Owensboro, KY Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Owensboro Municipal Code § 5-127 defines 'heat supply days,' the period during which the International Property Maintenance Code's heating requirements (IPMC §§ 602.3 and 602.4) apply, as September 1 through May 30. It likewise defines 'ventilation days,' tied to IPMC § 304.14, as May 1 through October 31. These definitions plug into § 5-137(a), which adopts by reference entire chapters of the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code as the city's habitability and property-condition standard, including Chapter 302 Exterior Property Areas, Chapter 304 Exterior Structure, Chapter 305 Interior Structure, Chapter 501 General and 502 Required Facilities governing plumbing and sanitary fixtures, and Chapter 601 General and 602 Heating Facilities.

A landlord or owner who fails to keep a structure compliant with these adopted chapters, for example by not supplying heat during heat supply days or adequate ventilation during ventilation days, is in violation of the property maintenance code and subject to the same public-nuisance enforcement as any other property maintenance violation: § 5-137(a) states that violations of the adopted IPMC provisions shall be deemed a nuisance enforceable by any and all provisions of the property maintenance code, and the more restrictive language governs if the adopted code conflicts with any other city ordinance.

Enforcement runs through the same code enforcement officer and Code Enforcement Board process as other property maintenance nuisances under §§ 5-129 and 5-131 through 5-135, meaning a tenant or the city can trigger a notice of violation, citation, and hearing over inadequate heat, plumbing, or structural conditions in a rental unit in the City of Owensboro.