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Kentucky landlord-tenant law.

Updated August 2026. State law bars any city, county, or urban-county from enacting rent control on private property; only the General Assembly may do so (KRS 65.875, enacted 1992).

Deposit limit

No statutory cap on the deposit amount anywhere in Kentucky, whether or not the county has adopted URLTA (KRS 383.580 regulates handling, not the amount, and only in URLTA jurisdictions).

Deposit return

URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.580): deposit must sit in a separate bank account; landlord gives tenant a written move-in damage list before taking the deposit and a move-out damage list at termination, both signed by tenant and landlord. If the tenant owes rent and does not ask for the deposit back, the landlord may apply it to the debt after 30 days; if nothing is owed, the landlord must notify the tenant of the refund due and may keep it if the tenant does not respond within 60 days. There is no separate flat return-within-N-days deadline. In counties that have not adopted URLTA, no statute governs deposit handling, itemization, or return timing at all; it is purely a matter of the lease and common law.

Notice to pay

URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.660(2)): if rent is unpaid, the landlord may terminate only after giving written notice of nonpayment, and the tenant then has 7 days to pay before termination. In non-URLTA counties, there is no comparable statutory notice-and-cure period; the landlord terminates under the general tenancy-at-will rule (KRS 383.195, one month's written notice) or per the lease, then may bring a forcible detainer action (KRS 383.200 and following).

Landlord entry

URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.615): tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry; landlord must give at least 2 days' notice of intent to enter, except in an emergency or where impracticable, and may enter only at reasonable times. Non-URLTA counties have no statute on landlord entry at all; it is governed by the lease and general common-law quiet-enjoyment principles, with no fixed notice period required by law.

Security deposits

Deposit limit. No statutory cap on the deposit amount anywhere in Kentucky, whether or not the county has adopted URLTA (KRS 383.580 regulates handling, not the amount, and only in URLTA jurisdictions).

Getting it back. URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.580): deposit must sit in a separate bank account; landlord gives tenant a written move-in damage list before taking the deposit and a move-out damage list at termination, both signed by tenant and landlord. If the tenant owes rent and does not ask for the deposit back, the landlord may apply it to the debt after 30 days; if nothing is owed, the landlord must notify the tenant of the refund due and may keep it if the tenant does not respond within 60 days. There is no separate flat return-within-N-days deadline. In counties that have not adopted URLTA, no statute governs deposit handling, itemization, or return timing at all; it is purely a matter of the lease and common law.

Late fees and rent

No Kentucky statute, in URLTA counties or elsewhere, caps late fees or mandates a grace period; the amount is set by the lease and must be a reasonable, non-punitive charge under ordinary contract principles.

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.660(2)): if rent is unpaid, the landlord may terminate only after giving written notice of nonpayment, and the tenant then has 7 days to pay before termination. In non-URLTA counties, there is no comparable statutory notice-and-cure period; the landlord terminates under the general tenancy-at-will rule (KRS 383.195, one month's written notice) or per the lease, then may bring a forcible detainer action (KRS 383.200 and following).

Month-to-month termination. URLTA counties and cities (KRS 383.695(2)): either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date (week-to-week is 7 days under KRS 383.695(1)). Non-URLTA counties (KRS 383.195, which by its own text applies only where URLTA is not in effect): landlord ends a tenancy at will or by sufferance with one month's written notice.

Landlord entry

URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.615): tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry; landlord must give at least 2 days' notice of intent to enter, except in an emergency or where impracticable, and may enter only at reasonable times. Non-URLTA counties have no statute on landlord entry at all; it is governed by the lease and general common-law quiet-enjoyment principles, with no fixed notice period required by law.

Required disclosures

  • Federal lead-based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. Section 4852d; 24 C.F.R. Part 35), applies statewide regardless of URLTA status
  • URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.585): landlord must disclose in writing, at or before the start of the tenancy, the name and address of the person who manages the premises and of the owner or the owner's agent for service of process, and keep it current
  • Non-URLTA counties: no statutory disclosure requirement beyond the federal lead-paint rule

Lease clauses that do not hold up

  • URLTA counties and cities only (KRS 383.570): a rental agreement cannot make the tenant waive URLTA rights or remedies, authorize confession of judgment, require the tenant to pay the landlord's attorney's fees, or exculpate or limit the landlord's liability or require indemnification of the landlord
  • Statewide, regardless of URLTA status: a lease clause allowing the landlord to terminate because the tenant is protected by a domestic violence or interpersonal protective order is void (KRS 383.300)
  • Statewide: a lease clause authorizing termination because the tenant requested emergency assistance, such as calling for police or medical help, is prohibited (KRS 383.302)

Notes for landlords

Kentucky is genuinely two-tier: URLTA applies only in jurisdictions that adopted it by ordinance, currently Jefferson County (Louisville), Fayette County (Lexington), Oldham County, and Pulaski County, plus roughly 15 Northern Kentucky cities in Kenton, Boone, and Campbell Counties. Everywhere else runs on the thin default statutes above. A very recent statute, KRS 383.199 (effective June 27, 2025), bars leasing new single-family homes, ADUs, or multifamily units in traditional single-family zones to non-owner-occupants in a county containing a consolidated local government, currently only Louisville and Jefferson County; and KRS 383.198 (2024) now bars any local landlord-tenant ordinance that conflicts with state law statewide.

Sources

This guide is general legal information for landlords, not legal advice. Statutes change and local ordinances can add stricter rules on top of state law. Confirm any requirement with the current statute or a licensed attorney in your state before acting on it.

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