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SB 462KANSASSession 2025-2026State BillBecame law over the governor's veto
Enacted

Kansas restricts public nuisance lawsuits and grants exclusive authority to the attorney general for multi-jurisdictional claims

Original title: AN ACT concerning civil actions; relating to actions in negligence; prohibiting certain persons from recovering damages in such actions; relating to public nuisance; prohibiting civil actions for certain nuisances; providing that only the attorney general may file claims regarding public nuisances that are not wholly contained in one political subdivision unless the attorney general delegates authorization to one or more political subdivisions of the state to file such claims; requiring special injury for certain public nuisance actions.

Last action · April 9, 2026: Enrolled and presented to Governor on Monday, March 30, 2026

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Kansas law prohibits certain civil lawsuits regarding s, restricting multi-jurisdictional nuisance claims exclusively to the state attorney general with gubernatorial approval or delegation, and barring monetary damages in such actions. The law also establishes strict legal standards, including requiring a for private nuisance claims and setting a discovery-based accrual period for the statute of limitations effective July 1, 2026.

Why it matters

Residents and political subdivisions face new restrictions on filing claims, eliminating the ability to recover monetary damages in public nuisance lawsuits and limiting class actions by private individuals.

Background
  • Senate Bill 462 was introduced and processed through the Kansas Legislature during the 2025-2026 legislative session. context
  • Public nuisance laws generally govern legal actions addressing conditions that injure the public health, safety, or property rights across a community. context

Who It Affects

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

Directly affected

Kansas political subdivisions

Local governments are restricted to filing public nuisance claims only for nuisances wholly contained within their jurisdiction unless delegated by the attorney general, and cannot recover monetary damages.

Directly affected

Private litigants

Private individuals must prove a special injury by clear and convincing evidence to bring a public nuisance claim and are barred from bringing class actions.

Directly affected

Attorney General of Kansas

The attorney general gains exclusive authority over public nuisances not wholly contained within a single political subdivision, subject to gubernatorial approval or written delegation.

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

Who is allowed to file a public nuisance lawsuit that crosses multiple political subdivisions?
Only the state attorney general may file claims regarding s that are not wholly contained within one political subdivision, unless the attorney general delegates that authority in writing to one or more political subdivisions or obtains written approval from the governor.
Can a private citizen file a class action lawsuit for a public nuisance under this law?
No. A private person is explicitly prohibited from bringing a class action pursuant to K.S.A. 60-223 for a claim.
What types of damages are barred in public nuisance lawsuits brought by local governments?
Courts are prohibited from awarding monetary damages of any kind (including economic, noneconomic, or punitive damages) and the costs of abating a potential future .

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Where This Stands

Current status: Became law over the governor's veto.

Procedural history

33 actions
  1. Apr 9, 2026Senate
    Enrolled and presented to Governor on Monday, March 30, 2026
  2. Apr 9, 2026Senate
    Vetoed by Governor; Returned to on Wednesday, April 8, 2026
  3. Apr 9, 2026SenateFloor
    Motion to override veto prevailed
  4. Apr 9, 2026HouseFloor
    Motion to override veto prevailed
  5. Mar 27, 2026SenateFloor
    Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Senator Warren, Senator Titus, Senator Corson, , appointed as second conferees
  6. Mar 27, 2026House
    Conference committee report now available
Show 27 earlier actions
  1. Mar 27, 2026HouseFloor
    Conference Committee Report was adopted
  2. Mar 27, 2026SenateFloor
    Conference Committee Report was adopted
  3. Mar 26, 2026House
    Conference committee report now available
  4. Mar 26, 2026HouseFloor
    Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Representative Humphries, Representative Williams, Representative Osman, , appointed as second conferees
  5. Mar 23, 2026Senate
    Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed , and
  6. Mar 23, 2026HouseFloor
    Motion to accede adopted; Representative Humphries, Representative Williams, Representative Osman, , appointed as conferees
  7. Mar 18, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  8. Mar 18, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by
  9. Mar 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
  10. Mar 18, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Amendment by was rejected
  11. Mar 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
  12. Mar 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Motion to advance to Emergency Final Action adopted
  13. Mar 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended
  14. Mar 18, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  15. Mar 12, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
  16. Mar 4, 2026House
    Hearing: Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 3:30 PM — Room 582-N
  17. Feb 25, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Received and Introduced
  18. Feb 25, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to House Committee on Judiciary
  19. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  20. Feb 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
  21. Feb 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
  22. Feb 18, 2026Senate
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  23. Feb 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended
  24. Feb 16, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
  25. Feb 10, 2026Senate
    Hearing: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 10:30 AM — Room 346-S
  26. Feb 4, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
  27. Feb 3, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced

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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Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift98% confidence

Centralization of Nuisance Litigation

The legislation shifts authority for multi-jurisdictional public nuisance claims exclusively to the state attorney general.

KansasSenate Committee on Judiciary

Connected Entities

Kansas, Senate Committee on Judiciary
locationKansas“Jurisdiction enacting the legislation”Map →
OrganizationSenate Committee on Judiciary“Committee sponsoring Senate Bill 462”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.kslegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy80
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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