Jessamine County, KY Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Test for unfit
- Conditions dangerous or injurious to health, safety or morals of occupants
- Listed conditions
- Fire hazards, inadequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities, dilapidation, structural defects, uncleanliness
- Decision-maker
- Board of Adjustments of the Jessamine County-City of Wilmore Planning Commission
- Eviction step
- 10 days' notice to occupants, then county district court order
- Scope
- Any structure used for human habitation, not only rentals
Summary
Chapter 151 of the Jessamine County Code does not single out rental housing. In unincorporated Jessamine County, Kentucky, it lets the Board of Adjustments find any structure used for human habitation unfit when conditions endanger occupants, and it allows an eviction order against occupants of a structure ordered vacated.
The Board of Adjustments may determine that a structure is unfit for human habitation, occupancy or use if it finds that conditions exist in the structure which are dangerous or injurious to the health, safety or morals of the occupants of the structure, the occupants of neighboring structures or other residents of the county. These conditions may include the following (without limiting the generality of the foregoing): defects increasing the hazards of fire, accident or other calamities; lack of adequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities; dilapidation, disrepair, structural defects and uncleanliness. ... When the Board of Adjustments has determined as unfit for human habitation, occupancy or use any structure, pursuant to the provisions hereunder, and has ordered same to be vacated, the County Officer may, after 10 days' notice to the occupant or occupants thereof, apply to the county district court and obtain from the court an order of eviction against the occupant or occupants should they refuse to quit possession thereof.
Full Breakdown
Jessamine County's habitability standard sits in Section 151.06 of the Code, and it is written for any structure, not for rentals. The chapter defines structure as any building or part of one used or occupied, or intended for use or occupancy, for human habitation or commercial or industrial purposes, including outbuildings and appurtenances. The words tenant and landlord do not appear in the chapter. It speaks of owners, parties in interest and occupants.
Under Section 151.06, the Board of Adjustments can determine that a structure is unfit for human habitation, occupancy or use if it finds conditions dangerous or injurious to the health, safety or morals of its occupants, the occupants of neighboring structures or other residents of the county. The listed conditions are defects increasing the hazards of fire, accident or other calamities; lack of adequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities; dilapidation, disrepair, structural defects and uncleanliness. The code says the list does not limit the generality of the finding, so the Board is not confined to those items.
A finding follows a complaint and hearing. The owner has 10 days from service to answer, and the hearing is held at least 10 days but no more than 45 days after service. If the Board finds the structure unfit, it issues a written order for the owner to repair, alter or improve it, or vacate and close it, or to remove or demolish it when repair is not possible or not made within a reasonable time.
Occupants are affected by Section 151.07. Once the Board has ordered a structure vacated, the County Officer can, after 10 days' notice to the occupant or occupants, apply to the county district court for an order of eviction against anyone who refuses to leave. The County Officer can also post the entrance of a closed structure with a sign stating that use or occupancy for human habitation is prohibited and unlawful.
For existing buildings, this is the county's remedy: an owner order enforced through a lien, not a tenant rent-withholding or repair-and-deduct rule.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 151 prints no fine or jail term. An owner who ignores a Board of Adjustments order faces repair, closing or demolition by the County Officer, with the cost recorded as a lien on the real property. Occupants who refuse to leave a structure ordered vacated face an eviction order from the county district court after 10 days' notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jessamine County have a separate rental habitability code?
What conditions can make a home unfit under Section 151.06?
Can occupants be removed from an unfit building?
Who enforces this standard in unincorporated Jessamine County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jessamine County
Compare Jessamine County to another location·View the Kentucky rental property rules overview
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