Garage door rules & licensing in Kentucky

Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (statutory authority: KRS Chapter 198B) — official site

There is no state licence for garage door installation or repair. KRS Chapter 198B licenses only elevator and fixed guideway contractors and mechanics, fire protection sprinkler contractors and inspectors, HVAC contractors, home inspectors and licensed electrical engineers - it contains no general contractor or home improvement contractor licensing sections. Any requirement for garage door contractors is therefore local.

KRS 198B.050(1): 'The department shall adopt and promulgate a mandatory Uniform State Building Code that establishes standards for the construction of all buildings ... in the state.' The residential code is 815 KAR 7:125 (Kentucky Residential Code, based on the 2015 IRC), the mandatory state residential building code for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. But KRS 198B.060(1) provides that 'permits, inspections, and certificates of occupancy shall not be mandatory for single-family residences unless a local government passes an ordinance requiring inspections of single-family residences.' KRS 198B.060(9) requires the permit to be issued if the work satisfies the code.

Kentucky’s mandatory statewide residential code is set by 815 KAR 7:125, Kentucky Residential Code: "the 2015 International Residential Code for One (1) and Two (2) Family Dwellings (IRC) shall be the mandatory state residential building code for all single-family dwellings, two (2) family dwellings, and townhouses constructed in Kentucky, except that the Kentucky amendments in the 2018 Kentucky Residential Code shall supersede any conflicting provision in the 2015 IRC." The regulation incorporates by reference the "2018 Kentucky Residential Code," Third Edition, August 2024, which is where Kentucky-specific wind speed values and any garage-door design-pressure provisions sit; that document is not published free online but "may be inspected, copied, or obtained ... at the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, 500 Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601." Kentucky-specific wind speeds and opening-protection provisions were NOT independently verified in this session.