{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-150.090","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 150.090","heading":"Commissioner's power and duty to appoint all game wardens considered","body":"to be necessary for the efficient administration of the department -- Each game\nwarden is individually vested with the powers of a peace officer in all parts of\nthe state -- Employment contract permitted.\n(1) The commissioner shall appoint, promote, or take other employment actions to the\nranks, grades, and positions of the department game wardens who are considered by\nthe commissioner to be necessary for the efficient administration of the department.\n(2) Game wardens appointed by the commissioner shall have full powers as peace\nofficers for the enforcement of all of the laws of the Commonwealth, including the\nadministrative regulations promulgated pursuant to KRS Chapter s 150 and 235 and\nto serve process.\n(3) Each game warden is individually vested with the powers of a peace officer and\nshall have in all parts of the state the same powers with respect to criminal matters\nand enforcement of the laws relating thereto as she riffs, constables, and police\nofficers in their respective jurisdictions, and shall possess all the immunities and\nmatters of defense now available or hereafter made available to sheriffs, constables,\nand police officers in any suit brought against them in  consequence of acts done in\nthe course of their employment and within the scope of their duties. Any warrant of\narrest may be executed by any officer of the department.\n(4) Game wardens charged with the enforcement of this chapter and the administrative\nregulations issued thereunder shall have the right to go upon the land of any person\nor persons whether private or public for the purpose of the enforcement of laws or\norders of the department relating to game or fish, while in the normal, lawful and\npeaceful pursuit of such investigation or work or enforcement, may enter upon,\ncross over, be upon, and remain upon privately owned lands for such purposes, and\nshall not be subject to arrest for trespass while so engaged or for such cause\nthereafter. They may a rrest on sight, without warrant, any person detected by them\nin the act of violating any of the provisions of this chapter. They shall have the\nsame rights as sheriffs to require aid in arresting with or without process any person\nfound by them violating any of the provisions of this chapter and may seize without\nprocess anything declared by this chapter to be contraband. No liability shall be\nincurred by any person charged or directed in the enforcement of this chapter.\n(5) Game wardens and other officers charged with the enforcement of this chapter,\nshall have the authority to call for and inspect the license or tag, bag or creel of any\nperson engaged in any activity for the performance of which a license is required\nunder this chapter, and shall also have  the authority to take proper identification of\nany person, or hunter, or fisherman who is actually engaged in any of these\nactivities, and to call for and inspect any and all firearms and any other device that\nmay be used in taking wildlife and is in the possession of any person so engaged.\n(6) No person shall resist, obstruct, interfere with or threaten or attempt to intimidate or\nin any other manner interfere with any officer in the discharge of his duties under\nthe provisions of this chapter. This subse ction shall not apply to a criminal\nhomicide or an assault upon such officer. An assault upon such officer shall be\ndeemed an offense under KRS Chapter 507 or 508, as appropriate.\n(7) The commissioner may, as a condition of employment, require a newly appo inted\ndepartment game warden to enter into an employment contract for a period of no\nlonger than five (5) years from the date of appointment. If a department game\nwarden who entered into a contract authorized under this subsection accepts\nemployment as a p eace officer with another law enforcement agency, that law\nenforcement agency shall reimburse the department for the actual costs incurred\nand expended by the department that are associated with the initial hiring of that\ndepartment game warden, including but not limited to the application process,\ntraining costs, equipment costs, salary, and fringe benefits. The department shall be\nreimbursed for the costs from the time of department game warden initial\napplication until appointment.","path":["KRS Chapter 150"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55356","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:43Z","sha256":"da8f489fbe88402a83200208bfcbbe603706cf9f5fb7f7ecc4e52a5a48c49d85","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-150.083","next":"us-ky/krs-150.091"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}