Skip to code content (skip section selection)
Compare to:
Lexington-Fayette County, KY Overview
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Code of Ordinances
CHARTER AND CODE OF ORDINANCES LEXINGTON-FAYETTE URBAN COUNTY GOVERNMENT
SUPPLEMENT HISTORY TABLE
LEXINGTON-FAYETTE - URBAN COUNTY GOVERNMENT CHARTER
Chapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Chapter 2 - ADMINISTRATION1
Chapter 2A - AIRPORTS AND AIRCRAFT1
Chapter 2B - CODE ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING BOARDS
Chapter 3 - ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES1
Chapter 4 - ANIMALS AND FOWL1
Chapter 5 - BUILDINGS AND BUILDING REGULATIONS1
Chapter 5A - CIVIL DEFENSE: CIVIL EMERGENCIES
Chapter 6 - EMPLOYEES AND PENSIONS1
Chapter 7 - FINANCE AND TAXATION1
Chapter 8 - MINING AND/OR QUARRYING1
Chapter 9 - FIRE PREVENTION1
Chapter 9A - FIREWORKS
Chapter 10 - FOOD AND DRUGS1
Chapter 11 - HEALTH AND SANITATION1
Chapter 12 - HOUSING1
Chapter 13 - LICENSES AND REGULATIONS1
Chapter 13A - MINIMUM WAGE
Chapter 14 - OFFENSES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS1
Chapter 15 - PEDDLERS AND SOLICITORS1
Chapter 16 - SEWAGE, GARBAGE, REFUSE AND WEEDS1
Chapter 16A - HAZARDOUS MATERIALS1
Chapter 17 - STREETS AND SIDEWALKS1
Chapter 17A - SUBDIVISIONS1
Chapter 17B - STREET TREES1
Chapter 17C - PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY
Chapter 17D - DOCKLESS VEHICLES
Chapter 18 - TRAFFIC1
Chapter 18B - SNOW EMERGENCIES1
Chapter 18C - EMERGENCY AMBULANCE, TRANSPORTATION AMBULANCE LICENSING, REGULATIONS1
Chapter 19 - WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Chapter 20 - ZONING1
Chapter 21 - COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR CLASSIFIED CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM1
Chapter 22 - UNCLASSIFIED CIVIL SERVICE1
Chapter 23 - DIVISIONS OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES AND POLICE1
Chapter 24 - DETENTION CENTER1
Chapter 25 - ETHICS ACT
Chapter 26 - RURAL LAND MANAGEMENT
APPENDIX A RULES AND PROCEDURES OF THE LEXINGTON-FAYETTE URBAN COUNTY COUNCIL1
CODE COMPARATIVE TABLE - ORDINANCES
STATE LAW REFERENCE TABLE
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Zoning Code
Sec. 8-16. - Neighborhood Business (B-1) Zone.
Publisher's Note: This Section has been AMENDED by new legislation (Ord. 063 passed 6-27-2024). The text of the amendment will be incorporated below when the ordinance is codified.
(a)   Intent. The intent of this zone is to accommodate neighborhood shopping facilities to serve the needs of the surrounding residential area. This zone should be located in areas of the community where services and facilities are/will be adequate to serve the anticipated population. This zone should be oriented to support and enhance a residential neighborhood. This zone should be established in accordance with the Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Development Criteria of the Comprehensive Plan.
(b)   Principal Uses. (Other uses substantially similar to those listed herein shall also be deemed permitted.)
1.   Banks, credit agencies, security and commodity brokers and exchanges, credit institutions, savings and loan companies, holding and investment companies.
2.   Offices for business, professional, governmental, civic, social, fraternal, political, religious and charitable organizations, including, but not limited to, real estate sales offices.
3.   Research development and testing laboratories or centers.
4.   Schools for academic instruction.
5.   Libraries, museums, art galleries and reading rooms.
6.   Funeral parlors.
7.   Medical and dental offices, clinics and laboratories.
8.   Telephone exchanges, radio and television studios.
9.   Studios for work or teaching of fine arts, such as photography; music; drama; dance and theater.
10.   Community centers and private clubs.
11.   Nursing homes, personal care facilities and assisted living facilities.
12.   Computer and data processing centers.
13.   Ticket and travel agencies.
14.   Kindergartens, nursery schools and childcare centers for four (4) or more children. A fenced and screened play area shall be provided, which shall contain not less than twenty-five (25) square feet per child.
