Kentucky landlord guide — courthouse info, local rules & HB128 eviction procedures for Eddyville, Kuttawa, Fredonia & Lyon County
📍 County Seat: Eddyville (pop. ~2,598) 👥 County Pop. 8,210 (2020) ⚖️ Court: Lyon County Justice Center — 200 Commerce Ave., Eddyville 🌊 Lake Barkley • Cumberland River • Land Between the Lakes 🏛️ Kentucky State Penitentiary • Eddyville Prison ⛵ Kuttawa • Tourism • One of KY’s Smallest Counties
Lyon County was established on January 14, 1854 from Caldwell County and named for Chittenden Lyon, a Kentucky congressman and son of Matthew Lyon, the Vermont congressman famously imprisoned under the Alien and Sedition Acts. The county seat, Eddyville, was established the same year and takes its name from the swirling eddies in the Cumberland River at that location. Lyon County covers approximately 264 square miles of western Kentucky terrain along the Cumberland River (now Lake Barkley) and recorded a 2020 census population of just 8,210 residents, making it one of Kentucky’s smallest counties by population.
Lyon County’s economic and social character is shaped by two dominant facts: the presence of the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville — the oldest maximum-security prison in Kentucky, opened in 1884 and known historically as the “Castle on the Cumberland” — and the county’s position on Lake Barkley, the 57,900-acre reservoir formed by Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River. The prison is one of the county’s largest employers; the lake drives a tourism and recreation economy that supports hospitality, marina, and vacation rental activity, particularly around the community of Kuttawa. All residential evictions are Forcible Detainer actions filed in District Court at the Lyon County Justice Center, 200 Commerce Avenue, Eddyville, KY 42038. Kentucky’s HB128 (2023) governs all residential leases made on or after its effective date.
🏛️ Kentucky State Penitentiary — The Castle on the Cumberland — The Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, opened in 1884, is Kentucky’s oldest maximum-security prison and houses the state’s death row; its Gothic limestone architecture earned it the nickname “the Castle on the Cumberland,” and it remains one of the most architecturally distinctive correctional facilities in the United States |
🌊 Lake Barkley — 57,900 Acres on the Cumberland — Lake Barkley, formed by Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River, covers 57,900 acres and stretches through Lyon, Livingston, and Trigg counties; it is one of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern United States and a major outdoor recreation destination paired with neighboring Kentucky Lake |
⚓ Named for Chittenden Lyon — Son of a Famous Dissident — Lyon County honors Chittenden Lyon, whose father Matthew Lyon was a Vermont congressman imprisoned under the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 for publishing criticism of President Adams — one of the most famous free-speech prosecutions in early American history; Chittenden later moved to Kentucky and served in Congress |
⛵ Kuttawa — Lake Barkley Resort Town — The community of Kuttawa, relocated when Barkley Dam flooded the original townsite in the 1960s, has developed as one of Lake Barkley’s primary resort and marina communities, drawing boaters and vacationers who fuel the county’s tourism economy
📊 Quick Stats
County Seat
Eddyville (~2,598)
Other Communities
Kuttawa, Fredonia, Salem, Dycusburg
County Population
8,210 (2020) • One of KY’s smallest counties
Region
Western KY • Lake Barkley • Land Between the Lakes • Pennyrile ADD
Major Employers
Kentucky State Penitentiary (KY Dept. of Corrections), Lyon County Schools, county/state government, Lake Barkley tourism & hospitality, commuter employment in Paducah (McCracken Co.) & Cadiz (Trigg Co.)
Eviction Court
District Court — Lyon County Justice Center
Court Address
200 Commerce Ave., Eddyville, KY 42038
Court Phone
(270) 388-7231 (verify with clerk)
Rent Control
None — Kentucky preempts local rent control
Governing Law
KRS Chapter 383 / HB128 (2023) for leases on or after effective date
⚡ Eviction At-a-Glance
Nonpayment Notice
14-Day Notice to Pay or Vacate
Lease Violation
14-Day Notice to Cure; termination no sooner than 30 days
Month-to-Month Term.
1 Month’s Written Notice
Week-to-Week Term.
5-Day Written Notice
Eviction Filing Location
Lyon County Justice Center — 200 Commerce Ave., Eddyville
Eviction Timeline
3–6 weeks typical after notice period
Security Deposit Cap
2× monthly rent (plus 1st month’s rent & fees)
Deposit Return
30 days with itemized deductions
Deposit Penalty
$250 or 2× amount withheld, whichever greater
Habitability Duty
Nonwaivable (KRS 383.595 / HB128)
Statute
KRS Chapter 383 — HB128 (2023 Session)
Lyon County Local Rules & Landlord Procedures
Topic
Rule / Notes
Filing Evictions — Where & Who
All evictions (Forcible Detainer actions) in Lyon County are filed in District Court at the Lyon County Justice Center, 200 Commerce Avenue, Eddyville, KY 42038. Phone: (270) 388-7231. Eddyville is a small county seat; call ahead to verify current office hours, clerk contact, and civil hearing dates. Parking is available near the justice center on Commerce Avenue.
