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 exceeded state law.
KRS 337.275 establishes Kentucky's minimum wage, currently aligned with the federal $7.25 per hour rate. The Kentucky Supreme Court held in Kentucky Restaurant Ass'n v. Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (2016) that local minimum wage ordinances were preempted by state law. KRS Chapter 337 occupies the field of wage and hour regulation, and cities like Louisville and Lexington had to roll back local minimum wage increases. Tipped wages remain at $2.13 per hour with tip credit, and overtime requirements follow federal Fair Labor Standards Act standards.
Local minimum wage ordinances are void and unenforceable. Wage violations under state law are enforced by the Department of Workplace Standards with civil penalties and back wage recovery.
See how Burlington's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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