Create new sections of KRS Chapter 61 to require a permitting authority to issue a decision on any permit application within 60 days; automatically grant any permit if a permitting authority fails to render a decision within 60 days; require any denial or conditional approval of a permit to be based on clearly established applicable laws or regulations; grant Circuit Court jurisdiction over any permitting matter; require the Circuit Court to determine whether a permitting decision by the permitting authority was based on clear and convincing evidence; require the Circuit Court to award the applicant attorney's fees and costs if the court finds against the permitting authority; allow third-party challenges to permitting decisions only if the third-party has property adjacent to property that has been granted a permit and where the third-party can demonstrate concrete and particularized harm resulting from issuance of a permit; allow an applicant to appeal any adverse decision from a third-party challenge; require a third party to pay applicant's attorney's fees and costs if the permit is finally approved following a third-party challenge; create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to grant by-right approval to housing projects which meet a planning unit's code or regulations; grant Circuit Court jurisdiction over any denial of a housing project under the section; require the Circuit Court to determine whether a denial by the planning unit was based on clear and convincing evidence; require Circuit Court to award the applicant attorney's fees and costs if the court finds against the planning unit; provide that the section does not prevent monitoring by the planning unit or affect restrictions in rules or regulations of a homeowners association, condominium association, or other property owners association; amend KRS 198B.060 to permit third-party plan review and inspections under new procedures; create a new section of KRS Chapter 198B to define terms; require regulatory authorities to provide information to prospective applicants regarding requirements to apply for a permit; require a regulatory authority to inform an applicant of whether the application is complete within 3 days and include whether the regulatory authority is able to perform plan review and inspection within specified time limits; require a regulatory authority to conduct plan review within 7 days of receipt of a complete application and inspections within 5 days of any request for an inspection being made; permit an applicant to use a qualifying third-party inspector; set out circumstances under which a regulatory authority may collect fees depending on use of a third-party inspector; set out what a third-party inspector may review and set out qualifications and requirements the third-party inspector must meet; require a regulatory authority to issue a permit within 1 business day of the completion of required plan reviews and inspections associated with an otherwise complete application; state that any ordinance, rule, or regulation contrary is void and unenforceable; state that a regulatory authority may issue a stop work order if a condition of a project constitute an immediate threat to public safety and welfare; establish immunity for the regulatory authority for action of an applicant or third-party inspector.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 194A to create the homelessness prevention fund to be administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for continuum of care funds; specify eligible uses and eligible entities; amend KRS 198A.027 to allow appropriations to be used for homeless initiatives; appropriate $2,000,000 from the budget reserve trust fund to the homelessness prevention fund; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.
Propose to amend Section 1 of the Constitution of Kentucky to provide citizens of the Commonwealth the right to exempt from property taxation a property owned and maintained solely as their primary residence and a motor vehicle owned and maintained solely as their primary vehicle after calendar year 2028; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.
Amend KRS 91.514 and create a new section of KRS Chapter 426 to establish that any residential property that is purchased at a master commissioner's sale or other court-ordered sale in a county that has a land bank authority and was occupied at any time within the 2 years prior to the sale must undergo renovations within 6 months of obtaining the title to the property and must be returned to a state of occupancy within specified time periods; define terms; establish a fine of $100 per day payable to the local government for noncompliance.
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 383 to define terms; permit a tenant to terminate a residential lease or rental agreement if he or she is seeking relocation due to a recent mental or physical health emergency; require the tenant to pay any rent due prorated to the effective date of termination; relieve the tenant from liability for any other rent or fees resulting from the termination; permit a covered tenant to terminate a lease or rental agreement upon the death of his or her spouse or cotenant; permit a tenant to terminate a residential lease or rental agreement if the landlord fails to abate a lead-hazard; relieve the tenant from liability for any other rent or fees resulting from the termination due to a lead-hazard; direct that provisions apply only to leases or rental agreements entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act.
Amend KRS 344.010 to define terms; amend KRS 344.020, relating to the purpose of the Kentucky's civil rights chapter, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.025, 344.040, 344.050, 344.060, 344.070, and 344.080, relating to prohibited discrimination in various labor and employment practices, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.100 and 344.110 to conform; amend KRS 344.120 and 344.140, relating to prohibited discrimination in places of public accommodation, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.170, 344.180, 344.190, 344.300, and 344.310, relating to the state and local human rights commissions, to include prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the scope of their powers and duties; amend KRS 344.360, 344.370, 344.380, and 344.680, relating to prohibited discrimination in certain housing, real estate, and other financial transactions, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.367, relating to prohibited discrimination in certain insurance sales, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; amend KRS 344.400, relating to prohibited discrimination in certain credit transactions, to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; make various technical amendments; amend KRS 18A.095 to conform.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to define "accessory dwelling unit"; allow accessory dwelling unit as a permitted use in all residential zones; prohibit a planning unit from adopting regulations which would not allow a property owner to have 1 accessory dwelling unit on the owner's property, impose requirements on accessory dwelling units different than those placed on single-family homes, or assess additional fees on accessory dwelling units; allow a planning unit to enforce regulations that require notification of the construction of a new accessory dwelling unit, prohibit more than 1 accessory dwelling unit on a property, assess a one-time fee of $250 at the time the accessory dwelling unit is created, and prohibit the accessory dwelling unit's use as a short-term rental.
HB 239 amends Kentucky law to clarify landlords' responsibilities when tenants abandon personal property in rental units. The bill requires landlords to store such property, create a written inventory within 7 days of taking possession, and notify tenants via certified mail (to their last known address) and by posting a notice on the property for 7 days. If tenants make no effort to reclaim the property within 21 days, landlords may dispose of it. This directly affects landlords and tenants in residential rental situations across Kentucky. The bill focuses on procedural requirements for handling abandoned property, not on new financial penalties or tenant protections.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 100 to define terms; make affordable housing developed by a religious developer a permitted use and require only a ministerial review by a planning unit for compliance with the section; include requirements that an affordable housing development must meet including that it be on property owned by a religious institution prior to January 1, 2026, exclusively contains affordable housing, be less than 24 units and be located only on a parcel in certain zones, and to have obtained all other permits; require a religious institution that does not continue to qualify to seek approval from a planning unit; allow the Kentucky Housing Corporation to advise religious developers regarding affordable housing developments; allow homeless shelters operated by a religious institution to be permitted uses in commercial or business zones.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 40 to define terms; create the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program for funding the construction and installation of accessibility ramps on residences of disabled veterans; establish the Residential Ease of Access for Disabled Veterans Program grant fund to be used for the program and administered by the Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs.
