{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-81a.020","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 81A.020","heading":"Protest against annexation of unincorporated territory or reduction of","body":"territory by city of the first class -- Trial -- Judgment.\n(1) Within thirty (30) days after the enactment of an ordinance proposing to annex\nunincorporated territory to a first -class city, or to reduce its limits, one or more\nresidents or freeholders of the territory proposed to be annexed or stricken off may\nfile a petition in the Circuit Court of the county, setting forth the reasons why the\nterritory or any part of it should not  be annexed, or why the limits should not be\nreduced. Summons shall issue on the petition and be executed on the chief\nexecutive officer of the city, and the answer of the city shall be filed within twenty\n(20) days after service of the summons. The case s hall be tried according to the\npractice prescribed for the trial of jury cases.\n(2) If the jury finds, upon a hearing, that less than seventy -five percent (75%) of the\nfreeholders of the territory to be annexed or stricken off have remonstrated, and that\nthe adding or striking off of the territory will be for the interest of the city, and will\ncause no manifest injury to the persons owning real estate in the territory sought to\nbe annexed or stricken off, the annexation or reduction shall be approved and\nbecome final. If the jury finds that seventy -five percent (75%) or more of the\nresident freeholders of the territory sought to be annexed or stricken off have\nremonstrated, the annexation or reduction shall not take place, unless the jury finds\nfrom the evid ence that a failure to annex or strike off will materially retard the\nprosperity of the city, and of the owners and inhabitants of the territory sought to be\nannexed or stricken off, in which case the annexation or reduction shall take place\nnotwithstanding the remonstrance.\n(3) An appeal from the judgment may be taken as in other cases, but there shall be no\nchange of venue from the county. Costs shall follow the judgment.\n(4) The judgment shall, when entered, be certified to the city legislative body, whi ch\nmay thereupon annex to or strike from the city the territory described in the\njudgment, and the territory shall then become, or cease to become, a part of the city.","path":["KRS Chapter 81A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=25000","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:42Z","sha256":"81e999d17ecd50763a3ba151c9cd521efcd35d61d0ce38edff7a1f33363d54c4","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-81a.010","next":"us-ky/krs-81a.030"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}