Oldham County, KY Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Oldham County Code Chapter 91, Nuisances, applies to any property in the county, occupied or vacant. Section 91.01 defines NUISANCE broadly as any condition or use of premises or building exteriors detrimental to the property of others, that tends to substantially diminish neighboring property values, or that is dangerous, detrimental, or offensive to the health or senses of residents. The definition specifically includes keeping, depositing, or scattering lumber, junk, trash, or debris; abandoned or discarded objects such as automobiles, furniture, stoves, refrigerators, or freezers; manure or compost piles that spread disease, emit odors, or attract vermin, except farm and nursery operations kept over 100 feet from the property line; and unsanitary, deleterious, or septic matter not kept in animal- and pest-proof containers.

Section 91.02, Duty of Maintenance of Private Property, then makes it unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, or person in charge of any property, improved or not, to maintain or keep a nuisance on it, or to keep the premises in a way that substantially diminishes surrounding property values. Enforcement under Section 91.04 starts when two county residents file a written petition with the County Zoning Enforcement Officer; after a preliminary inspection confirms a basis for the complaint, the county serves notice giving the owner ten days to abate the nuisance.

Under Section 91.99, failing to abate within that window is a criminal offense punishable by a $50 to $500 fine per offense, with each additional day treated as a separate offense, and the county may instead pursue civil enforcement before the County Code Enforcement Board.