Pop. 72,294 · Warren County
Bowling Green's noise rule lives in Code of Ordinances Chapter IX (General Offenses), Subchapter 9-3 (Noise). Section 9-3.01 declares the city's purpose - to reduce, control, and…
Barking-dog and other animal-noise complaints in Bowling Green are enforced under Code of Ordinances Chapter V (Animals), Subchapter 5-1 (Animal Control), Section 5-1.08 (Animal…
Amplified music in Bowling Green is regulated by Subchapter 9-3 (Noise) and, for Mobile Food Units, by Subchapter 15-8 - Section 15-8.02(n) of Ordinance BG2019-50 expressly prohibits…
Industrial noise in Bowling Green is governed primarily by the Warren County / Bowling Green joint Zoning Ordinance (administered by the City-County Planning Commission) through…
Bowling Green does not codify a specific weekday or weekend construction-hour window in Subchapter 9-3 (Noise) or in Chapter VI (Building Regulations). Construction noise is regulated…
Bowling Green has no dedicated leaf-blower ordinance and does not ban gas-powered leaf blowers. Use is regulated through the general 'excessive noise' policy of Subchapter 9-3 (Section…
Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport (BWG / KBWG) is jointly owned by the City of Bowling Green and Warren County and operates two runways (3/21 at 6,501 ft and 12/30 at 3,956…
Bowling Green's Subchapter 9-3 (Noise) does not assign decibel limits by zoning district or time of day - the Bowling Green Daily News confirmed the ordinance 'doesn't quantify what…
Outdoor music at Bowling Green's downtown venues - Fountain Square Park, Circus Square Park, and RiverWalk Park - requires a Special Event Permit issued through Neighborhood &…
Bowling Green does not codify STR-specific quiet hours; STR guests are subject to the citywide noise ordinance in Bowling Green Code of Ordinances Chapter IX, Section 9-3 (Noise)…
Bowling Green's Zoning Ordinance Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) imposes an STR-specific off-street parking standard: one off-street parking space shall be required for each guest room…
Operating a short-term rental (Airbnb, VRBO, or any rental of a dwelling for fewer than 30 days) inside the City of Bowling Green requires both a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and a…
Short-term rentals in Bowling Green collect a stack of state and city lodging taxes on every reservation of fewer than 30 consecutive days. The City of Bowling Green imposes a 3%…
Bowling Green's Zoning Ordinance Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) limits occupancy of each short-term rental through a per-room design standard: each room to be rented shall be designed and…
Bowling Green does not impose a fixed annual cap on the number of nights a licensed short-term rental may host. There is no '90-day,' '120-day,' or '180-day' booking limit codified for…
Bowling Green's Zoning Ordinance Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) and the city's Short Term Rental Guide do not impose a specific minimum liability insurance amount as a condition of the…
Registering a short-term rental in Bowling Green is a multi-step zoning-and-licensing process administered by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County in coordination with…
Bowling Green's Zoning Ordinance Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) and the City-County Planning Commission's Short Term Rental program do not require the host to be physically present at the…
Bowling Green's Zoning Ordinance Section 5.2.4(C)(4)(c) and the City-County Planning Commission's Short Term Rental program do not restrict STR licenses to the operator's primary…
Bowling Green's most concrete RV restriction is on private property, not on the street: under the city Property Maintenance Code at BGKY C27 27.4.03, no junk motor vehicle - defined as…
Curb markings and colored-curb paint on Bowling Green public streets are installed and maintained only by the city following Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)…
Bowling Green's main on-property parking limit comes from the Property Maintenance Code at BGKY C27 27.4.03: no junk motor vehicle may sit on a private lot for more than three calendar…
Street parking in Bowling Green is governed by Chapter 22 (Traffic and Motor Vehicles) of the Code of Ordinances and the city's on-street parking guidelines, which follow Manual on…
Bowling Green has no city-specific EV ordinance. EV charging is governed by Kentucky state law, including the 2022-enacted excise tax and surtax on EV charging dealers (currently…
Loading zones in Bowling Green are installed and signed by the city under Chapter 22 (Traffic and Motor Vehicles) of the Code of Ordinances, following Manual on Uniform Traffic Control…
Bowling Green does not impose a citywide weight or length cap on commercial vehicles in residential neighborhoods, but every vehicle on the street is subject to Chapter 22 of the Code…
Bowling Green does not impose a citywide overnight parking ban on passenger vehicles. The functional limit comes from Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.751, which presumes that any vehicle…