Nonpayment of Rent — Notice
Under HB128 (KRS 383.660), serve the tenant a 14-day written notice to pay or vacate stating the specific termination date. Retain dated, verifiable proof of service. If the tenant pays in full within 14 days, the lease continues.
Lease Violation — Notice & Cure
For non-rent violations, serve a 14-day written notice to cure or quit specifying the exact breach. If remedied within 14 days, the lease continues. If not, termination no sooner than 30 days from original notice. Consult a Kentucky attorney for repeat violations or criminal acts.
Month-to-Month Termination
One full month’s written notice required (KRS 383.695). Week-to-week: 5 days’ written notice.
Security Deposit
Capped at 2× monthly rent. Held in a dedicated, separately titled bank account. Return within 30 days with itemized deductions. Penalty: $250 or 2× the withheld amount, whichever is greater. Document move-in and move-out condition carefully.
Habitability — Nonwaivable Duty
HB128 imposes a nonwaivable habitability duty across 13 categories: structural integrity, weatherproofing, plumbing, water, heating/ventilation, electrical, pest/hazardous substances (lead, mold, asbestos), common areas, trash, floors/walls/windows, appliances, locks, and safety equipment. Respond to written maintenance notices within 14 days (5 days for essential services).
Landlord Entry — Notice
Standard entry: 24 hours’ advance notice. Routine maintenance: 72 hours’ notice. Emergency: reasonable notice. Leave written notice if tenant is absent.
Kentucky State Penitentiary Staff Tenant Segment
The Kentucky State Penitentiary employs correctional officers, administrative staff, healthcare workers, and management personnel who are state government employees with stable W-2 income. KSP staff represent one of Lyon County’s most reliable tenant segments: state employment, benefits-eligible, predictable salary schedule. Verify with recent pay stubs from the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Apply income ratio consistently. Note that correctional officer positions involve shift work; income may include shift differentials that show on pay stubs but not on base salary.
Lake Barkley & Short-Term Rental Market
Lake Barkley and the Land Between the Lakes adjacent area generate short-term vacation rental demand in Lyon County, particularly around Kuttawa, lake-area marinas, and lakefront properties. Property owners marketing units for under-30-day occupancy should verify with a Kentucky attorney whether URLTA applies; transient vacation occupancy is generally outside KRS Chapter 383. Check applicable zoning and any county or municipal vacation rental regulations before listing on Airbnb, VRBO, or similar platforms.
Lake Barkley Flood & Waterfront Conditions
Properties immediately adjacent to Lake Barkley may sit in Army Corps of Engineers easement areas or flood pool zones. Verify property boundaries and any Corps easements for lakefront or lake-adjacent properties before renting. FEMA flood zone status applies to properties in the broader Cumberland River watershed. Disclose known flood or easement conditions to prospective tenants in writing.
Lead Paint Disclosure
For any dwelling built before 1978 — most of Eddyville’s older housing stock — federal law requires written disclosure of known lead paint hazards and delivery of the EPA pamphlet before lease signing.
Rent Control
None. Kentucky does not permit local rent control.
Self-Help Eviction
Expressly prohibited (KRS 383.690). Penalty: 3× periodic rent or 3× actual damages, whichever is greater. File a Forcible Detainer at the Lyon County Justice Center.
Kentucky URLTA applies ONLY in specific adopting counties (including Jefferson/Louisville, Fayette/Lexington, and ~20 others). Non-URLTA counties use common law forcible detainer (KRS §383.200-383.285), which may have different procedures. The 7-day nonpayment notice under §383.660(2) requires payment of the FULL amount owed - accepting partial payment may restart the notice period. Tenant can cure by paying within the 7-day period. If the same nonpayment recurs within 6 months, landlord can issue 14-day unconditional quit. Late fees: no statutory cap, but Hemlane and others report 10% industry standard. Security deposit max: 1 month per KRS §383.580(1).
Serve the required notice based on the eviction reason (nonpayment or lease violation).
Wait for the notice period to expire. If tenant cures the issue (where allowed), the process stops.
File an eviction case with the District Court. Pay the filing fee (~$75).
Tenant is served with a summons and has the opportunity to respond.
Attend the court hearing and present your case.
If you prevail, obtain a writ of possession from the court.
Law enforcement executes the writ and removes the tenant if necessary.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Kentucky eviction laws and does not constitute legal advice.
Eviction procedures can vary by county and may change over time. Local jurisdictions may have additional requirements or tenant protections.
For specific legal guidance, consult a qualified Kentucky attorney or local legal aid organization.
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⚠️ Disclaimer: These calculations are estimates based on state statutes and typical court timelines. Actual results vary by county, court backlog, and case specifics. Always verify current requirements with your local courthouse. This is not legal advice.
Lyon County market: Small western KY county with two dominant economic forces — Kentucky State Penitentiary (stable state employment) and Lake Barkley tourism. KSP correctional officers are stable W-2 tenants; include shift differential in income review. Lake Barkley short-term rentals require URLTA analysis. Army Corps easements affect some lakefront properties. Lead paint disclosure required for older Eddyville housing. No rent control.
