Kentucky HOA Laws: Statutes, Rules & Board Duties

What Kentucky statutes actually require of community associations — meetings, fines, assessments and liens, records, reserves, architectural review, and the resident protections a board cannot override. Every point is cited to statute.

By the Grihak Team · Researched 2026-07-09

Governing statutes

• Kentucky has no single, comprehensive HOA code. Which statute applies depends on the community type: condominiums, "horizontal property" regimes, and (since 2023) planned communities each have their own chapter, and much of the day-to-day governance still comes from the community's own declaration and bylaws plus the Kentucky Nonprofit Corporation Act (KRS Chapter 273) (or the unincorporated-association act, KRS Chapter 273A).
• Kentucky Condominium Act, KRS 381.9101–.9207 — a UCIOA-style modern act governing condominiums created on or after January 1, 2011 (and older condos that opt in) (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=39147; short title KRS 381.9101).
• Horizontal Property Law, KRS 381.805–.910 — the 1962-era condominium statute governing condos created before January 1, 2011 (short title KRS 381.805, https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35513 covers the related lien section 381.883).
• Kentucky Planned Community Act, KRS 381.785–.801 — created by 2023 SB 120 (2023 Ky. Acts ch. 23), Kentucky's first statutory framework for non-condominium (single-family / planned-community) HOAs. Effective June 29, 2023 (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53657).
• Important applicability limit: the Planned Community Act does not invalidate any provision that was in a governing document recorded before June 29, 2023, and its declaration-filing/formation rules apply only to associations formed after June 29, 2023 (KRS 381.786, https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53657). So for the large stock of pre-2023 single-family HOAs, the declaration/bylaws + KRS Chapter 273 still do most of the work — the statutory floor is thin.

Meetings & notice

• Condominiums (KRS 381.9177): at least one association meeting per year; special meetings may be called by the president, a majority of the executive board, or owners holding 20% of the votes; notice must be given not less than 10 nor more than 60 days in advance by hand-delivery or U.S. mail, stating time, place, and agenda items (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36855).
• Condominium quorum (KRS 381.9179): unless bylaws say otherwise, 10% of votes for association meetings and 50% of votes for executive-board meetings (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40013).
• Planned communities (KRS 381.792): at least one annual meeting; quorum 10% of lot owners; special meetings by the president, majority of the board, or 20% of owners (secretary must convene within 30 days); meeting notice no less than 10 nor more than 30 days in advance by mail, hand-delivery, or electronic delivery, stating time, place, and agenda; one vote per lot, no cumulative voting (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53663).
• Open board meetings — planned communities only: under KRS 381.793, board meetings shall be open to owners except during executive sessions, and the board quorum is 51% of directors (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53664). (verify — the Condominium Act and Horizontal Property Law contain no comparable statutory open-meeting mandate; that comes from the governing documents.)
• Non-condo HOAs formed before June 29, 2023 rely primarily on their bylaws and KRS Chapter 273 default meeting/notice rules — there is no across-the-board statutory notice period for them. (verify against the specific community's documents.)

Fines & enforcement

• No statewide HOA fine cap and no detailed statutory due-process code like California's. Kentucky sets only a minimum "notice and opportunity to be heard" floor.
• Condominiums (KRS 381.9167(1)(k)): the association may impose late-payment charges and, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, levy reasonable fines for violations, including recovery of reasonable enforcement fees and attorney fees (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40011).
• Planned communities (KRS 381.797(2)): before imposing a fine, damage charge, or individual assessment, the board must give the owner written notice and an opportunity to be heard (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53668).
• Access denial as enforcement (KRS 381.797(6)): a planned-community board may deny a delinquent owner access to common areas, but may not block road access that provides direct access to the owner's lot (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53668).
• The amount of any fine, the schedule, and hearing mechanics are otherwise governed by the declaration/bylaws — Kentucky does not fix a dollar cap. (verify any fine amount against the community's own rules.)

