Kentucky House Bill 618

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Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 4)
Status: Introduced on February 11 2026 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2026-03-13 - returned to Local Government (H)
Pending: House Local Government Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Amend KRS 198B.050 to require that building code standards for 2, 3, and 4 family homes not be more stringent than those for single-family homes; amend KRS 198B.060 to apply exemption for single-family homes to 2, 3, and 4 family homes; permit third-party plan review and inspections under new procedures; create a new section of KRS Chapter 198B to define terms; require regulatory authorities to provide information to prospective applicants regarding requirements to apply for a permit; require a regulatory authority to inform an applicant of whether the application is complete within 3 days and include whether the regulatory authority is able to perform plan review and inspection within specified time limits; require a regulatory authority to conduct plan review within 14 days of receipt of a complete application and inspections within 5 days of any request for an inspection being made; provide for circumstances in which deadlines may be extended; permit an applicant to use a qualifying third-party inspector; set out circumstances under which a regulatory authority may collect fees depending on use of a third-party inspector; set out what a third-party inspector may review and set out qualifications and requirements the third-party inspector must meet; require a regulatory authority to issue a permit within 1 business day of the completion of required plan reviews and inspections associated with an otherwise complete application; state that any ordinance, rule, or regulation contrary is void and unenforceable; state that a regulatory authority may issue a stop work order if a condition of a project constitute an immediate threat to public safety and welfare; establish immunity for the regulatory authority for action of an applicant or third-party inspector; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

AN ACT relating to residential housing.

Rep. Susan Tyler Witten [R]

Rep. Thomas Huff [R]

Rep. T.J. Roberts [R]

Rep. Richard White [R]

Date	Chamber	Action
2026-03-13	House	returned to Local Government (H)
2026-03-13	House	1st reading
2026-03-13	House	taken from Local Government (H)
2026-02-19	House	to Local Government (H)
2026-02-11	House	to Committee on Committees (H)
2026-02-11	House	introduced in House

Type	Source
Summary	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb618.html
Text	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb618/orig_bill.pdf
Supplement	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/note/26RS/hb618/LM.pdf