{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-75.020","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 75.020","heading":"Annexation or reduction of territory -- Expansion into territory served by","body":"fire department -- Assumption by city of debt -- Merger of districts -- Service\narea boundary maps to be updated and filed.\n(1) (a) The territorial limits of an est ablished fire protection district, or a volunteer\nfire department district, as established under KRS 75.010 to 75.080, may be\nenlarged or diminished in the following way: The trustees of the fire\nprotection district or of the volunteer fire department dist rict shall file a\npetition in the county clerk's office of the county in which that district and the\nterritory to be annexed or stricken off, or the greater part thereof, is located,\ndescribing the territory to be annexed or stricken and setting out the re asons\ntherefor. Notice of the filing of such petition shall be given by publication as\nprovided for in KRS Chapter 424. On the day fixed in the notice, the county\njudge/executive shall, if the proper notice has been given, and the publication\nmade, and no written objection or remonstrance is interposed enter an order\nannexing or striking off the territory described in the petition. Fifty -one\npercent (51%) or more of the freeholders of the territory sought to be annexed\nor stricken off may, at any time before the date fixed in the notice, remonstrate\nin writing, filed in the clerk's office, to the action proposed. If such written\nremonstrance is filed, the clerk shall promptly give notice to the trustees of the\nfire protection district, or of the volunteer fi re department district, and the\ncounty judge/executive shall hear and determine the same. If upon such\nhearing, the county judge/executive finds from the evidence that a failure to\nannex or strike off such territory will materially retard the functioning o f the\nfire protection district or the volunteer fire department district and materially\naffect adversely the owners and the inhabitants of the territory sought to be\nannexed or stricken off, he or she shall enter an order, granting the annexation\nor striki ng off the territory. In the latter event, no new petition to annex or\nstrike off all or any part of the same territory shall be entertained for a period\nof two (2) years. Any aggrieved person may bring an action in Circuit Court to\ncontest the decision of the county judge/executive.\n(b) In addition to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection, if the trustees\nof a fire protection district or a volunteer fire department district, as\nestablished under KRS 75.010 to 75.080, are seeking to expand terr itory into\nan area served by a fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 and\ncertified under KRS 75.400 to 75.460 or an area that is not contained within\nthe boundaries of the city, but is being served by a city government, then the\ntrustees shall, pri or to executing the provisions of paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection, enter into a written agreement with the fire chief and the board of\nthe fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 or with the city\ngovernment providing fire protection services to the area proposed to be\nannexed. The agreement shall establish the proposed new boundary as it\napplies to the fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 or to the area\nbeing served by the city fire department. On the day the agreement is\nfinalized, the trustees of the district shall send by certified mail, return receipt\nrequested, or have personally delivered a copy of the agreement to the county\njudge/executive of the county containing the territory subject to the expansion.\nThe notice required in paragrap h (a) of this subsection shall, in lieu of the\napplicable publication requirements set out in KRS Chapter 424, be published\nat least once a week, for a minimum of two (2) weeks. The last publication\nshall occur no less than seven (7) days before the date fixed in the notice.\n(c) If the trustees approach the fire chief and board of the fire department created\nunder KRS Chapter 273 or the city government in the manner authorized in\nparagraph (b) of this subsection and are unable to reach an agreement within\nthirty (30) days, the trustees, or any real property holder of the territory subject\nto the annexation, may directly seek permission from the real property holders\nof that territory to continue with the annexation procedure set out in\nparagraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection by circulating a petition and securing\nthe signatures of at least fifty -one percent (51%) of the real property holders\nwithin that territory. The petition shall include the residential address of the\nsigner and the date of the signature . The petition shall be certified by the\ncounty clerk if the clerk finds the petition sufficient in form and requisite\namount of signatures.