Bowling Green, KY Solar Energy: HOA Restrictions (2026)

Kentucky has no statutory analog to Florida's Solar Rights Act (Fla. Stat. 163.04), California's Solar Rights Act (Cal. Civ. Code 714), Texas Property Code 202.010, Colorado's C.R.S. 38-30-168, or Arizona's A.R.S. 33-1816 — all of which void HOA restrictions that effectively prohibit residential solar. Kentucky's only solar-property statute is KRS 381.200, which authorizes solar easements but ONLY by voluntary written agreement between adjoining property owners; it does NOT preempt HOA restrictions. As a result, an HOA in Bowling Green can lawfully prohibit, restrict, or condition solar PV installations through its recorded Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) and architectural review committee approvals — and that prohibition is enforceable in Warren Circuit Court under standard Kentucky covenant-enforcement law. The Kentucky Planned Community Act (Senate Bill 120 of 2023, codified at KRS Chapter 381) created the state's first statutory framework for planned community HOAs covering budgets, records access, assessments, liens, and open board meetings — but it did NOT add solar-access protections. Older HOAs and condominium associations (Kentucky Horizontal Property Law, KRS 381.805 to 381.910) likewise have no statutory solar override. The Kentucky Solar Energy Society and the Mountain Association have lobbied for a true Solar Rights Act, but none has passed as of 2026. Practical guidance for Bowling Green homeowners: read the CC&Rs and architectural guidelines BEFORE signing a solar contract; submit the design (panel color, location, conduit routing, ground-mount setbacks) to the ARC in writing; preserve all correspondence; and budget for the possibility of denial or aesthetic conditions (rear-roof-only placement, dark-frame modules, matching-roof color). Solar contracts should include a contingency clause for HOA approval.