15.   Business colleges, technical or trade schools or institutions.
16.   Rehabilitation homes; but only when more than five hundred (500) feet from a residential zone, school for academic instruction or a childcare center.
17.   Establishments for the retail sale of food products, such as supermarkets; dairy, bakery, meat, beer, liquor, and wine and other food product stores; and provided that production of food products is permitted only for retail sale on the premises.
18.   Restaurants, and brew-pubs, except as prohibited under Subsection (e)(14) and (15) of this section, which offer no live entertainment or dancing.
19.   Establishments for the retail sale of merchandise, including: clothing, shoes, fabrics, yard goods; fixtures, furnishings, and appliances, such as floor covering, radios, TV, phonograph products and other visual and sound reproduction or transmitting equipment; furniture; kitchen and laundry equipment; glassware and china; and other establishments for the retail sale of hardware and wallpaper, lawn care products, paint and other interior or exterior care products, hobby items, toys, gifts, antiques, newspapers and magazines, stationery and books, flowers, music, cameras, jewelry and luggage, business supplies and machines; sporting goods and recreational equipment; prescription and non-prescription medicines and medical supplies.
20.   Beauty shops and barber shops.
21.   Shoe repair, clothing alterations and tailoring services.
22.   Self-service laundry or laundry pick-up stations, including clothes cleaning establishments of not more than forty (40) pounds capacity and using a closed-system process.
23.   Automobile service stations, provided such use conforms to all requirements of Article 16.
24.   Parking structures; provided such use conforms to the conditions of Article 16, and provided that at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the first floor is occupied by another permitted use or uses in the B-1 zone.
25.   Repair of household appliances.
26.   Retail sale of plant nursery or greenhouse products, except as prohibited herein.
27.   Miniature golf or putting courses.
28.   Quick copy services utilizing xerographic or similar processes, but not utilizing offset printing methods.
29.   Carnivals, special events, festivals, or concerts on a temporary basis; and upon issuance of a permit by the Divisions of Planning and Building Inspection, which may restrict the permit in terms of time, parking, access, or in other ways to protect public health, safety, or welfare; or deny such if public health, safety, or welfare is adversely affected. A carnival, special events, festivals, or concerts may not displace more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the minimum required parking for the site it occupies.
30.   Indoor theaters, limited to three (3) screens or stages.
31.   Rental of equipment whose retail sale would be permitted in the B-1 zone.
32.   Dwelling units, provided the units are not located on the first floor of a structure; and provided that at least the first floor is occupied by another permitted use or uses in the B-1 zone, with no mixing of other permitted uses and dwelling units on any floor.
33.   Arcades, including pinball and electronic games.
34.   Pawnshops, which:
(1)   Were in operation prior to August 31, 1990 and in compliance with the provisions of KRS 226.010 et seq. and Code of Ordinances, Sections 13-52 and 13-53; or
(2)   Had on file with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, prior to August 31, 1990, an application for a business license or certificate of occupancy.
35.   Athletic club facilities.
36.   Banquet facilities.
37.   Adult day care centers.
38.   Animal grooming facilities.
39.   Mail service facilities.
40.   Tattoo parlors.
41.   Form-based neighborhood business project, as per Subsection (o)(3) of this section.
42.   Day shelters.
43.   Commercial farm markets and market gardens.
44.   Establishments primarily engaged in agricultural sales and services, but only when located within five hundred (500) feet of an Agricultural Rural (A-R) zone.
45.   Ecotourism activities to include hiking, bicycling and equine trails; recreational outfitters, and canoeing and kayaking launch sites.
46.   Places of religious assembly.
47.   Offices of veterinarians, animal hospitals or clinics, provided that:
(a)   All exterior walls are completely soundproofed;
(b)   Animal pens are located completely within the principal building; and
(c)   Boarding is limited to only animals receiving medical treatment.
48.   Un-Hosted Short Term rentals, as regulated in Section 3-13 of the Zoning Ordinance.
(c)   Accessory Uses. (Uses and structures which are customarily accessory, clearly incidental and subordinate to permitted uses.)
1.   Parking areas or structures.
2.   One (1) dwelling unit for owners, operators, or employees of a permitted use, provided that such dwelling unit shall be a part of the building and located above or to the rear of such permitted uses.