Background checks, eviction history, credit reports — get the full picture before handing over the keys.
The Castle on the Cumberland, Lake Barkley, and HB128: Lyon County Kentucky Landlord Law
The Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville has been sitting on its limestone bluff above the Cumberland River since 1884, and in the years before Lake Barkley was impounded it must have looked exactly like what it was called: the Castle on the Cumberland. The Gothic limestone architecture — crenellated towers, thick walls, a certain medieval solidity — was designed by the prison’s architect to communicate permanence and security. It has done so for over 140 years. The penitentiary houses Kentucky’s maximum-security population and its death row, employs hundreds of correctional officers, healthcare workers, administrators, and support staff, and is one of Lyon County’s dominant employers in a county of just over 8,000 people.
Lyon County was established in 1854 from Caldwell County and named for Chittenden Lyon, a Kentucky congressman whose father Matthew Lyon had been imprisoned in 1798 under the Alien and Sedition Acts for publishing criticism of President Adams — one of the most celebrated free-speech prosecutions in early American history, which ended with Adams losing re-election partly as a result of the political backlash the prosecutions generated. Chittenden Lyon moved from Vermont to Kentucky and served in Congress; his name attached to a county that, by a geographic coincidence, would eventually contain one of the most significant correctional facilities in the state. The county seat of Eddyville takes its name from the eddies in the Cumberland River at that location — swirling currents that no longer exist, having been stilled by the impoundment of Lake Barkley in the 1960s when Barkley Dam was constructed downstream.
KSP Employees and the State Employment Anchor
Kentucky State Penitentiary staff represent the most straightforwardly verifiable tenant segment in Lyon County. These are state government employees — correctional officers, nurses, counselors, administrative staff, kitchen workers — whose employment is with the Kentucky Department of Corrections, which means their income arrives on a predictable state pay schedule, they have full state benefits, and their employment has the kind of stability that government positions provide. Correctional officers work shift schedules, which means their total compensation includes shift differentials that do not appear on base salary lines but do appear on pay stubs. Review two or three recent pay stubs to capture the full regular compensation picture, including differentials, rather than relying on a stated base salary alone.
Lyon County Schools adds education employment. County and state government provide additional public sector work. A commuter segment travels to Paducah (McCracken County, roughly 35–40 miles northwest) for healthcare, manufacturing, and professional employment in one of western Kentucky’s most significant regional economies.
Lake Barkley, Kuttawa, and the Vacation Rental Question
Lake Barkley transformed Lyon County’s physical and economic landscape when Barkley Dam was completed in 1966. The 57,900-acre reservoir covers the former Cumberland River valley through Lyon, Livingston, and Trigg counties, and the original townsite of Kuttawa was among the communities relocated to higher ground when the lake was impounded. The new Kuttawa, elevated and repositioned above the lake’s shoreline, has developed over the following decades into one of Lake Barkley’s primary resort communities, with marinas, waterfront restaurants, and vacation accommodations that draw boaters and vacationers from across Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois.
For Lyon County landlords, the Lake Barkley recreation economy creates vacation rental demand that requires the same URLTA analysis discussed for neighboring Livingston County. Occupancies under 30 days are generally transient and outside KRS Chapter 383. This does not mean operating without documentation — it means that the relationship is governed by contract law and any applicable local regulations rather than the full HB128 framework. Consult a Kentucky attorney before establishing a short-term rental operation. Also note that properties immediately adjacent to Lake Barkley may sit within Army Corps of Engineers easement areas or within the flood pool elevation, which affects what can be built and how structures must be maintained. Verify property boundaries and any Corps easements before advertising or renting a lakefront property.
HB128 in Eddyville
All residential evictions in Lyon County are Forcible Detainer actions filed at the Lyon County Justice Center, 200 Commerce Avenue, Eddyville, KY 42038, phone (270) 388-7231. Call ahead to verify office hours and hearing dates. HB128 compliance: written 14-day notice to pay or vacate; 14-day cure with 30-day minimum termination; one month’s M-to-M notice; deposits at two times monthly rent in a separate account returned within 30 days with itemized deductions; $250 or 2x penalty; nonwaivable habitability; 24-hour entry notice; self-help eviction prohibited at three times periodic rent. Lead paint disclosure required for older Eddyville housing stock. The Castle on the Cumberland was built to hold what it was meant to hold, for as long as it needed to. A properly executed lease, a correctly served notice, and a separate deposit account do the same for a tenancy — they hold up when tested.
This guide is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. HB128 applies to leases made on or after its effective date; prior Kentucky law governs older leases. Short-term vacation occupancies under 30 days may fall outside URLTA; consult a Kentucky attorney. Army Corps of Engineers easements affect some lakefront properties; verify before renting. Last updated: March 2026.
⚠️ Legal Disclaimer: This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Kentucky’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (HB128) applies to leases made on or after its effective date; prior law governs older leases. Short-term vacation rental occupancies under 30 days may fall outside URLTA; consult a Kentucky attorney. Army Corps of Engineers easements may affect lakefront properties; verify property status before renting. Federal lead paint disclosure requirements apply to pre-1978 housing. Last updated: March 2026.