Assessments, liens & foreclosure

• Condominium lien (KRS 381.9193): the association has an automatic lien on a unit from the time an assessment or fine becomes due; it may be foreclosed like a mortgage; it secures unpaid assessments, late/collection charges, fines, attorney fees, and interest; and it takes priority over other liens except (a) liens recorded before the declaration, (b) a first mortgage recorded before the assessment became delinquent, and (c) real-estate-tax/governmental liens. Recording the declaration perfects the lien. Enforcement must begin within 5 years of the debt becoming due (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36861).
• Condominium assessment interest (KRS 381.9191(2)): past-due common-expense assessments bear interest at the rate set by the association, not exceeding 18% per year (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36859).
• Planned-community lien (KRS 381.799): the association has a continuing lien for unpaid assessments, special assessments, charges, interest, fines, late fees, collection costs, and reasonable attorney fees that remain unpaid 30 days after becoming due; it is prior to other liens except governmental/tax liens and any mortgage or encumbrance recorded before the association's lien was recorded (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53670).
• Planned-community interest/late fees (KRS 381.796(4)): the board may charge interest or a late fee at the rate it sets, not to exceed any maximum rate allowed by law (no fixed statutory percentage) (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53667).
• Horizontal Property (pre-2011) lien (KRS 381.883): unpaid common-expense assessments are a lien prior to all other liens except tax/governmental liens and sums unpaid on first mortgages of record; enforceable like a mortgage, with a possible receiver and rental charge (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35513).
• No statutory foreclosure dollar threshold or redemption period specific to HOAs (unlike California's $1,800 / 12-month rule); Kentucky uses ordinary mortgage-style foreclosure. (verify — general mortgage-foreclosure procedure and any equity-of-redemption rules apply.)

Records access

• Condominiums (KRS 381.9197(1)): the association must keep GAAP-based financial records, and all financial and other records must be made reasonably available for examination by any unit owner and authorized agents (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40015).
• Condominium payoff statement (KRS 381.9193(8)): on written request the association must provide a recordable statement of unpaid assessments within 10 business days, binding on the association (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36861).
• Planned communities (KRS 381.795): owners may examine and copy books, records, and minutes under reasonable standards set by the declaration/bylaws (time, place, copy fees), but the board may withhold personnel matters, attorney-client/work-product material, contracts under negotiation/confidential terms, assessment-collection and past-due owner lists, and records whose disclosure is barred by law (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53666).
• No fixed statutory turnaround (e.g., "10 business days for current-year records") for general records the way California's § 5210 sets; Kentucky uses a "reasonably available" / "reasonable standards" standard instead. (verify against the community's own records policy.)

Reserves & budgets

• No mandatory reserve study or reserve-funding requirement in Kentucky — a notable gap versus states like California. Reserves are permissive.
• Planned-community budget (KRS 381.790 & 381.797): the board must annually adopt a budget (which may include reserves for future capital repair/replacement) and provide it to owners within 30 days of adoption; a budget increase greater than 15% over the prior year triggers a special meeting for member ratification, held within 45 days (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53661; https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53668).
• Condominium budget ratification (KRS 381.9169(3)): if the board adopts a budget, it must give owners a summary within 30 days; a budget increase greater than 15% requires an owner ratification meeting 14–30 days out, and the budget is deemed ratified unless a majority of all unit owners reject it (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40012).
• Financial-report tiers (KRS 381.794, planned communities): report due within 180 days of fiscal year-end and made available within 30 days after the board receives it; report standard scales with revenue — cash-basis statement under $125,000, compilation $125K–$300K, review $300K–$1M, audit $1M+ (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53665).
• Financial-report tiers (KRS 381.9197, condominiums): report by an independent/CPA accountant due within 150 days of fiscal year-end, available within 30 days after the board receives it; cash-basis under $100,000, compilation $100K–$250K, review $250K–$500K, audit $500K+ (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40015).