\n(2) The property in any territory annexed to a fire protection district or to a volunteer\nfire department district shall not be liable to taxation for the purpose of paying any\nindebtedness incurred by the fire protection district or the volunteer fire department\ndistrict prior to the date of the annexation of such territory, except such\nindebtedness as represents the balance owing on the purchase price of firefighting\nequipment. The property in any territory stricken off from a fire protection district\nor a volunteer fire department district by the incorporation of or annexation by a city\nof this Commonwealth shall not  be relieved of liability of such taxes as may be\nnecessary to pay its proportionate share of the indebtedness incurred while such\nterritory was a part of that district. Territories stricken by action of the county\njudge/executive under the provisions of s ubsection (1) shall be relieved of liability\nfor all indebtedness incurred by the fire protection district or the volunteer fire\ndepartment district.\n(3) Any city that maintains a \"regular fire department,\" and has either by incorporation\nor annexation cau sed property to be stricken from a fire protection district or a\nvolunteer fire department district, shall comply with KRS 75.022(3).\n(4) A fire protection district or volunteer fire department district established pursuant to\nKRS 75.010 to 75.080 shall no t expand its service boundaries or annex territory\ncontained in another fire protection district or volunteer fire department district\nestablished pursuant to KRS 75.010 to 75.080. However, the territorial limits of two\n(2) or more fire protection district s, or volunteer fire department districts, as\nestablished by KRS 75.010 to 75.080, may be merged into one (1) fire protection\ndistrict or volunteer fire department district as follows:\n(a) The trustees of each fire protection district or volunteer fire dep artment\ndistrict shall file a joint petition in the county clerk's office of the county in\nwhich all of the districts and the territory to be merged into one (1) district, or\nthe greater part of the district, is located, describing the territory to be merg ed\ninto the district and setting out the reasons for the merger;\n(b) Notice of the filing of the petition shall be given by publication as provided in\nKRS Chapter 424 for public notices;\n(c) On the day fixed in the notice, the county judge/executive shall,  if proper\nnotice by publication has been given, and no written objection or\nremonstrance has been made, enter an order merging the fire protection\ndistricts or volunteer fire department districts described in the petition;\n(d) Fifty-one percent (51%) or more of the property owners of the territory sought\nto be merged into one (1) district may, at any time before the date fixed in the\nnotice, remonstrate by written petition to the county clerk regarding their\nobjection to the merger of the districts. If a p etition is filed, the county clerk\nshall give prompt notice to the trustees of the fire protection districts or the\nvolunteer fire protection districts and the county judge/executive;\n(e) The county judge/executive shall schedule a hearing regarding the petition and\nshall give public notice as to the date, time, and place of the hearing. If after\nthe hearing, the county judge/executive finds from the evidence that a failure\nto merge the territory will materially retard the functioning of the fire\nprotection districts or volunteer fire department districts and materially affect\nadversely the owners and the inhabitants of the territory sought to be merged,\nhe or she shall enter an order granting the merger of the districts into one (1)\nfire protection district or volunteer fire department district; and\n(f) Any aggrieved person may bring an action in Circuit Court to contest the\ndecision of the county judge/executive regarding the merger fire protection\ndistricts or volunteer fire department districts.\n(5) In addition to the merger provisions of subsection (4) of this section, fire protection\ndistricts established pursuant to KRS 75.010 to 75.080 may also merge pursuant to\nKRS Chapter 75A.\n(6) The property in any fire protection district or volunteer fire de partment district\nwhich is merged with another fire protection district or volunteer fire department\ndistrict shall not be liable to taxation for the purpose of paying any indebtedness\nincurred by the other fire protection district or volunteer fire depart ment district\nprior to the date of the merger into one (1) fire protection district, except\nindebtedness which represents a balance owed on the purchase price of firefighting\nequipment from the other fire protection district or volunteer fire department\ndistrict.\n(7) Fire protection districts or volunteer fire department districts that modify service\narea boundaries by taking any action authorized under this section shall update their\nservice area boundary maps and file them in the manner required by KRS 75.420.","path":["KRS Chapter 75"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=51265","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:35Z","sha256":"fc19ff9996f90dd19f85e64f1d501df564cc0326df613854c9fbc8bfcdf316b9","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-75.015","next":"us-ky/krs-75.022"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}