Owensboro, KY Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

Owensboro Municipal Code § 5-129(e)(3) governs how the city serves notices of violation and citations on rental property, and it doubles as the city's rental registration rule. When a citation or notice of violation cannot be personally handed to an owner, resident, tenant or manager, the code enforcement officer may post a copy on the premises and mail a copy by first-class mail to the property owner's last known address as listed with the Daviess County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA). Because that PVA address is not always where an out-of-town or corporate landlord actually receives mail, the ordinance requires rental property owners to provide the Public Works Director with a current mailing address and the name of any individual or entity responsible for maintenance or management, whenever that address differs from the PVA listing.

New owners must submit this information to the Public Works Director at 1410 West Fifth Street, Owensboro, KY 42301, within 30 days of closing on the purchase. Owners must register to receive service anywhere other than the PVA address; without registration, the city may lawfully serve notices and citations only at the PVA-listed address, even if that address is stale. The ordinance is explicit that failing to keep contact information current is not, by itself, grounds to appeal a citation, so a landlord who never registers or updates an address cannot later claim they were not properly served.

The requirement applies to all rental property, defined under § 5-127 as real property for which a person receives payment for use or occupation, other than the recipient's own primary residence.