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

102 of the Rules and Procedures of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. A "complainant" is defined broadly as any person, including an urban county government officer or employee, who has lodged a complaint with the advocate on their own behalf or on behalf of someone else. To open a case, the advocate solicits information from the complainant about which department, office, officer or employee they believe is responsible for the problem, then routes the request to that unit's supervisor: defined by the rules as the mayor for the office of the mayor, the chief administrative officer for administrative services, department commissioners for LFUCG departments, and the highest-ranking official for any other government office or agency.

The office's authority is bounded: it cannot sue the urban county government, spend funds on legal representation without council authorization, or represent a resident in legal or administrative proceedings, though it may investigate a complaint against an LFUCG officer or employee like any other resident complaint. Jurisdiction is limited to complaints by Fayette County residents concerning the actions of the urban county government, its officers, agents, or employees. The advocate is also expected to try resolving grievances through this internal administrative process before public disclosure of abuses or irregularities, unless the urban county council modifies that approach case by case.