same building in Jefferson County at 0.227. In Pike County the roof is drawn for 20 psf of ground snow instead of 15.
The $ tier covers the kit itself: frame, roof and wall panels. Insulation, overhead doors and liner panels move it to $$, and a finished living space or office inside to $$$. Our metal building cost guide lists dollar ranges by size, and the barndominium cost guide covers steel homes.
How Kentucky Owners Use Steel Buildings by Region
The Bluegrass (Lexington, Frankfort, Georgetown, Paris, Versailles; Fayette, Franklin, Scott, Bourbon, Woodford counties)
The Inner Bluegrass is horse country. Kentucky ranks first among states in sales of horses and ponies, and Fayette, Woodford and Bourbon are the top three counties in the nation for them in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The rolling pastures lie on limestone karst, so the pad gets a sinkhole check before the barn goes up. Start with our horse barns and stables.
See also: Barn with living quarters · Metal hay barns
Louisville and Northern Kentucky (Louisville, Elizabethtown, Shelbyville, Covington, Florence; Jefferson, Hardin, Shelby, Kenton, Boone, Campbell counties)
Around Louisville and across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, owners put homes, garages and hobby shops on suburban and edge-of-town lots. Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties design for 20 psf of ground snow and 30-inch footings, more than most of the state. Families who want to live in steel start with our residential metal buildings.
See also: RV garages · Metal office buildings
Western Kentucky (Paducah, Hopkinsville, Owensboro, Mayfield, Murray; McCracken, Christian, Daviess, Graves, Calloway counties)
Western Kentucky grows grain and tobacco. Christian County leads the state in land in farms and in tobacco sales, and ranks second in the nation for tobacco. This corner also carries the state’s highest seismic values: the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 were the largest recorded in the eastern United States. The 2021 EF4 tornado crossed Graves County here. Grain and equipment storage fits our metal farm buildings.
See also: Tractor barns · Metal warehouses
South-central and Eastern Kentucky (Bowling Green, Glasgow, Somerset, Hazard, Pikeville; Warren, Barren, Pulaski, Perry, Pike counties)
South-central Kentucky raises cattle and dairy herds on cave country: Barren County leads the state in milk sales, and Mammoth Cave nearby is the world’s longest known cave system. To the east the mountains rise past 4,100 feet on Black Mountain, and in July 2022 floods in the eastern counties killed 39 people. Cattle and hay go under our livestock barns.
See also: Steel church buildings · Metal carports
What can we design for you today?
Talk to a building specialist to learn more!
Design Your Building NowFrequently Asked Questions
Yes. Kentucky has one mandatory statewide code: the 2018 Kentucky Building Code, based on the 2015 IBC, and the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code for homes. Local programs such as Lexington-Fayette review smaller buildings, and the state reviews the rest. Our drawings follow these editions; your building official has the final word.
Often not. The code leaves out farm buildings outside city limits on land registered as a farm with the county property valuation administrator, unless they serve retail trade or employ 10 or more people. Your county sets the paperwork, and electrical or plumbing work may still need its own permit.
The state code sets one wind speed for the whole state and lists snow loads by county. Most buildings are drawn for 115 mph wind, and the ground snow load is 15 psf in most counties and 20 psf in the northern river counties and the eastern mountains. Send the full address with your quote request.
Yes, we deliver across Kentucky, from Paducah to Pikeville. Make sure a truck can reach the pad. We confirm your production schedule and delivery window when your order is finalized. Your crew or a local erector assembles the building; if you want installation arranged, ask when you request your quote.
Yes, both come as pre-engineered steel building kits drawn for your county’s wind, snow and seismic loads. An arena needs a wide clear span and a door big enough for a tractor to groom the footing. Tell us the stall count and arena size with your quote request.
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