Franklin County, KY Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

The Franklin County Code has no section that tells a customer to report a leak by a deadline. What it has, in Chapter 53's Water Conservation subchapter, is a repair duty tied to water shortages. Section 53.21 defines WASTE OF WATER to include permitting water to escape down a gutter, ditch or other surface drain, and failure to repair a controllable leak of water due to defective plumbing. Section 53.21 also lists failure to repair a controllable leak under Class 3 non-essential uses in the commercial and civic category, and states that any waste of water is non-essential.

The duty bites only when the Fiscal Court's shortage machinery is running. The General Manager of the Frankfort Electric and Water Plant Board, the public purveyor of potable water in the county, certifies conditions in writing to the County Judge/Executive. Under § 53.22 the County Judge/Executive may then declare a water shortage advisory and call on customers to use voluntary measures to limit Class 3 use and eliminate the waste of water. Under § 53.23, a water shortage alert brings a ban on all non-essential (Class 3) water uses for the duration of the shortage, until it is declared ended by resolution of the governing body. Under § 53.24, a water shortage emergency adds a ban on Class 2 uses. Section 53.26 ends a declaration when the General Manager finds the conditions no longer exist and certifies that to the County Judge/Executive.

A customer in unincorporated Franklin County, Kentucky, who leaves a controllable leak unrepaired during an alert or emergency is therefore using water the code bans. Section 53.25 lets the County Judge/Executive or the General Manager issue further regulations during a shortage, subject to approval of the governing bodies at their next meetings.