Ky. Rev. Stat. ch. 344 § 344.645

Final order of commission -- Civil penalty

In Force
Verified 10/19/2026 · Next check 10/26/2026
effective 10/19/2026KentuckyFair Housing & Anti-Discrimination

Operative Text

Ky. Rev. Stat. ch. 344 § 344.645
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.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

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.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 19, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

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.

For Tenants

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.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 19, 2026
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References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

KRS 344.010
KRS 344.190
KRS 344.180
KRS 344.150
KRS 344.010
KRS 344.500
KRS 344.360
KRS 344.362
KRS 344.010
KRS 344.190
KRS 344.360
KRS 344.362
KRS 344.010
KRS 344.360
KRS 344.010
KRS 344.030
KRS 344.210
KRS 344.200
KRS 344.640
KRS 344.320
KRS 344.360
KRS 344.360
KRS 344.250
KRS 344.210
KRS 344.450
KRS 344.360
KRS 344.200
KRS 344.362
KRS 344.230
KRS 344.380
KRS 344.200
KRS 344.635
KRS 344.665
KRS 344.600
KRS 344.635
KRS 344.600
KRS 344.665
KRS 344.625
KRS 344.635
KRS 344.625
KRS 344.670
KRS 344.640
KRS 344.630
KRS 344.635
KRS 344.625
KRS 344.600
KRS 344.650
KRS 344.650
KRS 344.240
KRS 344.660
KRS 344.635
KRS 344.660
KRS 344.650
KRS 344.640
KRS 344.240
KRS 344.660

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§ 2
Policies; recommendations

Source Information

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