Rental Application and Tenant-Screening Fee Requirements in Kentucky

At a glance

Kentucky has no special statewide fee process

The current official KRS Chapter 383 index, including the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act at KRS §§ 383.500-.715, contains no section governing a residential application, processing, credit-check, background-check, or tenant- screening fee. The current official real-estate licensing index at KRS §§ 324.010-.990 likewise contains no separate applicant-fee or screening-report process for a broker or property manager.

Accordingly, the audited statutes create no special statewide requirement for:

• a maximum dollar amount, actual-cost formula, or annual adjustment;
• proof that a unit is available or that the application will be considered;
• advance disclosure of the fee basis, screening criteria, or report source;
• an application-fee receipt, report copy, or unused-fee refund;
• acceptance of an applicant-supplied or reusable report;
• first-in-order or first-qualified processing; or
• a state-format denial or conditional-approval notice.

The absence of a special fee statute does not decide every dispute. Application language, representations, generally applicable state law, federal consumer- reporting law, fair-housing law, and valid local rules may still matter.

The URLTA is locally adopted

KRS § 383.500 authorizes a city, county, or urban-county government to enact the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act in KRS §§ 383.505-.705. If adopted, the provisions must be adopted in their entirety and without amendment. KRS § 383.510 says general principles including contract, agency, fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, and mistake supplement the Act unless the Act displaces them. KRS § 383.565 permits rental-agreement terms not prohibited by the Act or another rule of law.

Those provisions do not create an application-screening-fee system. They explain why location and the written application remain important even though Kentucky has no statewide fee cap or refund procedure.

What trips people up

Kentucky's URLTA is not automatically statewide. KRS § 383.500 makes it a local adoption statute. A statewide answer should not assume every county or city operates under KRS §§ 383.505-.715.

The local-law rule is more specific than a blanket preemption claim. KRS § 383.198 bars a local landlord-tenant ordinance that conflicts with Kentucky law. In a locality that adopts the URLTA, § 383.500 also requires adoption in its entirety and bars other ordinances concerning subjects embraced by the adopted provisions.

A proposed screening-fee law did not take effect. The official page for 2026 HB 295 says, “Last Action | 01/16/26: to Judiciary (H).” The official 2026 legislative record says, “Adjourned Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Sine Die.” The proposal therefore did not change current law.

Common questions

Does the URLTA automatically give every Kentucky applicant the same rights? No. KRS § 383.500 makes the URLTA a local-government adoption option, so first confirm whether the property's locality adopted it.

Does using a licensed broker create a separate application-fee ceiling? No special residential applicant-fee ceiling or screening process appears in the current KRS Chapter 324 real-estate licensing scheme.

Is an application fee the same thing as a security deposit? Not under the URLTA definition. KRS § 383.545(13) defines a security deposit as an escrow payment under the rental agreement that secures against occupancy damage other than ordinary wear and tear. This survey excludes that type of deposit.

Statutes and sources

• KRS §§ 383.500-.715 — current official Chapter 383 index and URLTA scope.

  .500 Local governments authorized to adopt provisions of the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act in their entirety and without amendment. ... .565 Terms and conditions of rental agreement. ... .715 Title of law.

Official source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=39159 (accessed 2026-07-21) - KRS §§ 324.010-.990 — current official real-estate licensing chapter index audited for broker, property-manager, applicant-fee, and screening rules.

Official source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=38853 (accessed 2026-07-21) - KRS §§ 383.500, 383.510, and 383.565 — local URLTA adoption, supplementary general law, and rental-agreement terms.

If adopted, these provisions shall be adopted in their entirety and without amendment. ... Unless displaced by the provisions of KRS 383.505 to 383.715, the principles of law and equity ... supplement its provisions.

Official sources: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35717, https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35719, and https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35730 (accessed 2026-07-21) - KRS § 383.198 — conflicting local landlord-tenant ordinances.

A city, county, charter county government, urban-county government, consolidated local government, or unified local government shall not adopt or enforce any ordinance relating to landlord or tenant laws that is in conflict with any law of this Commonwealth.

Official source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54458 (accessed 2026-07-21) - KRS § 383.545(13) — URLTA security-deposit definition and survey boundary.

"Security deposit" means an escrow payment made to the landlord under the rental agreement for the purpose of securing the landlord against financial loss due to damage to the premises occasioned by the tenant's occupancy other than ordinary wear and tear.

Official source: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=35726 (accessed 2026-07-21) - 2026 HB 295 and the 2026 legislative record — failed screening-fee proposal and sine-die adjournment.

Last Action | 01/16/26: to Judiciary (H). ... Adjourned Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Sine Die.

Official sources: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/hb295.html and https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/record.html (accessed 2026-07-21)