Presentation on Kentucky House Bill 160: Erlanger planners begin local ordinance updates for manufactured housing
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Summary
At the Erlanger City Council caucus, Patrick Denbow of Kenton County PDS briefed council members on Kentucky House Bill 160, which requires qualified manufactured homes to be treated the same as single‑family homes in local zoning.
At the Erlanger City Council caucus, Patrick Denbow, senior planner with Planning and Development Services (PDS) of Kenton County, briefed council members on Kentucky House Bill 160 and its implications for local zoning ordinances.
Denbow summarized the bill’s central change: “These homes, qualified manufactured homes, will no longer be able to be treated any differently from any other single family home.” He told the council the bill was signed into law April 1, 2025, and becomes effective July 1, 2026, giving local governments time to revise ordinances.
Under the current local definition referenced by Denbow, qualified manufactured homes were limited by manufacture date (after February 2002), minimum width (at least 20 feet) and minimum living area (900 square feet), and required placement on a permanent foundation with full utility connections. House Bill 160 removes the 2002 date and adds that a qualifying unit must be installed within five years of manufacture, may be one or two stories, must be at least 20 feet wide (with an exception when lot size requires smaller dimensions), must meet foundation and utility requirements, and must have a street‑facing entrance.
Denbow said state law prohibits local zoning regulations that effectively exclude qualified manufactured homes from districts that permit single‑family dwellings, bar architectural standards above those required of other single‑family homes, or require foundation systems that conflict with a home’s structural design. He noted the bill states any local zoning regulation inconsistent with the statute is void and unenforceable.
Kenton County PDS plans to sponsor coordinated text amendments for all 20 jurisdictions in the county. Denbow reported the county was ahead of schedule on its internal timeline: stakeholder outreach (phase 4) is underway, and KCPC authorization to hold public hearings and make recommendations is expected in November, with a recommendation back to local jurisdictions in December. Erlanger and other jurisdictions will have until the July 1, 2026, effective date to adopt required ordinance changes.
No formal council action occurred at the caucus; Denbow’s presentation was informational and council members asked no substantive follow‑up questions during the session.