3.   Warehousing, wholesaling, and storage, excluding outdoor storage; and provided that no building for such accessory use shall have openings other than stationary windows or solid pedestrian doors within one hundred (100) feet of any residential zone.
4.   The sale of malt beverages, wine or alcoholic beverages, when accessory to a restaurant permitted under Subsection (b)3. Such accessory use shall not devote more than twenty-five percent (25%) of its public floor area primarily to the preparation and service of such beverages, nor provide any separate outside entrances or separate identification signs for those areas.
5.   Satellite dish antennas, as further regulated by Section 15-8.
6.   One or two (2) pool or billiard tables within an establishment.
7.   Sidewalk cafes, when accessory to any permitted restaurant.
8.   Retail sale of liquid propane (limited to twenty pound (20 lb.) containers), when accessory to the retail sale of merchandise or an automobile service station permitted under Subsection (b) of this section.
9.   Indoor live entertainment and/or dancing, when accessory to a restaurant, brew-pub or banquet facility; but only when located more than one hundred (100) feet from a residential zone.
10.   Drive-through facilities for the sale of goods or products, or the provision of services otherwise permitted herein, when approved by the Planning Commission on a development plan.
11.   Hosted Short Term Rentals, as regulated in Section 3-13 of the Zoning Ordinance.
(d)   Conditional Uses. (Permitted only with Board of Adjustment approval.)
1.   Self-service car washes, provided that surface water from such establishments shall not drain onto adjacent property, and that adequate on-site storage lanes and parking facilities shall be provided so that no public way shall be used for such purposes.
2.   The rental of trucks (single rear axle: Twenty-eight (28) feet maximum overall length), trailers and related items in conjunction with the operation of an automobile service station, provided that the service station abuts a state or federal highway. No more than five (5) trucks shall be stored for longer than forty-eight (48) hours on any service station. A site plan shall be submitted for the approval of the Board of Adjustment for the continued control of such activity and shall show the entire property, buildings, signs, parking and location of the proposed storage area.
3.   A restaurant or brew-pub, without live entertainment or dancing, which devotes more than twenty-five percent (25%) of its public floor area primarily to the preparation and service of malt beverages, wine or alcoholic beverages.
4.   Outdoor live entertainment and/or dancing, cocktail lounges or nightclubs, unless prohibited under Subsections (e)(14) and (15) of this section. Such uses shall be located at least one hundred (100) feet from any residential zone; and indoor uses shall be sound-proofed to the maximum extent feasible by using existing technology, with noise or other emissions not creating a nuisance to the surrounding neighborhood. The Board may also impose time restrictions to minimize nuisance to the surrounding neighborhood.
5.   Indoor live entertainment and/or dancing, when accessory to a restaurant, brew-pub or banquet facility; but only when located closer than one hundred (100) feet from a residential zone.
6.   Upholstery shop.
7.   Mining of non-metallic minerals, but only when the proposal complies with the requirements of the Mining/Quarrying Ordinance (Code of Ordinances #252-91) and the conditions and requirements as set forth therein. The Board of Adjustment shall specifically consider and be able to find:
a.   That the proposed use will not constitute a public nuisance by creating excessive noise, odor, traffic, dust, or damage to the environment or surrounding properties;
b.   That a reasonable degree of reclamation and proper drainage control is feasible; and
c.   That the owner and/or applicant has not had a permit revoked or bond or other security forfeited for failure to comply with any federal, state or local laws, regulations or conditions, including land reclamation, pertaining to the proposed use.
8.   Gasoline pumps available to the public without an employee on site, provided a plan is approved by the Board of Adjustment for periodic inspection of the site by an employee for the following purposes:
a.   To check all operating equipment;
b.   To check fire suppression system(s);
c.   To check the condition of the fire alarm(s);
d.   To check for indications of fuel leaks and spillage;
e.   To remove trash from the site;
f.   To monitor the general condition of the site.
9.   Rehabilitation homes, but only when located closer than five hundred (500) feet from a residential zone, school for academic instruction or a childcare center.
10.   Temporary structures designed for use or occupancy for sixty-one (61) to one hundred eighty (180) days per 12-month period on a single property, calculating said period by cumulative consideration of the use of any and all such structures on a single property.