Abandoned vehicles in Bowling Green are governed primarily by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.751: a vehicle left on a county road or city street for three consecutive days is presumed…
Bowling Green does not maintain a separate length- or weight-based oversized-vehicle ordinance on residential streets. The functional limits come from the universal Kentucky Revised…
Bowling Green Code Section 15-5.04 (Sale and Use of Fireworks), adopted by Ordinance BG2011-51, limits consumer fireworks to between noon and 10:00 p.m. on June 27 through July 3 and…
Open burning is prohibited inside Bowling Green city limits without prior Bowling Green Fire Department approval (Chapter XII, Section 12-6, Code of Ordinances). Permits may be issued…
Bowling Green follows the Kentucky Standards of Safety (815 KAR 10:060) and the Kentucky Building Code (815 KAR 7:120) for smoke alarm installation, enforced locally by the Bowling…
Bowling Green Code of Ordinances Section 12-6.02 (Residential / Recreational Burning) allows recreational fires only if the fire is completely contained in a fire pit that is…
Bowling Green has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) with a local amendment to Section 302.4 setting the maximum height for weeds or plant growth, including…
Bowling Green sits in the Western Pennyroyal karst region; approximately 90 percent of Warren County is built on karst with 350+ cave entrances and 30+ km of mapped cave passage. The…
Backyard fires in Bowling Green are governed by Section 12-6.02 of the Code of Ordinances. A recreational fire must be completely contained in a fire pit (commercial or constructed of…
Bowling Green follows the Kentucky Standards of Safety (815 KAR 10:060) and the Kentucky Building Code (815 KAR 7:120) for LP-gas (propane) container storage, fill, and use. Kentucky…
Bowling Green Code Section 5-1 requires that all dogs be on a leash or confined on the owner's premises at all times. Dogs found in violation may be impounded at the Bowling…
The Bowling Green Code of Ordinances does not contain a beekeeping-specific section. Beekeeping is governed by Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 252 (Apiaries), administered by the…
Bowling Green Code of Ordinances Section 5-1.07 (Poultry Restrictions) allows a maximum of five (5) non-crowing poultry per property. Roosters and crowing poultry or peafowl are…
Bowling Green does not have a breed-specific ban. There is no pit bull ban or breed-restricted permit in the current Bowling Green Code of Ordinances. Instead, Section 5-1 regulates…
Bowling Green Code Section 5-1.16 (Exotic or Wild Animals) prohibits anyone from owning, harboring, or keeping any exotic or wild animal inside the city without (1) the required permit…
Bowling Green is an urban jurisdiction. Cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine, ducks, geese, turkeys, and peafowl are not authorized in city residential zoning districts. The only…
Bowling Green does not have a city-specific wildlife-feeding ordinance, but Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) rules apply citywide. KDFWR prohibits feeding…
All accessory buildings and structures in single-family and multi-family residential districts require a building permit under the Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance (Secs. 4.4.5.E…
Retaining walls are regulated as structures under the Kentucky Building Code (815 KAR 7:120 adopting the 2018 International Building Code with Kentucky amendments) and the Kentucky…
Bowling Green fences are regulated by the Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance, administered by the City-County Planning Commission. In single-family residential districts (RR, R-E…
Neither the City of Bowling Green Code of Ordinances nor the Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance contains a 'good-side-out,' partition-fence, or mandatory cost-sharing statute…
Residential pool barriers in Bowling Green follow Appendix G of the Kentucky Residential Code (adopted by 815 KAR 7:125), which mirrors the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code…
Outside of the Local Historic Districts and the Cemetery Road and Lovers Lane Urban Growth Overlay Districts, the Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance imposes no specific…
Fences in Bowling Green and Warren County are regulated through the Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance as 'Accessory Structures' (Sec. 4.4.5.E for single-family, Sec. 4.5.4.F for…
The Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance does not restrict fence materials in standard residential, commercial, or industrial zones. Material restrictions apply only inside Overlay…
Per Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4.4.5.E.6.a (single-family) and Sec. 4.5.4.F.4.a (multi-family), 'All swimming pools with a water depth of 3 feet or greater shall require…
