McCracken County, KY Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered
- vacant lots explicitly named in scope (§ 110.02)
- Core duty
- no trash, junk, or dilapidated items on land
- Excluded
- City of Paducah, which has its own code
- Owner liable
- even for a tenant's or trespasser's dumping
- First offense fine
- up to $500 (§ 110.99(A)(1))
- Repeat offender
- 12-24 months, up to $2,500 fine
Summary
McCracken County's property maintenance code, § 110.02, expressly covers vacant lots along with buildings and other property, and § 110.11 bars leaving dilapidated items, trash, garbage, junk, or junk motor vehicles on any private property in the county, including land with no structure on it. A vacant lot owner who lets a nuisance develop faces the same Code Enforcement Officer and fine schedule as any other property.
This chapter shall apply to proposed and existing buildings or structures or appurtenances connected or attached to such buildings or structures, vacant lots, premises and other private and public property in the county as identified herein. This property maintenance code shall not apply to properties within the incorporated limits of the City of Paducah. ... It shall be unlawful to place, leave, deposit, or keep dilapidated and/or discarded items or objects, trash, garbage, junk, junk motor vehicles, and/or rubbish on any private property in the county. Such dilapidated and/or discarded items or objects, trash, garbage, junk and/or rubbish are declared to be a public nuisance. No person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge of any property or premises shall maintain or keep any nuisance thereon, nor shall any such person keep or maintain such property or premises in a manner which could cause a substantial reduction in the value of the other property in the area in which such property or premises are located.
Full Breakdown
Section 110.02 sets the scope of the county's property maintenance code to reach proposed and existing buildings, appurtenances, vacant lots, premises, and other private and public property in the county, while carving out properties inside the incorporated limits of the City of Paducah, which has its own code. Section 110.11 then imposes the core duty: it is unlawful to place, leave, deposit, or keep dilapidated or discarded items, trash, garbage, junk, junk motor vehicles, or rubbish on any private property, vacant or not, and any person owning, leasing, occupying, or having charge of the property cannot maintain a nuisance on it or let it fall into a condition that would substantially reduce the value of neighboring property.
Because a vacant lot has no structure, the nuisance conditions most likely to apply are those under § 110.13 that do not require a building, such as (A) junk storage, (B) construction or debris accumulation, and (E) weeds and grasses over ten inches. Section 110.05 holds the titled owner responsible even where a tenant, guest, or unknown third party created the condition, and presumes the owner is aware of it unless the owner proves otherwise.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of §§ 110.11 or 110.13 on a vacant lot draws up to $500 under § 110.99(A)(1), a second offense up to $1,000, and further offenses up to $2,000. The Code Enforcement Board can classify a chronically neglected lot as a repeat offender for 12 to 24 months under § 110.21, permitting citation without advance notice and a fine up to $2,500 after a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does McCracken County's property maintenance code apply to an empty lot?
What can't be left on a vacant lot in McCracken County?
Who is responsible for a nuisance on a vacant lot with no tenant?
What is the fine for an unmaintained vacant lot in McCracken County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McCracken County
Compare McCracken County to another location·View the Kentucky property maintenance overview
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