Architectural control

• No Kentucky statute governs architectural review, approval timelines, or denial procedures. Architectural control is entirely a creature of the declaration/CC&Rs and bylaws, enforced under general covenant and contract law.
• The Planned Community Act and Condominium Act regulate governance, budgets, assessments, and liens but do not impose a "fair, reasonable, good-faith" review standard or a decision deadline like California's Civ. Code § 4765. (verify — any approval timeline or standard comes solely from the specific community's documents.)
• Boards still owe fiduciary duties (care, loyalty, good faith) when acting on architectural requests, under KRS 381.9170 / KRS Chapter 273 for condos and KRS 381.793(3) (incorporating KRS 273.215 and 273.229) for planned communities. (verify application to a specific decision.)

Protected activities (what an HOA generally cannot prohibit)

• Political yard signs (KRS 381.800): an association's governing documents may not prohibit an owner/resident from displaying political yard signs; signs are allowed from 30 days before through 7 days after an election (longer if a local ordinance allows); reasonable placement/size/manner rules are permitted. All planned communities are subject, and contrary existing document provisions are void (amended 2025, eff. June 27, 2025; https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56131).
• U.S. flag: protected under the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 (Kentucky has no separate flag statute for HOAs). (verify — federal, not Kentucky, law.)
• Satellite dishes / antennas: protected under the FCC OTARD rule, 47 C.F.R. § 1.4000 (federal). (verify — federal, not Kentucky, law.)
• Solar panels — NO Kentucky protection. Kentucky has no solar-access statute limiting HOA restrictions on solar installations in planned communities; Kentucky's 1982 solar-easement law does not override HOA covenants. An HOA may restrict or prohibit solar under its documents. (verify — this is a real gap; confirm no newer statute.)
• No Kentucky statutes protecting EV charging stations, clotheslines, drought-tolerant landscaping, ADUs, or religious door displays the way California does — those turn entirely on the governing documents. (verify — confirm no local ordinance or newer statute applies.)

Fair housing & assistance animals

• Kentucky Civil Rights Act / Fair Housing (KRS Chapter 344, esp. KRS 344.360 et seq.) prohibits housing discrimination — including by associations — on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability, and national origin, mirroring the federal Fair Housing Act (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32602 covers Chapter 344 purposes).
• Associations must make reasonable accommodations in rules and policies for persons with disabilities, including allowing service and emotional-support/assistance animals notwithstanding "no pets," breed, or size rules.
• KRS 383.085 codifies assistance-animal reasonable-accommodation rules and permits reliable documentation of a disability-related need where the need is not obvious; note this statute sits in the landlord-tenant chapter (KRS 383), so its direct application to an owner-occupied HOA is uncertain, but the federal FHA and KRS 344 still bind associations (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=49072). (verify — confirm 383.085's reach to HOA/condo owner contexts.)
• Housing-discrimination complaints may be filed with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights or HUD. (verify filing deadlines.)

Required disclosures

• Condominium resale certificate (KRS 381.9203): before contract or conveyance, a seller must furnish the buyer the declaration, bylaws, rules, and a signed certificate disclosing: right-of-first-refusal effects, current assessment amount and any unpaid/special/emergency assessments, other fees, anticipated capital expenditures (current + next two fiscal years if known), reserves, the most recent balance sheet/income statement and operating budget, date of the last financial report, unsatisfied judgments and pending suits over $10,000, and insurance coverage. The association must supply the certificate within 10 days of a written request; the sales contract is voidable until the certificate is provided and for 5 days thereafter (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40017).
• Certificate fee cap (KRS 381.9167(1)(l)): the preparation fee may not exceed the lesser of $225 or 80% of the current monthly assessment, and no more than $50 to update a certificate issued the same fiscal year (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40011).
• Planned communities & pre-2011 condos have no equivalent statutory resale-disclosure package — disclosures on sale depend on the governing documents and general real-estate disclosure law. (verify — no Planned Community Act resale-certificate section exists.)
• Annual budget/financial report disclosure obligations are covered under Reserves & budgets above (KRS 381.790/.794 and 381.9169/.9197).