11.   Circuses, provided all structures are located not less than two hundred (200) feet from any residential zone; and further provided that all structures for housing animals shall be two hundred (200) feet from any residential zone, residential use, school, hospital, nursing or rest home. A circus may not displace more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the minimum required parking for the site it occupies.
12.   Automobile and vehicle refueling stations, provided such uses conform to all requirements of Article 16.
13.   Extended-stay hotels.
14.   Parking lots, provided such use conforms to the conditions of Article 16.
15.   Drive-through facilities for the sale of goods or products, or the provision of services otherwise permitted herein, except as accessory uses herein.
16.   Ecotourism activities to include zip line trails; tree canopy tours; fishing clubs; botanical gardens; nature preserves; and seasonal activities.
17.   Recreation vehicle and trailer campgrounds, but only when located within five hundred (500) feet of an interstate interchange.
18.   Hunting clubs, but only when located more than five hundred (500) feet from a residential zone.
19.   Country inns, but only when located within five hundred (500) feet of an Agricultural Rural (A-R) zone.
(e)   Prohibited Uses. (All uses other than those listed as principal, accessory, or conditional uses shall be prohibited. The uses below are provided for illustration purposes and for the purpose of limiting permitted uses, and are not intended to be a total listing of all the uses that are prohibited.)
1.   Establishments primarily engaged in agricultural sales and services, except as permitted herein.
2.   Warehouses, as well as storage uses, except as accessory uses herein.
3.   Shops of special trade and general contractors, such as plumbing; heating; carpentry; masonry; plastering; painting; metal work; printing; electrical; sign painting; tile, mosaic and terrazzo work; electroplating; drilling; excavating; wrecking; construction; and paving. This is not intended to prohibit the administrative offices of such.
4.   Manufacturing, compounding, assembling, bottling, processing and packaging and other industrial uses for sale or distribution other than as retail on the premises.
5.   Truck terminals and freight yards; transfer stations.
6.   Amusement enterprises, such as outdoor theaters; automobile racing; horse racing.
7.   Kennels, outdoor runways, or pens for animals.
8.   Establishments engaged in the display, rental, sales, service and major repair of automobiles, repair of motorcycles, boats, trucks, travel trailers, farm implements, contractors' equipment, mobile homes, and establishments primarily engaged in the sale of supplies and parts for any of the above-mentioned vehicles or equipment, except as permitted herein.
9.   Establishments for cleaning, dyeing, laundering and the like, other than self-service and pickup stations, except for clothes cleaning establishments of not more than forty (40) pounds capacity and using a closed-system process.
10.   Dwellings, except as permitted herein.
11.   Hotel or motel, boardinghouse.
12.   Wholesale establishments.
13.   Greenhouses, nurseries, hatcheries.
14.   Establishments offering live entertainment in which a person simulates any sexual act or in which a person is unclothed, or in such attire, costume, or clothing as to expose to view any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola, the male or female genitalia, or the buttocks.
15.   Establishments at which any employee is unclothed or in the attire, costume or clothing described above, or is clothed in such a manner as to simulate the breast, genitalia, buttocks, or any portion thereof.
16.   Establishments having as a substantial or significant portion of their stock in trade for sale, rent or display: pictures, books, periodicals, magazines, appliances and similar material, which are distinguished or characterized by their emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to such sexual activities as:
(a)   Depiction of human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal;
(b)   Acts of human masturbation, sexual intercourse or sodomy; or
(c)   Holding or other erotic touching of human genitals, pubic region, buttocks or breasts.
17.   Indoor motion picture theaters having as a substantial or significant portion of their use the presentation of material having as a dominant theme or characterized or distinguished by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to such sexual activities as:
(a)   Depiction of human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal;
(b)   Acts of human masturbation, sexual intercourse or sodomy; or
(c)   Holding or other erotic touching of human genitals, pubic region, buttocks or breasts.
18.   Above- or below-ground storage of any flammable material in gaseous form, including compressed natural gas.
19.   Pawnshops, except as permitted herein.
20.   Pool or billiard halls.
21.   Hospitals.
22.   Ecotourism activities, except as permitted herein.
Lot, Yard, and Height Requirements. (See Articles 3 and 15 for additional regulations.)
(f)   Minimum Lot Size. No limitation.
(g)   Minimum Lot Frontage. No limitation.
