Kentucky Legal Aid (Civil Legal Help)
Last updated August 2026
Kentucky Justice Online, at kyjustice.org, offers free legal information and connects low-income Kentuckians to free civil legal help with housing, family, immigration, work, and crime-victim issues. To see if you qualify for free representation, complete the online intake form at kyjustice.org/intake-form, or use the site's help-near-you tool.
Four regional programs cover the state, and one serves your area: AppalReD Legal Aid in eastern Kentucky (866-277-5733), Kentucky Legal Aid in the west (270-782-1924), Legal Aid of the Bluegrass in the north (859-431-8200), and Legal Aid Society in the Louisville area (502-584-1254).
Here is the key housing rule, with one big caveat. In places that adopted URLTA, the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a landlord evicting for unpaid rent must first give written notice allowing 7 days to pay in full before filing. For a lease violation like an unauthorized pet, the notice ends the lease after 14 days unless you fix it. For other reasons, you usually get 30 days. The caveat: these protections apply only in URLTA cities and counties; elsewhere the notice rules can differ.
After the notice expires, the landlord files a Forcible Detainer lawsuit, and you are served with the hearing date. Go to the hearing; it is where your defenses are heard.
If the judge rules for the landlord, you have 7 days after the hearing to move out. Staying past that lets the landlord get a Warrant for Possession for the sheriff. You also have a short window to appeal: file a Notice of Appeal with the Circuit Court Clerk within 7 days of the hearing.
For things you can handle yourself, the site has self-help forms and step-by-step guides, including expungement, small claims, name changes, and probate, plus housing protections for survivors of violence. Pair legal help with 2-1-1, which finds local rent funds that can end a nonpayment case.
Help available in English and Spanish.
Updated August 2026 Program details can change — confirm with the program directly.
Who qualifies
- Low-income Kentucky residents with a civil, noncriminal legal problem; each program sets its own income guidelines, often around 125 to 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines
- The self-help legal information and free online legal-advice clinic linked from kyjustice.org are open to everyone, with no income screen
You may qualify. The program makes the final decision.
How to apply
- 1
Complete the intake form at kyjustice.org/intake-form, or use the help-near-you tool.
- 2
In a URLTA area, note the 7-day pay window for unpaid rent before a filing.
- 3
Go to your Forcible Detainer hearing and raise your defenses.
- 4
If you lose, note the 7-day move-out and 7-day appeal windows.
What the application looks like
Common questions
How much notice do I get for unpaid rent?
In URLTA areas, a written notice allowing 7 days to pay in full before the landlord can file. A lease violation gets 14 days to fix it; other reasons usually 30 days. Rules differ in non-URLTA areas.
What happens after the notice?
The landlord files a Forcible Detainer lawsuit and you are served with a hearing date. If the judge rules against you, you have 7 days to move out.
Can I appeal an eviction?
Yes. File a Notice of Appeal with the Circuit Court Clerk within 7 days of the hearing.
How do I get free legal help?
Complete the intake form at kyjustice.org, or call your regional program. Programs set their own income limits, often around 125 to 200 percent of poverty.
Not sure this is the right program for your situation?
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