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HB 617KENTUCKYSession 2026RSState Billdead

Did Not Advance

Kentucky Bill HB 617 caps local parking requirements and permits multifamily housing in commercial zones

Original title: AN ACT relating to planning and zoning.

Last action · March 13, 2026: taken from Local Government (H) 1st reading returned to Local Government (H)Sponsors: Susan Witten and 3 others

Companion · SB 53same policy, Senate version

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Kentucky HB 617 prohibits qualifying local planning units from enforcing minimum lot sizes larger than 3,000 square feet and caps residential parking mandates at one space per unit starting July 1, 2027. The measure also permits multifamily and s in all commercial zones. Additionally, the legislation grants developers and aggrieved persons the right to file suit in Circuit Court over planning unit violations or denials.

Why it matters

The bill alters local land-use authority by restricting municipal zoning rules on lot dimensions, parking minimums, and commercial-zone residential usage, establishing court-enforceable rights for developers and residents.

Background

Planning and zoning in Kentucky are primarily governed under KRS Chapter 100, which authorizes local planning units to adopt comprehensive plans and zoning regulations. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Qualifying planning units

Planning units are prohibited from enforcing certain local zoning, lot size, and parking regulations, and are subject to potential lawsuits and attorney's fees in Circuit Court.

Directly affected

Developers

Developers gain the right to build multifamily and mixed-use projects in commercial zones, face relaxed parking and lot size minimums, and gain a cause of action in Circuit Court.

Directly affected

Licensed child-care facilities

Child-care facilities are exempt from municipal minimum parking requirements.

Directly affected

Assisted living facilities

Assisted living facilities are exempt from municipal minimum parking requirements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What limits does HB 617 place on local parking requirements?

The bill prohibits planning units from requiring more than one parking space per residential unit. It also bans minimum parking requirements entirely for existing buildings changing use, licensed child-care facilities, deed-restricted affordable housing, and assisted living facilities.

Can multifamily housing be built in commercial zones under this bill?

Yes. The bill requires that s and multifamily residential developments be permitted uses in all commercial zones within s.

What recourse do developers have if a planning unit denies their development plan?

A developer has a cause of action in the Circuit Court in the county where the development is proposed to determine if the planning unit complied with statutory requirements, if the denial is supported by clear and convincing evidence, and if the denial was pretextual.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

3 actions

Mar 13, 2026HouseCommittee
taken from Local Government (H) 1st reading returned to Local Government (H)
Feb 19, 2026HouseCommittee
to Local Government (H)
Feb 11, 2026HouseIntroduced
introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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