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Rent Late Fee Laws in Kentucky

Kentucky has no statewide statute that caps residential rent late fees or requires a grace period; the lease sets these terms.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Kentucky at a glance

Late fee cap
No statewide cap
The Kentucky URLTA applies only where a city or county adopted it, and it sets no late fee limit.
Cap (% of rent)
No statutory cap
Grace period
None required by statute
Any grace period comes from the lease.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Kentucky

How much can a landlord charge as a late fee in Kentucky?

Late fee cap in Kentucky: No statewide cap. The Kentucky URLTA applies only where a city or county adopted it, and it sets no late fee limit.

What percentage of the rent is the late fee cap in Kentucky?

Cap (% of rent) in Kentucky: No statutory cap.

How many days does a tenant have before a late fee can be charged in Kentucky?

Grace period in Kentucky: None required by statute. Any grace period comes from the lease.

Where do the Kentucky rent late fee laws come from?

The rules above come from KRS 383.500 and KRS 383.565. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRS 383.505 to 383.705) applies only in cities and counties that have adopted it.

What this means in practice

In many states, a landlord can charge a late fee only if the lease provides for it. Putting the amount, the due date, and any grace period in the lease in plain numbers helps both sides avoid disputes.

When a state counts a grace period, the details matter: whether weekends and holidays count, and whether the clock starts on the due date or the day after. Read the statute text linked on each state page rather than relying on a rounded summary.

Late fees are separate from unpaid rent. Keeping rent receipts and a record of the date each payment arrived makes it easier to check whether a fee was charged correctly and to resolve disagreements before they reach court.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.