(h)   Minimum and Maximum Front Yard.
a.   Minimum: Ten (10) feet.
b.   Maximum: Twenty (20) feet.
(i)   Minimum Each Side Yard. No limitation.
(j)   Minimum Rear Yard. No limitation.
(k)   Minimum Open Space. See Article 20 for open space regulations.
(l)   Maximum Lot Coverage. No limitation.
(m)   Maximum Height of Building. Thirty-five (35) feet, except as permitted in Subsection (o)(3) of this section.
(n)   Off-Street Parking. (See Articles 16 and 18 for additional parking regulations.)
No minimum requirements.
Conditional Uses: The Board of Adjustment may establish additional requirements, as needed.
(o)   Special Provisions.
1.   No building to be used principally as a single use or establishment shall exceed 40,000 square feet in floor area unless approved by the Planning Commission prior to December 10, 2013 for at least 40,000 square feet in size. No such structure may exceed 60,000 square feet in size, in any event.
2.   A form-based neighborhood business project may be approved by the Planning Commission on any site over one (1) acre in size. For any such project, a final development plan shall be approved by the Planning Commission prior to issuance of any building permit. The lot, yard, height and setback requirements will be those established by the Commission on the approved development plan, rather than those stated above. In addition to the development plan, an applicant seeking approval of a form-based neighborhood business project shall be required to submit an area character and context study prepared by an architect or urban design professional.
3.   The study will document the architectural and urban design character of the area. It shall demonstrate, through the use of renderings, elevations and similar graphic materials, how the proposed project will enhance and complement the area's character. It will also show its integration with the surrounding neighborhood by using positive design features, such as supplemental landscaping; provision of public space and open space buffers; and improved pedestrian accommodations. These drawings shall be made a part of the Commission's approval, and building permits shall comply with the approved drawings. A form-based neighborhood business project shall not be subject to the square footage limitation of 8-16(o)(1) above.
(Code 1983, 8-16; Ord. No. 263-83, § 1, 12-15-1983; Ord. No. 207-84, §§ 1—3, 11-15-1984; Ord. No. 241-85, §§ 1, 2, 11-21-1985; Ord. No. 89-86, § 16, 5-29-1986; Ord. No. 73-87, § 1, 4-30-1987; Ord. No. 153-87, § 1, 7-9-1987; Ord. No. 123-90, § 1, 6-14-1990; Ord. No. 152-91, §§ 2, 4, 7-18-1991; Ord. No. 30-92, § 9, 3-3-1992; Ord. No. 213-94, § 5, 1-20-1994; Ord. No. 30-95, § 1, 2-9-1995; Ord. No. 292-95, § 1, 12-7-1995; Ord. No. 85-96, § 3, 5-30-1996; Ord. No. 222-98, § 1, 8-27-1998; Ord. No. 226-98, § 1, 8-27-1998; Ord. No. 147-2000, § 1, 6-1-2000; Ord. No. 62-2003, § 1, 3-20-2003; Ord. No. 43-2004, § 1, 3-4-2004; Ord. No. 203-2004, § 1, 8-26-2004; Ord. No. 240-2007, §§ 2, 3, 11-1-2007; Ord. No. 129-2009, §§ 18—20, 7-2-2009; Ord. No. 99-2011, § 4, 8-25-2011; Ord. No. 100-2011, §§ 2, 3, 8-25-2011; Ord. No. 122-2011, § 16, 9-29-2011; Ord. No. 138-2012, § 2, 11-15-2012; Ord. No. 3-2013, § 1, 1-17-2013; Ord. No. 5-2013, § 2, 1-31-2013; Ord. No. 129-2013, § 2, 10-24-2013; Ord. No. 155-2013, § 2, 12-10-2013; Ord. No. 68-2015, § 1(8-16), 6-18-2015; Ord. No. 137-2016, § 2(8-16), 7-7-2016; Ord. No. 22-2017, § 3(8-16), 3-2-2017; Ord. No. 166-2017, § 3(8-16), 11-16-2017; Ord. No. 84-2020 , § 2, 9-3-2020; Ord. No. 113-2022 , §§ 3, 6, 10-27-2022; Ord. No. 004-2023 , § 17, 1-31-2023; Ord. No. 020-2023 , § 10, 3-9-2023; Ord. No. 074-2023 , §§ 11, 12, 7-11-2023)