A Resident's Guide to Lexington's Local Ordinances

Lexington is a mid-sized city in Fayette County, Kentucky, with about 323000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 115 ordinances across 34 categories that affect daily life in Lexington.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Pool Permits: A Lexington-Fayette homeowner must pull a building permit before erecting a residential swimming pool, and LFUCG Code Sec. 5-29 sets that permit fee at a flat one hundred dollars.

Also covered: Fencing & Safety Requirements (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Lexington for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Repeat Violator Strikes: The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government revokes a short-term rental's special fees license once the licensee or the property is found in violation of the STR ordinance two or more times within one license term. A revoked license bars reapplication for that same dwelling unit for a full year, on top of escalating civil fines..

Also covered: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (moderate), Insurance Requirements (moderate), Occupancy Limits (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for Lexington for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Vending Zones: Lexington-Fayette bars peddlers and itinerant merchants from vending in parks without a permit, within 100 feet of a permitted special event, in ways that block sidewalks, or in the historic Lexington Center Area, under Code § 15-12(c). Itinerant merchants face an added ban on Residential Zones and within 100 feet of any residential dwelling..

Also covered: Food Truck Permits (restrictive), Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (restrictive). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Lexington for details.

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: Any parade or procession on a Lexington-Fayette public street needs a special license from the police chief before it can happen, under LFUCG Code § 18-29. The chief must approve after finding, with the fire chief and traffic engineering director, that the event won't unduly disturb the public's use of the streets, though he cannot cut the number of participants below what the applicant requested..

Also covered: Street Fair Rules (restrictive), Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (restrictive), Park Event Permits (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Lexington for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Any memorial, monument or other permanent artwork proposed for a public space in Lexington-Fayette must go through the Public Arts Commission, which reviews design and installation for aesthetic and conservation impact before it can be placed on government-owned land. The commission also advises the mayor and Urban County Council on acquiring, funding and maintaining public monuments citywide..

Animal Ordinances

Exotic Pets: Lexington-Fayette County Code § 4-11.1 makes it unlawful to keep any wildlife the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has identified as inherently dangerous to human health and safety anywhere in the urban county. Accredited zoos, licensed theatrical exhibits, carnivals, circuses, authorized wildlife rehabilitators, licensed veterinary hospitals treating injured animals, and federally licensed research institutions are exempt; everyone else risks a $200-to-$500 fine plus seizure costs..

Also covered: Dog Leash Laws (moderate), Pet Store Rules (strict), Chickens & Livestock (strict). See the full animal ordinances guide for Lexington for details.

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: When a new building sewer tap into Lexington-Fayette's public sanitary sewer is smoke tested and inspected by the Division of Engineering before backfill, any leak the inspection turns up is not the urban county government's problem to fix. Code of Ordinances § 16-41 puts repair squarely on the property owner, and backfill cannot proceed until the leak is corrected and the connection passes..

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government bars anyone under 18 from being in any public place, street, or highway between midnight and 5:00 a.m. under Code of Ordinances Sec.

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Lexington for details.

Public Conduct

Aggressive Panhandling: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government bans begging or soliciting money altogether on public streets and at street intersections under Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-5: the ordinance is not limited to aggressive conduct, it prohibits any request for money in the roadway, with fines of $50 to $100 or up to 30 days in jail per offense..

Also covered: Public Alcohol Use (restrictive), Loud Party Ordinance (restrictive), Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Lexington for details.

Noise Ordinances

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Code § 14-72 bans any loudspeaker, PA system or mobile sound vehicle used to amplify sound on a public right-of-way or public space for a commercial purpose: no exceptions, no hours. For noncommercial amplified sound, the same section bars operation between 11:00 p.m.

Also covered: Decibel Limits (moderate), Quiet Hours (moderate), Construction Hours (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Lexington for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Buffer Zones: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government requires every medicinal cannabis cultivator, dispensary, producer, processor, or safety-compliance facility to prove its site is not within 1,000 feet of an existing child-care center, family child-care home, or registered child-care assistance provider before the Division of Revenue issues the special fees license required under Code of Ordinances Sec. 13-84..

