Zoning › State preemptions › Kentucky

KRS 146.200 et seq. — Kentucky Wild Rivers System (KY)

Tracked preemption from the Kentucky overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1972-06-16
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:KY
Other Kentucky preemptions
2024 HB 443 — Objective-Standards / Ministerial-Application MandateKRS 65.490 et seq. — Tax Increment Financing (Local Development Areas)KRS 67C / Ky. Const. §156a — Louisville Metro Consolidated Local GovernmentKRS Chapter 224A / 224.01-400 — Brownfield Voluntary Environmental RemediationKRS 100.348 — Manufactured Housing Anti-Exclusion & Parity (2025 HB 160)KRS Chapter 350 / SMCRA — Surface Coal Mining Regulation & Mountaintop RemovalOffice of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP) — Designated Nature Preserves & T&E HabitatKRS 224.71 et seq. — Wetlands & Waters of the Commonwealth (KPDES §401 Certification)

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

OR
  • parcel.in_ky_wild_river_corridor == True
  • city.wild_river_adjacency == True

Preempted fields

2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[*].wild_river_corridor_development_standardsoverridekdfwr_oknp_wild_river_corridor_protectionDesignated wild river corridors protected against incompatible development; corridor typically extends 1,000 ft from each bank within designated reaches
land_development.tree_clearing_grading_in_wild_river_corridorwaive—Vegetative clearing, grading, and structures within designated corridors require state authorization

Citation

Authority source
KRS §§146.200 through 146.360 (Kentucky Wild Rivers Act of 1972)
§ KRS §§146.200–146.360
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=39920

Research notes

Nine designated reaches: Cumberland River (above Cumberland Falls), Red River (upper gorge), Rockcastle River (lower), Big South Fork (KY portion, also federally protected), Martins Fork, Bad Branch, Little South Fork, Green River (Mammoth Cave reach), and Rock Creek. Administered jointly by Energy and Environment Cabinet / Division of Water and the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP, formerly KSNPC). Federal conflict check: Big South Fork and Red River reaches overlap with federal Wild & Scenic / NPS jurisdictions.