Kentucky Eviction Notice

Introduction

Key Things to Know

1. 1

   An eviction notice is a written notice a landlord must serve on a tenant to begin ending a tenancy for cause, before filing a forcible detainer lawsuit in court.

2. 2

   Kentucky's 7-day and 14-day notice rules apply only in cities and counties that have adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) by local ordinance, such as Jefferson County (Louisville) and Fayette County (Lexington). Outside those jurisdictions, these day counts do not apply. (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.500)

3. 3

   In a URLTA jurisdiction, nonpayment of rent gets a 7-day pay-or-quit notice: written notice of the nonpayment and the landlord's intent to terminate if the rent is not paid within 7 days. (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660(2))

4. 4

   In a URLTA jurisdiction, a curable lease violation gets a 14-day cure-or-quit notice: the tenant has until the date stated in the notice, at least 14 days after receipt, to remedy the breach. If not remedied within 15 days, the agreement terminates. (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660(1))

5. 5

   If substantially the same violation recurs within 6 months of a prior 14-day notice, Kentucky law does not require a further cure opportunity; the landlord may terminate on 14 days' written notice with no chance to fix it a second time. (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660(1))

6. 6

   Outside URLTA jurisdictions, ending a tenancy at will or by sufferance requires 1 month's written notice, and nonpayment or lease-violation evictions during a lease term follow the lease's own terms rather than a statewide statutory day count. (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.195)

7. 7

   There's no state-mandated form for the pre-filing notice itself, but URLTA notices must state specific content (the amount due and intent to terminate, or the specific breach and termination date). In URLTA jurisdictions, notice may be delivered in hand or by registered or certified mail; either method is acceptable. (Kentucky Revised Statutes Sections 383.660, 383.560)

Kentucky Requirements for Eviction Notice

• Notice Period for Nonpayment of Rent (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660(2))

  In cities and counties that have adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), if rent is unpaid when due, the landlord must give written notice of the nonpayment and the landlord's intention to terminate the rental agreement if the rent is not paid within 7 days. Outside URLTA jurisdictions, this statutory day count does not apply; nonpayment eviction during a lease term follows the lease's own terms.

• Non-URLTA Notice Rule (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.195)

  In jurisdictions where URLTA has not been locally adopted, a tenancy at will or by sufferance may be terminated by the landlord giving 1 month's written notice to the tenant requiring removal. This is a separate statutory track from the URLTA 7-day and 14-day notices above and applies statewide, regardless of local URLTA adoption.

• Service of Notice Requirements (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.560)

  In URLTA jurisdictions, a notice is received by the tenant when it is delivered in hand, or mailed by registered or certified mail to the tenant's designated address for receiving communications, or, if none is designated, to the tenant's last known place of residence. The statute states no order of preference between the two methods.

• URLTA Applies Only Where Locally Adopted (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.500)

  The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRS 383.505 to 383.715), including the 7-day and 14-day notice rules on this page, applies only in cities, counties, and urban-county governments that have formally adopted it by ordinance under KRS 383.500, in its entirety and without amendment. Confirmed adopting jurisdictions include Jefferson County (Louisville) and Fayette County (Lexington); confirm local adoption status before relying on these day counts for any other location.

• No Prescribed Form, Mandatory Content (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660)

  No Kentucky statute or court form prescribes the pre-filing notice to quit itself. However, specific content is legally required: a nonpayment notice must state the nonpayment and the landlord's intent to terminate if rent is not paid within 7 days, and a noncompliance notice must specify the acts and omissions constituting the breach and the termination date, not less than 14 days after receipt.

• Notice Period for Curable Lease Violations (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660(1))

  In URLTA jurisdictions, for a material noncompliance with the rental agreement or the tenant's statutory maintenance obligations, the landlord must deliver written notice specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach, stating a termination date not less than 14 days after receipt. If the breach is not remedied within 15 days, the rental agreement terminates as stated in the notice, unless the tenant remedies it first.

• No Further Cure for Recurring Violations (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 383.660(1))

  In URLTA jurisdictions, if substantially the same act or omission that was the subject of a prior noncompliance notice recurs within 6 months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement on at least 14 days' written notice specifying the breach and the termination date, with no further opportunity for the tenant to cure that recurrence.