Louisville, KY Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- LMCO Chapter 119
- Registration fee
- $25 to $250 by zoning district
- Inspection trigger
- 30 days after unregistered-unit notice
- First-offense penalty
- $100 per rental unit
- Enforced by
- Code Enforcement Board
Summary
Louisville Metro requires every rental housing unit to register with Codes and Regulations. Miss the 30-day deadline after a notice of noncompliance and the Department inspects every unit in the property, not just the unregistered one.
If the rental housing unit is not registered within 30 days of date of the notice, the Department shall conduct inspections of all units within the rental housing unit. The inspections required by this subsection shall be in addition to any inspections the Department is authorized to make under Chapter 156 based upon a complaint about the property. Inspections shall only occur upon proper notice under KRS 383.615 of the Uniform Landlord Residential Tenant Act, by administrative warrant, or upon consent of the occupant.
(b) Pursuant to KRS 383.705, a tenant may maintain an action for retaliatory conduct by a landlord where a tenant has complained to a governmental agency charged with responsibility for enforcement of a building or housing code of a violation applicable to the premises materially affecting health and safety.
(6) In any proceeding before the Board of Code Enforcement it shall be a rebuttable presumption that the subject property is a rental housing unit when the property is occupied by someone other than the owner of record.
(C) Whenever ownership for a rental housing unit or a multi- unit rental housing facility changes, the new owner shall register the rental housing unit or multi-unit rental housing facility within 30 days of the transfer of ownership. A change in ownership of a rental housing unit or multi-unit rental housing facility shall invalidate any existing registration for that property after 30 days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-47: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of July 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 119 of the Louisville Metro Code requires landlords to register each rental unit online with the Department of Codes and Regulations, listing the owner, managing operator, and unit details; the nonrefundable fee runs from $25 to $250 depending on the property's zoning classification. Registration data feeds a public online rental registry that also flags units cited for lead-hazard violations. If an owner does not register within 30 days of a violation notice, the Department does not just cite that unit: it conducts inspections of every unit in the rental housing unit or building, carried out by administrative warrant, occupant consent, or notice under KRS 383.615.
Violations & Fines
Failure to register is a civil offense: $100 per unit for a first offense, $250 for a second offense within 24 months, and $500 for further offenses in that period. Each day of noncompliance is a separate offense, and Metro Government can place a lien on the property for unpaid penalties and enforcement costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Louisville Metro inspect all rental units automatically?
How much does rental registration cost in Louisville Metro?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Louisville
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