All ordinances passed by the City Commission are available in their entirety from the City Clerk or the City Attorney. Tax and budget ordinances are considered and revised every year. Other general ordinances are considered as necessary. The content of each new ordinance is published by mailing a copy to each residence.
The following is a summary of the general ordinances of the city that are currently in effect. Please refer to these Ordinances complete details.
Health and Safety Regulations
Every property owner and/or lessee is required to keep all public drainage ditches clean and free of all weeds, trash or obstructions.
All approaches from the street onto a property shall be hard-surfaced and shall not interfere with drainage flow.
LEASH LAW – No pet (including cats) shall be allowed to run at-large in the city limits.
No person shall shoot, discharge, point or aim any firearm or airgun within the City unless necessary for the protection of life or property.
No owner, occupant or property manager shall permit a public nuisance, health hazard or source of filth to develop on a property through the accumulation of rubbish or the excessive growth of weeds or grass.
Traffic Regulations
The speed limit on Ledyard, Blenheim, Taggart, Don Allen, Heady, and Gibson is twenty miles per hour.
No commercial vehicles are allowed on the above streets except for the purpose of making a visit or delivery to a resident in the city.
Parking Regulations
No parking:
within 30 feet of a stop sign at an intersection, except for Richlawn streets that intersect with Hubbards Lane. For all intersections with Hubbards Lane, no parking is allowed within 75 feet of a stop sign. This applies to both sides of the street. Link for Restricted Areas
In the grass - all wheels must be on pavement.
on Hubbards Lane.
on the street which obstructs more than one lane of traffic.
on Heady between Shelbyville Road and the intersection of Gibson and Don Allen Roads.
on the north side of Ledyard Road.
on the street for a period of time longer than 15 minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 6 a.m.
on the public right-of-way between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through and including Friday, federal and state holidays excluded, or in a front yard at any time, except under the following circumstances:
When, because of special conditions such as a social gathering, the driveway of the property is or has been filled to capacity by motor vehicles, and there is no other reasonably convenient or safe place to park.
For a period not to exceed three hours.
When construction or maintenance activity on the property is in progress.
During a bona fide emergency situation where health, life or property is endangered and access to or for an emergency or repair vehicle is endangered and access to or for an emergency or repair vehicle is necessary.
No motor vehicle shall be parked anywhere in the City with its motor running for longer than fifteen (15) minutes.
No motor vehicle which is not immediately operable and functional shall be parked anywhere in the City except inside a garage or carport.
No motor vehicle which is emitting any products other than water onto the pavement shall be parked on the right-of-way in the City.
Emergency vehicles, motor vehicles which are being used for loading or unloading, government vehicles, or motor vehicles providing support for construction or maintenance activities for a nearby government vehicles, or motor vehicles providing support for construction or maintenance activities for a nearby property are exempt from these requirements as described in the ordinance.
Property Improvements Regulations - Construction Review
Residents must request a review and provide detailed plans and specifications for any of the following property improvements:
the construction or placement of any buildings, garages, additions to buildings, dormers, porches, and decks
patios, stoops, swimming pools (either in-ground or above-ground), fences, poles, satellite receivers, exterior lighting, commercial signs, storage sheds, portable storage units, and other outbuildings
driveways or parking areas
exterior remodeling or reconstruction of any of the above items or their facades
any construction, grading or landscaping which may occur in the public right-of-way within the City of Richlawn
any landscaping which may affect the public safety on any roads within or abutting the City of Richlawn
The Committee shall not approve any commercial signs higher than twenty feet without approval by the City Commission.
Contact Commissioner Paul Downs for construction review requests and questions.
Construction Review Request form
The following design standards shall be used by the Committee and the Commission to determine if a building permit shall be issued by the City of Richlawn:
Any property improvement shall be in compliance with all deed restrictions applicable to any property in the City of Richlawn.
All residential construction shall have building architecture in keeping with the general character of the existing architecture in the City, in terms of style, type of materials, design and appearance. Roof lines, pitches and materials must be in keeping with the character of the neighborhood in terms of style, type, material and design.
In all non-residential zoned areas, the exterior finishes must be in keeping with existing deed restrictions as well as the general character of the existing architecture in the City, in terms of style, type of materials, design and appearance.
In all non-residential zoned areas, the landscaping and buffering of any new or renovated construction from single-family areas is required in order to minimize the impact of noise, light, unwanted pedestrian access, trash, vermin and other health and safety impacts. All fence and wall materials must be constructed and maintained in a manner to effectively provide such protections. In addition, all such lots shall have landscaping along Shelbyville Road designed to be in keeping with the appearance and ambiance of the City of Richlawn and to be approved by the Committee.
All construction or property improvements shall be done in such a manner as not to create, increase or exacerbate drainage problems on adjacent or nearby properties. No driveway shall obstruct the natural flow of drainage in the street right-of-way.
Drives, driveways or parking areas shall be paved with hard surfaces. There shall be only one drive per residential lot. Other than a normal residential driveway, no paved area shall be allowed in a front yard except on lots on Hubbards Lane, which shall be allowed to have a paved parking area no larger than 400 square feet in addition to the driveway.
Commercial parking and trash storage areas shall be designed to minimize the light, sanitation and noise impact on the residential lots.
Commercial trash shall be stored in a lidded container which shall be provided for in any application. No pickups shall occur between the hours of 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
The Committee may limit the usage of outdoor speakers (music, ordering, drive-through, public address, etc.) as appropriate in order to protect the tranquility of any residential neighbors.
All signage on non-residential lots shall at least be in compliance with the Louisville Metro Land Development Code. In addition, no commercial signs higher than twenty feet shall be allowed without approval of the Richlawn City Commission. No commercial signage shall include a changing image sign or a video display.
All exterior lighting on any lot shall be dark-sky compliant, shall be fully shielded, with no visible luminaires, and shall be pointed downward, with the exception of typical residential lighting fixtures containing bulbs no brighter than 1500 lumens or the approximate equivalent of a 100 watt incandescent bulb.
The finished side of a wood fence (side without posts) shall face all outside boundaries of the lot. Any fencing in a front yard or streetside yard shall be limited to an ornamental or picket-style fence, with spaces between pickets, and shall not be higher than three feet.
No front yards of residential lots shall be allowed to have any satellite receiver or swimming pool.
No outdoor construction or placement of property improvements shall occur between the hours of 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
Beautification Ordinance - Cassidy Canopy Tree Program
The Richlawn Beautification Committee is composed of residents appointed by the Mayor.
The Committee shall be responsible for developing and implementing a plan for the preservation of canopy trees and the canopy effect in the City through the planting, care and selective removal of trees.
The City will pay 100% of the cost of a new canopy tree (up to a maximum of $500 per resident every 3 years) provided the tree is on the list of recommended species (Sugar Maple, All Oaks, All Cyprus, Gingko, Black Gum, Yellow Poplar, Fire Maple, American Sycamore, and Slippery Elm. ) The City will also provide financial assistance for pruning or removing damaged or diseased canopy trees.
Contact Commissioner Joe Dukes for Canopy Tree Program reimbursements and questions.