Who enforces each one, what edition applies, and what changes next. 6 of 7 areas verified on primary sources. OSHA state plan: Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health (Kentucky OSH), Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards.
| Area | In force | Authority | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Kentucky Standards of Safety, 815 KAR 10:060: incorporates NFPA 1 (2018), NFPA 101 (2018), NFPA 70 (2017) and NFPA 1124 (2006), effective Sep 26, 2023Governs ongoing/existing-building fire and life safety statewide (new construction instead follows the 2015 IFC via the Building Code). Seven-year expiration Sep 26, 2030 triggers routine re-adoption, not a substantive change. SourceVerified on the source | State Fire Marshal (Public Protection Cabinet, DHBC) statewide by default; a local government may adopt its own fire-inspection ordinance, but the Marshal keeps exclusive jurisdiction over state-owned property and any facility licensed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which includes hotels | In forceIn force; no 2021/2024-edition NFPA 1/101 rulemaking found. Expires 9/26/2030 absent re-adoption (routine, not itself a code change) |
| Building | 2018 Kentucky Building Code, Fourth Edition (Feb 2024), adopted by 815 KAR 7:120, effective Dec 3, 2024The base text is still the 2015 IBC; Kentucky's 2018-numbered amendment package supersedes conflicting IBC sections. Existing buildings follow the 2015 IEBC; commercial energy code is the 2012 IECC per DHBC's code list. SourceVerified on the source | DHBC Division of Building Code Enforcement (state plan review/inspection where no local program exists); most KY cities/counties run their own state-certified local building department enforcing the same code | Rulemaking pendingDHBC task force reviewed the 2026 NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code, to replace the 2023 NEC now in force) at public meetings Apr-May 2026; no adoption decision or effective date published yet |
| Elevators | unknown specific ASME edition: 815 KAR 4:010 sets the inspection regime but defers the elevator/escalator standard itself to whatever edition 815 KAR 7:120 (Kentucky Building Code) incorporates; that citation was not confirmed in the Ch. 30/35 textEvery elevator, chairlift, fixed guideway system and platform lift gets a state-administered annual inspection and operating certificate; new or altered units also need a separate permit and inspection under 815 KAR 4:025. SourceReported, in verification | DHBC Elevator Inspection Section under KRS 198B.490; issues operating certificates and licenses elevator contractors/mechanics statewide | In forceIn force; unknown whether an ASME edition update is pending, not found in DHBC rulemaking notices |
| Boilers | KRS Chapter 236 plus 815 KAR 15:025/15:026: new equipment follows the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, 2013 edition "or subsequent editions," and the 2015 National Board Inspection CodeCertificate-inspection intervals vary by vessel type: pressure vessels over 200 psi every 5 years, human-occupancy/hyperbaric chambers and jacketed kettles every 2 years, deaerators every 10 years; boilers generally per inspector notification. SourceVerified on the source | DHBC Division of Plumbing, Boiler Section; certificate inspections performed by state boiler inspectors or insurance-company special inspectors under KRS 236.070/236.110 | In forceIn force; no pending amendment to KRS Chapter 236 or 815 KAR 15:025/026 found |
| Pools | 902 KAR 10:120, Kentucky public swimming and bathing facilities, most recently amended effective Feb 13, 2025Covers hotel, apartment and other public pools, spas, hot tubs, splash pads and wading pools (excludes private single-family pools). Full inspections at least twice a season, or every 6 months if year-round, plus monthly monitoring visits. SourceVerified on the source | Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Public Health, Division of Public Health Protection and Safety | In forceIn force since the Feb 13, 2025 amendment; no further amendment pending found |
| Lodging | 902 KAR 7:010 (hotel and motel code) under KRS 219.021; annual Cabinet for Health and Family Services permit, renewed yearly for a $100 feeCabinet inspects every hotel/motel at least once every 12 months, plus follow-ups; covers water supply, ice handling, bedding, pest control and lighting. Fire-code compliance instead falls to the State Fire Marshal, not local fire officials. SourceVerified on the source | Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Dept for Public Health (permits filed through local health departments; the cabinet inspects); State Fire Marshal handles fire-code enforcement for hotels, not local fire departments | In forceIn force; no statewide balcony-inspection, sprinkler-retrofit, or hotel-specific smoke-alarm statute found |
| Workplace | Kentucky OSH State Plan (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards)Covers virtually all private-sector employers plus state/local government; carve-outs include maritime, TVA, USPS contractors and some agricultural field sanitation. Initially approved Jul 31, 1973; final 18(e) approval Jun 13, 1985. SourceVerified on the source | Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards (Kentucky OSH) | In force |
No dated statewide items in the next 24 months beyond the federal layer.
Kentucky Standards of Safety, 815 KAR 10:060: incorporates NFPA 1 (2018), NFPA 101 (2018), NFPA 70 (2017) and NFPA 1124 (2006), effective Sep 26, 2023. Governs ongoing/existing-building fire and life safety statewide (new construction instead follows the 2015 IFC via the Building Code). Seven-year expiration Sep 26, 2030 triggers routine re-adoption, not a substantive change. Enforced by: State Fire Marshal (Public Protection Cabinet, DHBC) statewide by default; a local government may adopt its own fire-inspection ordinance, but the Marshal keeps exclusive jurisdiction over state-owned property and any facility licensed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which includes hotels.
2018 Kentucky Building Code, Fourth Edition (Feb 2024), adopted by 815 KAR 7:120, effective Dec 3, 2024. The base text is still the 2015 IBC; Kentucky's 2018-numbered amendment package supersedes conflicting IBC sections. Existing buildings follow the 2015 IEBC; commercial energy code is the 2012 IECC per DHBC's code list. Enforced by: DHBC Division of Building Code Enforcement (state plan review/inspection where no local program exists); most KY cities/counties run their own state-certified local building department enforcing the same code.
Elevators: DHBC Elevator Inspection Section under KRS 198B.490; issues operating certificates and licenses elevator contractors/mechanics statewide (unknown specific ASME edition: 815 KAR 4:010 sets the inspection regime but defers the elevator/escalator standard itself to whatever edition 815 KAR 7:120 (Kentucky Building Code) incorporates; that citation was not confirmed in the Ch. 30/35 text). Boilers: DHBC Division of Plumbing, Boiler Section; certificate inspections performed by state boiler inspectors or insurance-company special inspectors under KRS 236.070/236.110 (KRS Chapter 236 plus 815 KAR 15:025/15:026: new equipment follows the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, 2013 edition "or subsequent editions," and the 2015 National Board Inspection Code).
Kentucky runs an OSHA-approved state plan: Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health (Kentucky OSH), Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards. The state agency enforces workplace safety rules for most private employers.
Building: Rulemaking pending (DHBC task force reviewed the 2026 NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code, to replace the 2023 NEC now in force) at public meetings Apr-May 2026; no adoption decision).
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