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Kentucky late fee law for rent: where the URLTA applies

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

Kentucky sets no statewide rent late fee cap in the Chapter 383 sections read for this guide. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRS 383.505 to 383.705) applies only where a city, county or urban-county government has adopted it (KRS 383.500). Where it applies, KRS 383.660 lets a landlord end a tenancy for unpaid rent after a written notice and a short cure period. Check the current statute for the exact number of days before you serve one.

Why does Kentucky law depend on your city?

KRS 383.500 authorizes cities, counties and urban-county governments to enact the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act as set out in KRS 383.505 to 383.705, in its entirety and without amendment. It adds that no other ordinance may be enacted on the subjects the Act covers. So two Kentucky rentals can follow different rules: one in a place that adopted the Act, one outside it.

Before you set a fee or serve a notice, find out whether your city or county adopted the Act. If it did not, the lease and general contract law govern the late fee, and the notice rules differ.

Is there a cap on the late fee amount?

None appears in the sections cited here, which are KRS 383.500, 383.660, 383.675 and 383.695. Those sections deal with adoption, the nonpayment notice, waiver and periodic tenancies. The lease is therefore the source of the amount and the start day.

Example a made-up owner in Louisville has rent of $1,050 and a lease clause with a $35 late fee on the 6th. Nothing in the sections above lowers that number. The owner still keeps the clause in writing and applies it to every tenant.

How does the nonpayment notice work?

KRS 383.660(2) lets the landlord terminate the rental agreement when rent is unpaid and the tenant fails to pay within the stated period after written notice of nonpayment and the landlord's intention to terminate. The period runs from the notice, not from the due date. Read the current text of the subsection for the number of days, because this guide does not state it.

KRS 383.695 also has a rule for a tenancy that continues after a written lease ended, with its own timing for unpaid rent. Read the current subsection closely, because it applies only to that kind of tenancy.

Does taking rent late waive the right to terminate?

KRS 383.675 says acceptance of rent with knowledge of a default by the tenant constitutes a waiver of the landlord's right to terminate the rental agreement for that breach, unless otherwise agreed after the breach occurred. If you plan to proceed with a notice, think before you accept a partial or late payment, and say in writing how you will treat it.

What is a safe order of steps when rent is late in Kentucky?

  1. Find out whether your city or county adopted the Act under KRS 383.500, and write the answer in the property file.
  2. Post the late fee only as your lease states, on its own line.
  3. If rent stays unpaid and you want to terminate where the Act applies, deliver the written nonpayment notice with the period from KRS 383.660(2), checked against the current statute.
  4. Decide in writing, before you accept any later payment, whether you are waiving the breach, because KRS 383.675 treats acceptance of rent with knowledge of the default as a waiver of the right to terminate for that breach unless otherwise agreed after it occurs.
  5. Keep the notice, proof of delivery and the ledger together.

If the Act does not apply to your property, the same discipline helps, but the periods in your lease and Kentucky's other landlord law decide the timing, so confirm them before you serve anything.

How DoorKeeping handles it in Kentucky

DoorKeeping posts a late fee only under your approved rule and keeps it on its own ledger line. Kentucky's rules depend on your city or county, so check the current law for your property. Rent and payments stay in your own bank accounts. DoorKeeping never holds your money, and a late fee posts only under the rule you approved. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and your lease, or ask your own attorney, before you act.

Sources

  1. KRS 383.500, Local governments authorized to adopt the URLTA (Kentucky General Assembly), read Oct 30, 2026
  2. KRS 383.660, Tenant's noncompliance with rental agreement, failure to pay rent (Kentucky General Assembly), read Oct 30, 2026
  3. KRS 383.675, Waiver of landlord's right to terminate (Kentucky General Assembly), read Oct 30, 2026
  4. KRS 383.695, Periodic tenancy, holdover remedies (Kentucky General Assembly), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Is there a statewide late fee cap in Kentucky?
The Chapter 383 sections cited here set none. The lease controls the amount.
Does the Kentucky URLTA apply everywhere?
No. It applies only where a city, county or urban-county government adopted it (KRS 383.500).
How much notice for unpaid rent where the Kentucky URLTA applies?
A written notice of nonpayment and a short cure period (KRS 383.660(2)). Check the current statute for the number of days.

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