Bowling Green, KY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Property maintenance and blight in Bowling Green are enforced primarily through City Code Chapter 27 (Property Code), which adopts the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments. The operative nuisance provision is City Code 27-5.05 — 'Certain Conditions Declared a Nuisance.' It is unlawful to place, leave, deposit, or keep discarded and/or dilapidated items or objects, trash, garbage, junk, and/or rubbish on any private property in the city, and such items are declared to be a public nuisance. The code further requires that all vacant structures, premises, or vacant land be maintained in a clean, safe, secure, and sanitary condition so as not to cause a blighting problem or adversely affect the public health or safety. Inoperable vehicles — wrecked, rusted, or non-functional vehicles lacking current registration — cannot be stored improperly on residential property. Code enforcement is handled by City of Bowling Green Code Compliance & Animal Protection (707 E. Main Avenue; 270-393-3444). The process starts with a Notice of Violation giving the owner a reasonable time to comply. Failure to comply can lead the city to enter the property and abate (clean up) the condition, billing the owner for all costs and assessing the bill as a lien. Citations under Chapter 27 are adjudicated by the Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board under City Code Chapter 2-21, using the non-judicial civil-offense process authorized by Kentucky's Local Government Nuisance Code Enforcement Act (KRS 82.700 to 82.725). Maximum fines for ordinance violations are set in Chapter 27; general violations are subject to fines up to $100 per offense, with each day of continuing violation treated as a separate offense.