Also covered: Dispensary Zoning (moderate). See the full cannabis regulations guide for Lexington for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: No one may remove a street tree over 3 inches in diameter from Lexington-Fayette's right-of-way without a permit from the division of environmental services. Permits issue routinely for dead or dying trees but only in special circumstances for a live one, and the division can also order removal itself..

Also covered: Weed Ordinances (moderate), Native Plants (permissive), Composting (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Lexington for details.

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Lexington-Fayette taxes nearly every business and worker through a 2.25% occupational license tax under Sec. 13-4, applied to net profit for business entities and to wages and compensation for employees performing work within the urban county..

Noise from Specific Sources

Low-Frequency Bass Limits: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Code § 14-72 bars operating a vehicle's radio, stereo, tape player, record player or CD player on a public street, right-of-way or public property so loudly that it's audible more than 10 feet from the vehicle: a standard the ordinance expressly says includes bass reverberation even when words aren't distinguishable..

Also covered: Bar & Nightclub Noise (moderate), Delivery Truck Noise (moderate), HVAC & Mechanical Noise (moderate). See the full noise from specific sources guide for Lexington for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Lexington-Fayette enforces the state littering and illegal-dumping offense under KRS 512.070 as a civil violation of its own, with fines that climb from $100 for a first offense to $250 for a second and $500 for a third or later offense within twenty-four months, under Code of Ordinances § 14-105..

Also covered: Dumpster Rules (restrictive), Collection Schedule (moderate), Holiday Pickup Schedule (limited). See the full trash & recycling guide for Lexington for details.

Code Violation Reporting

How to Report: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government residents lodge grievances about local government action or inaction through the Office of the Citizens' Advocate, an ombudsman created by LFUCG Charter § 4.11. Under Supplement A § A.102 of the council's Rules of Procedure, the advocate takes a description of the problem, identifies the responsible department, and pursues the complaint through that department's supervisor on the resident's behalf..

Also covered: Response Times (moderate). See the full code violation reporting guide for Lexington for details.

Building Safety

Fire Sprinkler Requirements: In Lexington-Fayette's inner fire zone, a frame, ordinary, heavy-timber or unprotected-combustible building cannot be raised in height or remodeled without adding a sprinkler system. LFUCG Code Sec.

Also covered: Building Permits (moderate), Carbon Monoxide Detectors (moderate), Electrical Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Lexington for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Secondhand Dealers: Secondhand, junk and used auto parts dealers in Lexington-Fayette must register every seller, hold purchased goods ten business days, and report daily to police. The $250 annual junk dealer license backs a strict no-buying-from-minors rule that ties into the same tracking system pawnbrokers use..

Also covered: Tobacco Retail License (limited), Pawnbrokers (restrictive), Towing Companies (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Lexington for details.

Rental Inspections

Tenant Complaint Process: Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, adopted locally under Sec. 12-54, bars a Lexington landlord from raising rent, cutting services or filing an eviction after a tenant complains to a code enforcement agency about a health-or-safety violation..

Parking Rules

Snow Removal Parking Rules: When the mayor declares a Stage 3 snow emergency, Lexington-Fayette bans all parking on designated snow emergency routes; a Stage 2 emergency triggers alternate-side parking on secondary streets. Code §§ 18B-2, 18B-3, and 18B-5 set the stages, and violators face a $10-$50 fine under § 18B-7..

Also covered: Preferential Parking Districts (moderate), Loading Zones (moderate), Towing & Impound Rights (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Lexington for details.

Invasive Plant Rules

Prohibited Species: Lexington-Fayette's nuisance code doesn't just cap weed height: it names specific invasive and noxious species outright unlawful on any property under Sec. 12-2, and it separately bars even exempt naturalized gardens from containing any plant the Kentucky Exotic Plant Pest Council rates a level-one threat..

