{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-39b.010","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 39B.010","heading":"Local emergency management to be maintained -- Unified local emergency","body":"management agency.\n(1) Each city, county, urban -county, charter county government, or counties acting\njointly under the provisions of subsection (2)(b) of this section, of this\nCommonwealth shall create, support, and maintain a local emergency management\nagency, which shall serve the public safety interest of the local government within\nthe territorial boundaries of the city, county, or counties where the agency is created.\nEach local emergency management agency shall develop, implement, and maintain\na local comprehensive emergency management program, including a local\nemergency operations plan, in accordance with the provisions of KRS Chapters 39A\nto 39F. The local emergency management agency shall be an integral component of\nthe statewide integrated emergency management system of this Commonwealth,\nand shall fully comply with all applicable provisions of KRS Chapters 39A to 39F,\nthe comprehensive emergency management program require ments of the\nCommonwealth, the provisions of the Kentucky Emergency Operations Plan, and\nall administrative regulations promulgated by the Division of Emergency\nManagement.\n(2) (a) Each county government, and the urban -county, charter county, or city\ngovernments located within the territorial boundaries of a county, are\nencouraged to jointly create a single, unified local emergency management\nagency to serve all local governments collectively, and therefore may, in lieu\nof creating individual and separate l ocal agencies, jointly create a single,\nunified local emergency management agency, provided the agency and its\nprogram:\n1. Fully comply with all the provisions of KRS Chapters 39A to 39F;\n2. Comply with the Interlocal Cooperation Act or locally adopted\nmemorandums of agreement, as necessary and appropriate; and\n3. Are determined to be in compliance with all requirements of KRS\nChapters 39A to 39F by the director of the Division of Emergency\nManagement.\n(b) Two (2) or more contiguous county governments, incl uding or excluding the\ncities within their jurisdictions, may jointly create a single, unified local\nemergency management agency to serve the counties and participating cities\nwithin those counties collectively, and therefore may, in lieu of creating\nindividual and separate local agencies, jointly create a single, unified local\nemergency management agency, provided the agency and its program meet the\nrequirements set out in subparagraphs 1. to 3. of paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection.\n(3) The local emergency  management agency shall be an organizational unit of the\nexecutive branch of city, county, urban -county, charter county government, or\ncounties acting jointly under the provisions of subsection (2)(b) of this section and\nshall have primary jurisdiction, r esponsibility, and authority for all matters\npertaining to the local comprehensive emergency management program and, under\nthe general supervision of the local emergency management director, shall serve as\na direct function of the office of county judge/ex ecutive or mayor. In the case of\ncounties acting jointly pursuant to this section, the supervision of the agency shall\nbe set out by agreement or ordinance approved by the legislative body of each\ncounty. In accordance with the policies of the state -local finance officer, a separate\nemergency management agency fund account shall be designated and included in\nthe city, county, and urban-county or charter county budget ledgers, and all financial\nmatters of a local emergency management agency, involving funds provided\nthrough the Division of Emergency Management, shall be handled through the\ncounty, urban-county, or charter county treasury and financial system.\n(4) City, county, and urban -county or charter county governments may use the term\n\"emergency manageme nt\" in a manner or form appropriate to constitute and\ndesignate the official name of the local emergency management agency established\npursuant to this chapter, except for any use of the term \"Division of Emergency\nManagement\" specified to constitute and d esignate the official name of the state\nemergency management agency pursuant to KRS 39A.030. The term \"emergency\nmanagement\" may be used in a manner or form appropriate to constitute and\ndesignate the official name of a local emergency management council, or the\nstatewide association of emergency management agencies or personnel, but shall\nnot be utilized by, assigned to, or otherwise specified by any local unit, agency, or\ndepartment, or any political subdivision of the Commonwealth in any manner or\nform t o constitute or designate the official name of the local unit, agency, or\ndepartment, or political subdivision, except as authorized in this subsection.\n(5) All local emergency management agencies or local disaster and emergency services\norganizations in the Commonwealth, and the local directors, and members of each,\nshall, for all purposes, be under the direction of the director of the division, and of\nthe Governor when the latter deems that action necessary.","path":["KRS Chapter 39B"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=43390","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:48:58Z","sha256":"4c83e2c5ab6a7ea5be6f4c968ec834dd7e9dfdb98ce576a4c099dc48098a7d26","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-39a.990","next":"us-ky/krs-39b.020"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}