Kentucky Revised Statutes

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 416.675 (2026)

Public use required -- No condemnation for indirect benefit -- Exemption

✓ current as of May 2026

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(1) Every grant of authority contained in the Kentucky Revised Statutes to exercise the power of eminent domain shall be subject to the condition that the authority be exercised only to effectuate a public use of the condemned property.

(2) "Public use" shall mean the following:

(a) Ownership of the property by the Commonwealth, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, or other governmental entity;

(b) The possession, occupation, or enjoyment of the property as a matter of right by the Commonwealth, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, or other governmental entity;

(c) The acquisition and transfer of property for the purpose of eliminating blighted areas, slum areas, or substandard and insanitary areas in accordance with KRS Chapter 99;

(d) The use of the property for the creation or operation of public utilities or common carriers; or

(e) Other use of the property expressly authorized by statute.

(3) No provision in the law of the Commonwealth shall be construed to authorize the condemnation of private property for transfer to a private owner for the purpose of economic development that benefits the general public only indirectly, such as by increasing the tax base, tax revenues, or employment, or by promoting the general economic health of the community. However, this provision shall not prohibit the sale or lease of property to private entities that occupy an incidental area within a public project or building, provided that no property may be condemned primarily for the purpose of facilitating an incidental private use.

(4) The exercise of the power of eminent domain for the acquisition of property financed by state road funds or federal highway funds shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. Effective: July 12, 2006 History: Created 2006 Ky. Acts ch. 73, sec. 1, effective July 12, 2006.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 3 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2013–2023 · leading case: Bluegrass Pipeline Co. v. Kentuckians United to Restrain Eminent Domain, Inc., 478 S.W.3d 386 (Ky. Ct. App. 2015).

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Bluegrass Pipeline Co. v. Kentuckians United to Restrain Eminent Domain, Inc., 478 S.W.3d 386 (Ky. Ct. App. 2015). “502 [(statute regarding condemnation for the construction of oil and gas pipelines)], KRS 416.675 [(statute defining public use as it relates to the Kentucky Eminent Domain Act)], and KRS 278.”

Marilyn Rummage Muerdter v. Louisville Gas & Elec. Co. (Ky. Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 2× “KRS 416.675(1) dictates that eminent domain authority must only be exercised “to effectuate a public use of the condemned property.”

EQT Gathering, LLC v. A Tract of Prop. Situated in Knott Cnty., 970 F. Supp. 2d 655 (E.D. Ky. 2013). “§ 416.675(2)(d) (declaring that “the use of property for the .”

— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 416.675(1) — 1 case

Marilyn Rummage Muerdter v. Louisville Gas & Elec. Co. (Ky. Ct. App. 2023). “KRS 416.675(1) dictates that eminent domain authority must only be exercised “to effectuate a public use of the condemned property.”

— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 416.675(2) — 1 case

— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 416.675(2)(d) — 1 case

EQT Gathering, LLC v. A Tract of Prop. Situated in Knott Cnty., 970 F. Supp. 2d 655 (E.D. Ky. 2013). “§ 416.675(2)(d) (declaring that “the use of property for the .”

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