Dispute resolution

• Kentucky imposes no statutory internal dispute resolution (IDR) or pre-litigation ADR/mediation requirement for HOA disputes — a significant gap versus California's mandatory IDR/ADR regime.
• The only statutory "hearing" rights are the pre-fine/pre-charge "notice and opportunity to be heard" steps (condo KRS 381.9167(1)(k); planned community KRS 381.797(2)) — these are internal, not a formal ADR process (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40011; https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53668).
• Owners and associations generally resolve disputes through the community's own procedures, the association's authority to sue and be sued (condo KRS 381.9167(1)(d)), and ordinary civil litigation in Kentucky courts; mediation is available but not statutorily mandated. (verify — check the declaration/bylaws for any private ADR clause.)

Recent changes (2023–2026)

• 2023 SB 120 — Kentucky Planned Community Act (KRS 381.785–.801, eff. June 29, 2023): the state's first HOA-specific statute for non-condominium planned communities, setting minimum rules on formation, boards, meetings/notice/quorum, budgets, financial reports, records, assessments, fines-notice, liens, and political signs — but grandfathering pre-June-29-2023 document provisions and applying formation rules only to new associations (KRS 381.786) (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53657).
• 2025 HB 27 (2025 Ky. Acts ch. 32, eff. June 27, 2025): amended KRS 381.800 to strengthen political-yard-sign protection and declare contrary provisions in existing planned-community documents void (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56131).
• 2026 SB 233 ("AN ACT relating to property owner associations"): a bill amending KRS 381.794 (planned-community financial records/report) — appears in the 2026 Regular Session. (verify — confirm whether SB 233 was enacted and its effective date; treat as pending/proposed until verified: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb233/bill.pdf.)
• KRS 381.803 ("Failure to maintain infrastructure or common area") was added alongside the Planned Community Act to address common-area maintenance failures. (verify exact contents and effective date.)
• Condominium Act 2012 amendments (2012 Ky. Acts ch. 99, HB 433): technical updates to quorum (KRS 381.9179) and financial-report (KRS 381.9197) provisions (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40013).

Sources

• KRS Chapter 381 table of contents (all condominium, horizontal-property, and planned-community sections) — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=39147
• Planned Community Act (2023): 381.786 applicability (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53657); 381.787 organization/board (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53658); 381.790 budget/insurance/records (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53661); 381.792 meetings/notice/quorum (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53663); 381.793 open board meetings/director standards (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53664); 381.794 financial report (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53665); 381.795 records examination (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53666); 381.796 assessments/interest (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53667); 381.797 special assessments/budget/fine notice (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53668); 381.799 lien/priority (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53670); 381.800 political signs (current, eff. 2025-06-27) (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56131)
• Kentucky Condominium Act (2011): 381.9167 powers/fines/certificate-fee-cap (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40011); 381.9169 executive board/budget ratification (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40012); 381.9177 meetings/notice (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36855); 381.9179 quorums (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40013); 381.9191 assessments/18% interest (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36859); 381.9193 lien/priority/5-yr/10-day statement (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36861); 381.9197 records/financial report (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40015); 381.9203 resale certificate (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=40017)
• Horizontal Property Law (pre-2011 condos): 381.883 lien/foreclosure (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35513); short title 381.805 and definitions 381.810 (chapter TOC above)
• Fair housing / assistance animals: KRS Chapter 344 purposes (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=32602); KRS 383.085 assistance animals (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=49072); federal Fair Housing Act and FCC OTARD rule (47 C.F.R. § 1.4000)
• Nonprofit corporation governance: Kentucky Nonprofit Corporation Act, KRS Chapter 273 (director standards KRS 273.215, 273.229), and KRS Chapter 273A (unincorporated nonprofit associations)
• 2026 SB 233 (pending — verify enactment) — https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb233/bill.pdf
• Secondary/plain-English overviews (for orientation, not authority): Kaman & Cusimano communityassociations.law (https://communityassociations.law/kentucky-condominium-act/), Homeowners Protection Bureau (https://www.hopb.co/kentucky), RunHOA (https://www.runhoa.com/kentucky-laws/)

HOA laws in other states

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