By Louisville Senior Advisor Care Team · October 1, 2026
Under KRS 194A.707(2), OIG visits a Kentucky assisted living community at licensure, then 24 months after each review, or 12 months after a review that found imminent danger to a resident. Visits are unannounced, and findings from the latest review must be made public on request.
What does Kentucky law say about assisted living inspections?
KRS 194A.707(2) sets the schedule. OIG must conduct an on-site visit as part of initial licensure, then again 24 months after the previous licensure review if that review found no violation presenting imminent danger to a resident, or 12 months after it if the review did find a violation that created a substantial risk of death or serious mental or physical harm. 902 KAR 20:480 adds that the visits are unannounced, as all of OIG's long-term-care inspections are.
OIG can also visit at any time to investigate a complaint, or when it has reasonable cause to believe a community is out of compliance (KRS 194A.707(11)).
How does that compare with nursing homes?
| Kentucky assisted living | Certified nursing homes | |
|---|---|---|
| Routine on-site review | Every 24 months (12 after an imminent-danger finding) | Standard health surveys on the federal cycle, with CMS flagging any home whose last inspection is over 2 years old |
| Who inspects | OIG | OIG for the state and on behalf of CMS |
| Results online | No searchable database; findings available on request | CMS Care Compare and OIG GenSearch |
| Ratings | No ratings | CMS star ratings |
KRS 194A.707(8) even instructs OIG's assisted living reviewers to understand that assisted living is not subject to CMS rules. The two systems are deliberately different.
How do I get a Louisville community's latest findings?
Ask the community first. KRS 194A.707(10) requires the cabinet to make findings from the most recent licensure review available to the public, so the community should share the findings and its plan of correction. If it will not, contact OIG's Division of Health Care at 502-564-7963 and ask how to obtain them for the license number shown on our roster.
When you read them, note the review date. A two-year cycle means the most recent findings may describe a building with different staff and management than the one you are touring.
What about complaint investigations?
Complaint visits do not reset the routine cycle, but their results matter as much. Ask the community whether OIG has made any complaint visits since its last full review and what came of them. If you have a complaint of your own, OIG's Northern Branch, which covers Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby, Spencer, Henry and Trimble counties, takes complaints at 502-595-4958 or NEBComplaints-Reports@ky.gov. Suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation should also be reported to 1-877-597-2331.
What does an inspection actually check?
902 KAR 20:480 covers resident criteria and functional needs assessments, staffing (including one awake staff member on site at all times), medication management, dietary services, employee records and background checks, infection control, disaster planning, resident records, and, for ALC-DC licenses, the dementia-care training, staffing and program requirements. Violations that pose imminent danger can carry civil money penalties under KRS 194A.722(5).
Knowing that list helps families ask sharper questions on tours: who did the move-in assessment, who passes medications at night, and how staff were trained.
What should families make of a clean review?
A review with no findings is good news, but it is one day's snapshot, possibly two years old. Weigh it alongside what you see on unannounced visits, the community's staff turnover, and how it answers specific questions about overnight staffing and medication handling. A review with findings is not automatically bad news either; what matters is whether the findings were about resident harm or paperwork, and whether the plan of correction was carried out.
If a community has both an ALC-BH and an ALC-DC license at one address, ask whether the review covered both licenses and whether findings differed between the assisted living side and the secured dementia unit.
How does the license fee relate to inspections?
Kentucky funds its assisted living program through license fees that, under KRS 194A.707(9), may not exceed the program's costs. The fee schedule in 902 KAR 20:480 runs from $500 plus $40 per unit for communities under 25 units to $2,000 plus $40 per unit for those with 100 or more. Anyone can ask the cabinet for a breakdown of fees assessed and costs incurred for licensure reviews, which the statute requires it to provide on request.
What changed when Kentucky moved to licensure?
Before July 14, 2022, Kentucky certified assisted living communities rather than licensing them. The 2022 law created the three license categories, required a separate dementia care license for secured units, and placed licensing with OIG, whose staff already inspected nursing homes and personal care homes. The review cycle and public-findings rule now sit in the same statute as the license itself, which gives families a clearer legal basis to ask for the most recent findings.
Frequently asked questions
How often is assisted living inspected in Kentucky?
Every 24 months after the previous licensure review, or every 12 months after a review that found a violation posing imminent danger, plus complaint visits.
Are Kentucky assisted living inspections announced?
No. OIG's long-term-care inspections, including assisted living reviews, are unannounced.
Can I see a Kentucky assisted living inspection report online?
Not in a searchable database. Ask the community or OIG; KRS 194A.707(10) requires the latest findings to be available to the public.
Who investigates complaints about Louisville assisted living?
OIG's Northern Branch, at 502-595-4958.