Bowling Green's pool safety rules derive from Appendix G of the Kentucky Residential Code (815 KAR 7:125) - the state's adoption of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code…
Bowling Green pool barriers must satisfy both the local zoning standard in Warren County/Joint Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4.4.5.E.6.c (minimum 4-foot fence, child-proof openings) and…
Hot tubs and spas in Bowling Green are governed by Appendix G of the Kentucky Residential Code (815 KAR 7:125). Permanently installed spas and hot tubs must be designed and constructed…
Bowling Green Code of Ordinances Chapter XXVI § 26-7 (Vegetation Maintenance) requires that any and all pruning of a PUBLIC tree comply with the ANSI A300 (Part 1)-2001 Pruning…
Bowling Green has adopted the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) under Chapter 27 of the Code of Ordinances. IPMC Section 302.4, as amended locally, designates 10…
Bowling Green Code § 26-8 (Tree Removal) states: 'No person shall remove, cut above the ground or disturb any public tree without approval of the City of Bowling Green except to…
Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (BGMU) supplies water to City customers and many Warren County customers via the Barren River intake. BGMU does not impose mandatory year-round…
Bowling Green enforces nuisance vegetation through Chapter 27 (Property Maintenance) — the City's adopted 2015 International Property Maintenance Code — specifically IPMC § 302.4…
Kentucky imposes no state-level restriction on residential rainwater harvesting. Bowling Green has no ordinance prohibiting or restricting rain barrels or cisterns for residential use…
Bowling Green has no City ordinance restricting native, drought-tolerant, or pollinator-friendly landscaping on private property. The Bowling Green Community Tree Advisory Board (Code…
Bowling Green has no ordinance prohibiting artificial turf on residential property. No City permit is required to install synthetic turf on a private lot. The City-County Joint Zoning…
Bowling Green and Warren County share a Joint Zoning Ordinance that distinguishes a low-impact 'Home Office' (permitted by right, no signage, no customers) from a 'Home Occupation'…
By-right Home Offices under Sec. 5.2.2.B may not host any customer, clientele, or public visits. Conditional Use Permit Home Occupations under Sec. 5.2.2.C may host limited customers…
Bowling Green allows in-home care of 3–6 unrelated children as a Conditional Use Permit Home Occupation under Joint Zoning Ord. § 5.2.2.C(4). Larger child care centers are a separate…
A by-right Home Office in Bowling Green is prohibited from any signage under Sec. 5.2.2.B(1). A Conditional Use Permit Home Occupation under Sec. 5.2.2.C may install one monument or…
Kentucky's Home-Based Processor and Home-Based Microprocessor laws (KRS 217.136 and KRS 217.137, implemented by 902 KAR 45:090) allow home production of certain…
Bowling Green requires a Conditional Use Permit from the City-County Board of Adjustment for any 'Home Occupation' under Joint Zoning Ord. § 5.2.2.C. A no-customer, no-signage 'Home…
Bowling Green Building Division does not require a residential building permit for a detached storage shed, playhouse, or similar accessory structure under 200 square feet unless…
Bowling Green allows 'Accessory Apartments' in the RR, R-E, RS-1A, RS-1B, RS-1C, and RS-1D zones under Joint Zoning Ord. § 4.4.5.E(5), but with three significant local restrictions…
Converting a garage into habitable space in Bowling Green requires a building permit and electrical permit from the Building Division because it is a change of occupancy under the…
A tiny home on a permanent foundation in Bowling Green is treated as either a single-family dwelling or an Accessory Apartment and must meet the Kentucky Residential Code (815 KAR…
Detached carports in Bowling Green are accessory structures regulated by Joint Zoning Ord. § 4.4.5.E. A residential building permit is required from the Building Division for any…
Bowling Green has not adopted a stand-alone dark-sky or outdoor lighting ordinance. Site lighting for commercial, multi-family, and institutional projects is regulated through the…
Kentucky has no statewide light trespass statute. Excessive light spillover onto neighboring property is actionable as a private nuisance under common law applied uniformly across the…
Bowling Green Code § 26-8 requires that approved removals of public trees include re-seeding or replanting the disturbed area. Replacement species for public planting come from § 26-5…
Bowling Green does not maintain a regulated 'heritage tree' registry under Chapter XXVI. The Bowling Green Tree Board and the Sierra Club of Bowling Green jointly run the 'Big Trees of…
Bowling Green requires City approval ONLY for removal, cutting, or disturbance of PUBLIC trees (City-owned trees and trees in the public right-of-way) under Chapter XXVI § 26-8…
