Bowling Green, KY Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Once the Code Compliance and Animal Protection Division has a complaint in hand, Sec. 2-21.09 of the Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board subchapter governs what happens next. A Code Enforcement Officer who believes, based on personal observation or investigation, that a violation exists can issue a citation outright, or first give the violator written notice of the violation with a set period to fix it without a fine; informal settlement is encouraged. Notices go out by any method the officer picks, but citations must be served by personal delivery, by leaving a copy with an adult on the premises, by first-class mail to the violator's last known address, or, if none of those works, by posting it in a conspicuous place on the property.

Every citation must state the property description, the violator's name and address, the date and facts of the violation, the section of the ordinance violated, the officer's name, the procedure for paying or contesting the fine, and the maximum civil fine if the citation is contested. Under Sec. 27-7.01, an uncontested first-offense structural violation costs $150.00, a second offense within five years costs $300.00, and any further offense in that period costs $600.00; non-structural violations run $100.00, $200.00 and $400.00 on the same schedule. The person cited has seven days to pay or to request a hearing before the Code Enforcement Board; missing that window waives both the hearing and any later appeal to District Court.

Sec. 2-21.09(e) lets the City bypass the citation process and correct a violation through self-help when there is imminent danger or an irreversible threat to public health and safety. Sec. 27-6.01 ties this Subchapter 2-21 citation process directly to enforcement of Chapter 27's property maintenance and nuisance provisions.