Ky. Rev. Stat. ch. 344 § 344.645
Final order of commission -- Civil penalty
Operative Text
344.645 Final order of commission -- Civil penalty. (1) If the commission finds that a respondent has engaged or is about to engage in a discriminatory housing practice, the commission shall promptly issue a final order for appropriate relief, which may include actual damages suffered by the aggrieved person and injunctive or other equitable relief. The final order may, to vindicate the public interest, assess a civil penalty against the respondent: (a) In an amount not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) if the respondent has not been adjudged to have committed any prior discriminatory housing practice; (b) In an amount not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) if the respondent has been adjudged to have committed one (1) other discriminatory housing practice during the five (5) year period ending on the date of the filing of this charge; and (c) In an amount not exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) if the respondent has been adjudged to have committed two (2) or more discriminatory housing practices during the seven (7) year period ending on the date of the filing of this charge; except that if the acts constituting the discriminatory housing practice that is the object of the charge are committed by the same natural person who has been previously adjudged to have committed acts constituting a discriminatory housing practice, then the civil penalties set forth in paragraphs (b) or (c) of this subsection may be imposed without regard to the period of time within which any subsequent discriminatory housing practice occurred. (2) No final order shall affect any contract, sale, encumbrance, or lease consummated before the issuance of the final order and involving a bona fide purchaser, encumbrancer, or tenant without actual notice of the discriminatory housing charge. (3) If the commission finds that the respondent has not engaged or is not about to engage in a discriminatory housing practice, the commission shall enter a final order dismissing the charge. The commission shall make public disclosure of the dismissal. (4) The commission shall issue a final order in accordance with the provisions of KRS Chapter 13B.
Kentucky Revised Statutes § 344.645 establishes the remedies available when the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights determines that a respondent has committed or is about to commit a discriminatory housing practice. A final order may include actual damages for the aggrieved person, injunctive or equitable relief, and civil penalties scaled to the respondent's history of violations — up to $10,000 for a first offense, $25,000 for a second within five years, and $50,000 for two or more prior violations within seven years. The statute also protects bona fide purchasers, encumbrancers, or tenants who completed transactions without actual notice of a pending discriminatory housing charge, meaning a final order cannot unwind those completed deals. If the commission finds no violation occurred or is imminent, it must dismiss the charge and publicly disclose that dismissal.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Ky. Rev. Stat. § 344.645, housing providers found to have engaged in discriminatory practices face civil penalties that increase significantly with each prior adjudicated violation — from up to $10,000 for a first finding, to up to $50,000 for repeated findings. Compliant operators generally maintain consistent, documented, non-discriminatory criteria for tenant selection, lease terms, and housing services to avoid findings by the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. Because the penalty tiers are tied to prior adjudications and can apply without a time limit when the same individual is involved, operators benefit from understanding how the commission's enforcement history is tracked under this provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Ky. Rev. Stat. § 344.645 gives the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights authority to order real relief for people harmed by discriminatory housing practices, including compensation for actual damages and injunctive or equitable remedies, not just fines against the violator. Tenants who believe they have experienced a discriminatory housing practice may file a charge with the commission, which can then investigate and issue a binding final order if a violation is found. General enforcement paths include contacting the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights directly, reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization, or consulting an attorney familiar with fair housing law to understand what options this provision may make available.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 19, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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