Bowling Green's tree code is consolidated in Chapter XXVI (Public Trees) of the Code of Ordinances, sections 26-1 through 26-12. The Bowling Green Community Tree Advisory Board (§…
Bowling Green is a Phase II MS4 community under the Kentucky Division of Water's KPDES MS4 General Permit (KYG20) and runs its local stormwater program out of Chapter 21 of the Code of…
Grading and drainage in Bowling Green is regulated through Chapter 21 of the City Code and Appendix B (Stormwater Management Guide) of the Warren County Subdivision Regulations. The…
Bowling Green requires Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control (EPSC) measures on every land-disturbing activity of 750 square feet or more under City Ordinance 21-2.03. An EPSC plan…
Bowling Green is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System (CRS) for flood-insurance discounts. Floodplain administration is run…
Solar PV systems in Bowling Green require an electrical permit from the Building Division at minimum, and a building permit if structural modifications are involved. Residential…
Kentucky does NOT have a statewide solar-rights statute that overrides HOA restrictions — a sharp contrast with Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. Bowling Green…
Bowling Green's solid waste collection is governed by Chapter 20 of the City Code. Residential collection inside the city limits is provided by Scott Waste Services under a franchise…
Bulk items such as furniture, mattresses, and appliances are collected by Scott Waste Services on request — call (270) 783-4016 to schedule. Brush and limbs are part of regular…
Bowling Green residential carts are serviced by Scott Waste Services using automated side-arm trucks, which requires customers to place carts at the curb with clearance from cars…
Bowling Green opted IN to host medical cannabis dispensaries. The Warren County City County Planning Commission adopted zoning amendments in spring 2024 limiting medical cannabis…
Home cultivation of marijuana is PROHIBITED in Bowling Green and across Kentucky. The state's medical cannabis program (SB 47 of 2023 as amended by HB 829 of 2024) authorizes only…
Bowling Green allows campaign signs on private property with the owner's permission. Signs are prohibited in any city right-of-way or utility easement and may not be attached to trees…
Bowling Green prohibits all signs — including garage sale and yard sale signs — in any city right-of-way or utility easement, on trees, utility poles, or traffic signs. Temporary…
Bowling Green does not set a calendar-based take-down date for residential holiday lights or seasonal decorations. They are not regulated as 'signs' under Article 4 of the Joint Zoning…
Residential trash collection in Bowling Green is provided by Scott Waste Services under a city franchise. City Code Chapter 20 (Solid Waste Collection) makes Scott the authorized…
Under City Code Chapter 27 (Property Code), Bowling Green applies the same property-maintenance standards to vacant and occupied lots. The city has amended Section 302.4 of the…
Bowling Green does not require a city permit or business license for a residential garage sale of personal household items. The City Code does not set an express limit on the number of…
Under City Code Chapter 27 (Property Code) and Section 27-5.05, it is unlawful to place, leave, deposit, or keep discarded or dilapidated items, trash, garbage, junk, or rubbish on any…
Bowling Green does not impose a specific time-deadline (e.g., '24 hours after snow stops') for residents to shovel snow off the public sidewalk. Under City Code 21-1.02, however, every…
Federal law (FAA Part 107 for commercial; 49 U.S.C. § 44809 for recreational) governs the airspace over Bowling Green — the City cannot regulate altitude or flight paths. Kentucky's…
Commercial drone operations in Kentucky require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, with airspace rules preempting local restrictions. State law adds protections against…
Under Ordinance BG2019-50 (City Code 15-7 and 15-8.02), Bowling Green permits mobile food units and pushcarts to operate on public rights-of-way only with a permit and annual sticker…
Operating a mobile food unit (food truck) or pushcart on Bowling Green public rights-of-way requires a permit under Ordinance BG2019-50, codified at City Code 15-7 and 15-8.02 (Mobile…
Kentucky law sets the state minimum wage at the federal floor and bars local governments from establishing higher minimum wages. Court rulings have invalidated local ordinances that…
Kentucky has no statewide paid sick leave mandate, and state law preempts local ordinances requiring employer-provided paid leave. Private employers set their own leave policies…
Kentucky has no predictive scheduling law, and state preemption prevents local governments from adopting fair workweek or scheduling ordinances. Employers retain broad discretion to…
Kentucky allows permitless concealed carry for adults 21 and older legally able to possess firearms, while continuing to issue concealed deadly weapon licenses. Local governments…
