{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-26a.160","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 26A.160","heading":"Design, financing, and construction of court facilities -- Rules of","body":"procedure and guidelines -- Oversight -- Financing requirements -- Project\nstandards -- Application.\n(1) The Chief Justice shall establish rules of procedure or guidelines on matters relating\nto the design, financing, and construction of court facilities. The rules or guidelines\nshall encompass:\n(a) The duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Office of the Courts\nunder this section;\n(b) Criteria for evaluating the feasibility or practicability of various contracting or\nconstruction methods;\n(c) A project management system for managing, monitoring, and reporting on\nprojects through all phases from funding to completion, including change -\norder procedures;\n(d) Assistance to count ies in evaluating proposals for architectural, construction,\nor other professional services;\n(e) Methods for financing energy savings projects, Americans with Disabilities\nAct projects, and other improvement projects;\n(f) Kentucky standards for court facil ities, including detailed requirements for\nspace, construction, interior and exterior finishes, structural and mechanical\nsystems, fixed and moveable furniture and equipment, and maximum unit cost\nfor court facilities throughout the Commonwealth; and\n(g) The maintenance and operation of court facilities after construction.\n(2) The Administrative Office of the Courts shall oversee the design, financing, and\nconstruction of court facilities. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall:\n(a) Assess the need f or court facilities construction or renovation throughout the\nCommonwealth. The assessment shall consider the age, space adequacy,\nprojected needs, structural soundness, mechanical and electrical systems,\nsecurity needs, and interior and exterior quality of existing court facilities;\n(b) Develop a project program for the construction or renovation of court\nfacilities that the Administrative Office of the Courts determines to be most in\nneed of construction or renovation, based on the needs assessment requir ed\nunder paragraph (a) of this subsection. The project program shall detail a\ncomplete and specifically defined court facilities project that conforms to the\nKentucky standards for court facilities established under paragraph (f) of\nsubsection (1) of this section, and shall include itemized space requirements,\nspace relationships, design goals, scope limits, site considerations, cost\nestimates, and a proposed project budget;\n(c) Establish the financial condition of any county that contains a court facility for\nwhich a project program under paragraph (b) of this subsection has been\ndeveloped to determine the county's ability to participate in the proposed\nproject. The Administrative Office of the Courts may discharge this\nresponsibility by obtaining certifica tion of the county's financial condition\nfrom the Department for Local Government under KRS 147A.021(5);\n(d) Develop a prioritized list, with cost estimates, based on land availability and\nthe considerations required by this section, of proposed court faci lities\nprojects, and submit the list to the Chief Justice for approval and to the Court\nFacilities Standards Committee for informational purposes only. Upon\napproval by the Chief Justice, the Administrative Office of the Courts shall\nsubmit the prioritized list to the Capital Planning Advisory Board, by April 15\nof each odd-numbered year, in accordance with KRS 7A.120; and\n(e) Develop and maintain uniform contracts to be used by local units of\ngovernment when procuring architectural, construction, financial , or other\nservices relating to court facilities projects authorized by the General\nAssembly.\n(3) Before the Administrative Office of the Courts submits a budget request for court\nprojects under KRS 48.050, each local unit of government that is expected to\nparticipate in financing a requested court project shall enter into a written\nmemorandum of agree ment with the Administrative Office of the Courts. Each\ncounty with a court project authorized by the 2000 General Assembly shall enter\ninto a written memorandum of agreement with the Administrative Office of the\nCourts. The agreement shall be developed by  the Administrative Office of the\nCourts, shall specify the rights, duties, and obligations of the local unit of\ngovernment and the Administrative Office of the Courts relating to the project, and\nshall be contingent upon the project's authorization by the General Assembly.\n(4) No contract and no modification to any contract relating to the design, financing, or\nconstruction of court facilities projects authorized by the General Assembly shall be\nexecuted unless first reviewed and approved by the Administra tive Office of the\nCourts.\n(5) All court facilities projects, beginning with those authorized by the 2000 General\nAssembly, shall comply with the Kentucky standards for court facilities established\nunder paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of this section. No other standards shall be\nused.\n(6) This section shall not affect or apply to any contract executed prior to July 14, 2000.\n(7) All local units of government or any other entity providing space to the Court of\nJustice under KRS 26A.100 shall, consistent wit h the law, comply with the rules of\nprocedure and guidelines established by the Chief Justice and administered by the\nAdministrative Office of the Courts under this section.","path":["KRS Chapter 26A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=20898","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:48:46Z","sha256":"6dcbdfbb6ed5612d711229e0ed37d4c9f03f42b72ecce3fbd90e57f1027a22ae","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-26a.150","next":"us-ky/krs-26a.162"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}