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Obstruction Rules: Lexington-Fayette's Code of Ordinances flatly bars building structures, fences or walls in the public right-of-way and bans dumping vehicles, barrels, boxes, merchandise, cross-ties, concrete blocks, spikes, basketball goals or tree wells onto any street, alley or sidewalk. Section 17-21 makes both acts unlawful outright, with narrow carve-outs only for permitted construction staging and short loading stops, and violators face escalating daily fines under section 17-24..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate), Encroachment Permits (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Lexington for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Lexington's Property Maintenance Code splits pest-control duty by building type: occupants handle their own single-family or single-tenant pest problems, but owners of any multi-unit Group R residential property must eliminate infestations building-wide, and owners are on the hook everywhere the infestation traces back to a structural defect..

Sign Regulations

Political Signs: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's electioneering ordinance, Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-52.1, exempts political signs on private property from the 300-foot campaign-free zone around polling places, so long as the sign is unattended, silent, non-mechanical, and no larger than four square feet: otherwise general electioneering is barred within that zone on election day..

Fire Regulations

Fire Pits & Backyard Fires: Lexington-Fayette bans open burning by default, but the fire chief may issue an open burn permit for recreational or ceremonial backyard fires under Code § 9-20. No permit covers a fire that isn't on the ordinance's narrow exception list, and cooking fires are the only recreational-adjacent burn that skips the permit step entirely..

Also covered: Outdoor Burning (restrictive), Smoke Detectors (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for Lexington for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Shared E-Scooter Rules: LFUCG licenses shared dockless scooter operators under Code of Ordinances § 17D-7, starting each company at 400 electric motor-assisted scooters and permitting increases of up to 200 more per month only when ridership tops four rides per scooter per day. No licensee may exceed 1,000 e-scooters county-wide, and the commissioner can confine operations to a designated zone, impounding any scooter found outside it or in a restricted area..

Also covered: Bike Lane Rules (moderate), E-Bike Classes (limited). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for Lexington for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government outright bans electric fences on residential property under Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-61: no owner, tenant, or license holder may erect or maintain any fence, structure, or barrier that uses electricity to repel people or animals on land zoned or used for residential purposes, with fines up to $100 per day..

Also covered: Retaining Walls (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for Lexington for details.

Tree Protection

Parkway Planting: Planting a tree in the urban county right-of-way strip next to your property requires a permit from the division of environmental services, with fixed setbacks from signs and hydrants, species limits under power lines, and a 14-day decision clock the government must meet or the permit is deemed approved..

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Lexington-Fayette imposes a combined 8.5 percent transient room tax on hotels, motels, inns, campgrounds, RV parks and short-term rentals under Code of Ordinances Sec. 2-172.

Rental Property Rules

Repairs & Habitability: Lexington-Fayette's Property Maintenance Code, the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code as locally amended, makes landlords keep rental heat at 65°F from October through May and requires GFCI outlets, working locks and lit hallways. The Division of Code Enforcement inspects on complaint and can fine an owner up to $2,500 per offense, per day, for letting a unit slide out of compliance..

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: When a Lexington structure is so dilapidated it's 'dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise unfit for human habitation,' the code official can order the owner to repair it or tear it down, and if the owner ignores the order, the Division of Code Enforcement demolishes it anyway and bills the cost, plus up to $250 in administrative fees, as a lien on the property..

Also covered: Vacant Lot Maintenance (restrictive), Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Lexington for details.

Environmental Rules

Erosion Control: Anyone clearing, grading, excavating or filling 5,000 square feet or more of land in Lexington-Fayette, or any acreage for a new building, must file an erosion and sediment control plan and get a land disturbance permit from the Division of Engineering before starting work, under Code of Ordinances § 16-101..

Also covered: Stormwater Management (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Lexington for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Every peddler working Lexington-Fayette streets must hold a license from the Division of Revenue and post a $500 bond before selling anything door to door. Once issued, the license comes with a badge the peddler must wear in plain view at all times, and it can't be sold or transferred to anyone else..

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Lexington-Fayette exempts yard sales, garage sales and bake sales from the peddler and itinerant merchant license required under Code § 15-12, but § 15-13 conditions that exemption on the sale being temporary, compliant with zoning, and kept off public property or the right-of-way unless the urban county government authorizes it..

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in Lexington, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.