Kentucky law preempts local firearms regulation, reserving authority to the General Assembly. Cities, counties, and urban-county governments cannot enact ordinances regulating…
Open carry of firearms is generally lawful for adults in Kentucky who can legally possess a firearm. State preemption prevents local governments from banning open carry, though…
Kentucky allows lawful adults to carry firearms openly or concealed inside a motor vehicle without a permit. Permitless concealed carry at 21 and statewide preemption prevent local…
Kentucky has no single HOA assessment law. Condominiums get an automatic lien under KRS 381.9193, and planned communities formed after June 29, 2023 get a continuing lien under KRS…
Most Kentucky HOAs are nonprofit corporations governed by KRS Chapter 273, which requires books, minutes, and a member record, and gives members an inspection right under KRS 273.233…
Kentucky has no statute governing how HOAs enforce covenants or architectural rules. Enforcement of CC&Rs rests on the recorded declaration interpreted under common-law contract and…
Kentucky has no general statute authorizing or capping HOA fines. A traditional association's power to fine comes entirely from its recorded declaration and rules. For condominiums…
Kentucky overrides HOA documents in only a narrow area. KRS 381.800 voids any governing-document provision that bans political yard signs, and that override applies to all planned…
Kentucky has no statute requiring E-Verify, not for private employers and not for state contractors. Only the federal I-9 process applies to all Kentucky employers, and federal…
Kentucky has not enacted a statewide statute prohibiting local sanctuary policies. Bills to bar them and require cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, such as the 2025…
In URLTA-adopting Kentucky jurisdictions, KRS 383.660 requires a 7-day written notice to pay or quit for nonpayment of rent. For other material lease violations, the landlord gives a…
In URLTA-adopting Kentucky jurisdictions, KRS 383.595 requires landlords to meet building and housing codes, keep premises fit and habitable, maintain common areas and major systems…
Kentucky's adopted Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs evictions in opt-in jurisdictions and does not require landlords to show just cause for non-renewal.
In Kentucky cities and counties that adopted URLTA, KRS 383.615 requires a landlord to give at least two days' notice before entering and to enter only at reasonable times, except in…
Kentucky sets no statutory cap on residential late fees and no mandatory grace period. Even in cities and counties that adopted URLTA (KRS 383.500-.715), Chapter 383 contains no…
In URLTA-adopting Kentucky jurisdictions, KRS 383.695 lets either party end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before a periodic rental date, a week-to-week…
Kentucky prohibits any local government from enacting rent control on private residential property. KRS 65.875 reserves authority over rents exclusively to the state General Assembly…
Kentucky has no rent control and no dedicated rent-increase notice statute. In cities and counties that adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), a…
Kentucky sets no dollar cap on residential security deposits. Where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, landlords must hold deposits in a separate account…
Under KRS 413.010, a squatter can claim title only after 15 years of adverse possession of real property. KRS 413.060 shortens the period to 7 years where the occupant holds under…
Kentucky law restricts how local governments may zone agricultural land. Counties and cities cannot use zoning to unreasonably interfere with bona fide agricultural operations, and…
Kentucky's Right to Farm law protects established agricultural operations from nuisance suits and conflicting local ordinances. Farms operating for at least one year and following…
Kentucky has no statewide plastic-bag law, neither a ban nor a preemption of local ordinances. Single-use bags are legal statewide, and no KRS provision stops a city or county from…
Kentucky has no statewide law on polystyrene foam containers, no ban and no preemption of local rules. Foam cups, plates, and food containers are legal statewide, and no KRS section…
Kentucky has no statewide law on plastic straws, no ban and no preemption of local rules. Restaurants may hand out plastic straws freely, and a city or county could regulate them…
Kentucky prohibits the sale of tobacco, vapor, and alternative nicotine products to anyone under 21. The law conforms to federal Tobacco 21 standards and applies to all retail outlets…
Kentucky has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or vapor products. Sales remain lawful for buyers 21 and older, with limited authority for local boards of health to…
Kentucky regulates retail sales of vapor products through state licensing, age verification, and tax requirements. Retailers must verify ID for buyers under 30 and comply with…