Moon Trailer Leasing and Moon Container Storage have what you need to build a shipping container house in Louisville, KY, but you'll need to get the permits yourself!

Permits and Approvals Needed to Build a Shipping Container Home in Louisville, Kentucky

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If you’re considering buying a plot of property and building a shipping container home on it, or perhaps you already have a plot of land that you want to develop with a shipping container house, then there are a few things to know before you start building. Louisville, KY requires a few permits, approvals, and prerequisites just as they would if you decided to build a traditional house. Considering that constructing a shipping container house is not a DIY project, you’ll need a team of professionals to ensure your home is safe to live in and properly made, and those professionals will be able to help you get the approvals and code compliance that you need to successfully build your shipping container project.

Below, we’ve outlined the general information on the City of Louisville’s “Quick Guide to Permitting Your Shipping Container Project.”

Building Permit

Building permits are one of the most important permits to obtain. They can be issued to a contractor or a property owner and is official, governmental permission to:

  • Construct
  • Enlarge
  • Remodel
  • Remove
  • Repair
  • Or otherwise change the occupancy of a building

Louisville also requires a submittal and drawings to explain the project to be included with your completed building permit application form. Here is the official Residential Building Permit Checklist to check off before you submit your building permit application!

Zoning

Within the link included, you’ll find the Louisville Land Development Code, where you’ll find important zoning information regarding:

  • Unit number and building size for zoning districts (Chapter 3)
  • Fence height and location (Chapter 4)
  • Building height and location (Chapter 5)
  • Front, side, and rear yard setbacks (Chapter 5)

Based on city zoning laws, you may not be able to build a residential structure in an agricultural or commercial zone, and the zone that your property is in will dictate how large, small, or what kind of amenities your house can have.

Preservation Districts and Overlays

Further than zoning, your property might reside in a protected district with specific laws pertaining to design stipulations and restrictions, or in overlay districts, which are defined as, “geographic zoning districts layered on top of another existing zoning district, or districts, that implements additional regulations.” You’ll want to check to see if those restrictions or additional regulations apply to you!

Plumbing

For applications to plumbing permits through the State Department of Housing, Buildings, & Construction Division of Plumbing, check the link above.

Required Inspections

According to the City of Louisville, “all permits require inspections by our department to ensure that all applicable code requirements have been met and that the project has been constructed according to the approved plans. The number of inspections varies according to each project but generally occur at the foundation stage, the framing stage, and a final inspection of everything. It is the responsibility of the permit holder to notify the department when the work is ready for inspection.”

You can request an inspection on the City of Louisville’s website.

Code Compliance

You’ll need to have a plan for code compliance from your contractor and professionals in the construction submittal before building for:

  • Foundations
  • Openings for doors and windows
  • Roofs
  • Attached patios and decks
  • Interior finishes and equipment
  • Electrical and HVAC systems
  • Insulation and energy code requirements
  • Utility connections
  • Snow and roof loads
  • Interior live loads
  • Lateral stability
  • Energy code compliance
  • Interior systems

Utility Easements

An easement, which is defined by the Kentucky government as, “the right to use the real property of another for a specific purpose.” Your property may contain utility easements which may prohibit the property from construction for utility purposes, so you’ll want to confirm the existence of any easements before you plan your shipping container house.

Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) Requirements

Our local sewer district, MSD, has requirements regarding flood plain, sewer connections, storm drainage, & erosion control that may impact your ability or the risk of building a shipping container house on your property.

Once you’ve made sure you have these requirements checked off, Moon Container Storage will be waiting with shipping containers to sell you for your housing project!

If you are looking for shipping container rentals or purchasing options in the Kentucky or Southern Indiana, considering giving Moon Trailer Leasing a call. Our experienced team has decades of experience serving the needs of customers throughout Louisville, Lexington, Clarksville, Jeffersonville, and New Albany. We also specialize in other related services including portable restroom and shower rentals, dumpster rentals, refrigerated container rentals and more. For additional details or to get a fast and easy quote for your project, give us a call at 502-776-2199. “Ask for the Moon, and get it!”