Kentucky security deposit law depends on where the rental is

Start with what URLTA means

URLTA stands for the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. In Kentucky, it is the landlord-tenant law framework that includes the main security-deposit procedure.

KRS 383.580 is the security-deposit section inside that framework. It is not the whole URLTA, not a new program, not a separate court process, and not an extra rule layered on top of the real law.

KRS 383.500 is the adoption rule. It authorizes Kentucky cities, counties, and urban-county governments to adopt the URLTA provisions. That is why Kentucky is a mixed-coverage state instead of a clean one-rule-applies-everywhere deposit state.

Check the rental location first

If your rental is in a city, county, or urban-county government that adopted URLTA, KRS 383.580 gives the main deposit process. If not, do not assume that same statute automatically controls every deposit issue.

That does not mean a renter outside a URLTA area has no rights. It means the framework is less clean, and the lease, other Kentucky law, local practice, and the facts may matter more.

This is not just a tiny technicality. Many Kentucky renters likely are in URLTA jurisdictions, especially in major metro and renter-heavy areas. But URLTA is still not statewide universal, so the safe first step is to check the rental location.

Known public URLTA adopter list

Kentucky Justice Online publishes a practical public list of places that have URLTA as of April 2025. Treat this as a useful public list, not a guaranteed exhaustive official statewide master registry. If the location matters to your case, verify with the city, county, local code, court, or a legal aid source.

Some local support is easier to confirm than others. Lexington-Fayette, Georgetown, and Campbell County-related local materials are examples of public local sources that separately discuss URLTA adoption or coverage. Still, use the rental location you actually lived in, not just the nearest large city.

The covered Kentucky process

Where URLTA applies, Kentucky is a process-heavy deposit state. The account, lists, inspection chance, written disagreement, and address facts can matter just as much as the calendar.

• The landlord must keep security deposits in a separate account used only for that purpose.
• The tenant should be told the account location and account number.
• Before the deposit is paid, the tenant should receive a move-in damage list with estimated repair costs.
• At move-out, the landlord should inspect and prepare a final damage list with estimated repair costs.
• The tenant has an inspection opportunity and should make any disagreement specific and in writing.

Why written disagreement matters

Kentucky's covered rule puts real weight on the damage lists. If the final list is wrong, do not just refuse to sign and walk away. State the specific items you dispute in writing and keep a copy.

That written dissent can matter later because the statute ties a District Court dispute to the items the tenant specifically disagreed with.

Timing is branch-based

Kentucky is not a simple statewide 30-day or 60-day deposit-return state. KRS 383.580 has branches for unpaid last month's rent, refund notice, and tenant response after notice.

If a refund is due and no rent is owed, the landlord sends notice of the refund amount to the tenant's last known or reasonably determinable address. The 60-day period is a response window after that notice, not a simple universal deadline for every Kentucky rental.

When the landlord did not follow the process

Where KRS 383.580 applies, the statute says a landlord is not entitled to retain any portion of the deposit if the separate-account requirement was not met and the required initial and final damage listings were not provided.

Keep the demand practical: account information, move-in list, move-out list, inspection opportunity, written dissent, refund notice, rent balance, and amount still owed.

Official sources

Source reviewed: April 2026.

• KRS 383.500
• KRS 383.570
• KRS 383.580
• Kentucky Justice Online security deposit URLTA adopter list
• Lexington-Fayette local URLTA adoption code
• Georgetown local URLTA adoption information

Related Kentucky guides

• Kentucky timing and notice guide
• What landlords can deduct in Kentucky
• Kentucky security deposit demand letter
• Kentucky move-out checklist