Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky SB39: AN ACT relating to fish and wildlife and declaring an emergency.
Status: Signed into law, April 10, 2026
Amend KRS 150.170 to exempt a bona fide private landowner from any fishing restrictions imposed in KRS Chapter 150 or the administrative regulations promulgated thereunder relating to creel, possession, size, or method of take; allow a private landowner to extend the same rights and privileges relating to fishing in lakes or ponds located on the landowner's property to any person in written or electronic form; allow the stocking of certain largemouth bass in private lakes and ponds without restriction; exempt a bona fide private landowner from any lake or pond stocking restrictions except with regard to prohibitions on the stocking of invasive fish.
What the bill says
An act relating to fishing in privately owned lakes and ponds.
From the committee substitute text:
AN ACT relating to fishing in privately owned lakes and ponds. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Section 1. KRS 150.170 is amended to read as follows: (1) Except as provided in the following subsections of this section, and subject to administrative regulations promulgated under this chapter, no person, resident, or nonresident shall do any act authorized by any kind of license or permit or assist in any way any person in doing any act provided for in this chapter with respect to wildlife unless he or she holds the kind of license or permit, resident or nonresident, that authorizes the act. It shall be the specific purpose of this chapter to prohibit the taking or pursuing of any wildlife, protected or unprotected, or the fishing in any stream or body of water whether public or private, without first procuring the license provided for in KRS 150.175, except to the extent as may be otherwise provided in this section. (2) A person under sixteen (16) years of age may, without a sport fishing license, take fish by angling, or take minnows by the use of a minnow seine, minnow trap, or dip net. (3) A person under twelve (12) years of age shall be exempt from being required to obtain a sport hunting or …
Sponsors
- Gary Boswell (R, SD-008) · primary sponsor
- Jared Carpenter (R, SD-034)
- Matthew Deneen (R, SD-010)
- Donald Douglas (R, SD-022)
- Greg Elkins (R, SD-028)
- Rick Girdler (R, SD-015)
- Jimmy Higdon (R, SD-014)
- Jason Howell (R, SD-001)
- Stephen Meredith (R, SD-005)
- Robert Mills (R, SD-004)
- Matt Nunn (R, SD-017)
- Steve Rawlings (R, SD-011)
Latest actions
- : signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 93)
- : delivered to Governor
- : enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
- : enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
- : passed 38-0
- : Senate concurred in Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (4), (2) and (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- : posted for passage for concurrence in House Floor Amendments (1), (2) and (4), Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
- : to Rules (S)
- : received in Senate
- : 3rd reading, passed 90-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendments (1), (2) and (4) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
Votes
- Senate: FINAL PASSAGE OF SB 39 w/ HCS 1, HFA 1, HFA 2, HFA 4, HCA 1 (T) (HCS 1) RSN# 4078 (March 31, 2026): 38 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House: Pass RCS# 341 (March 27, 2026): 90 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Senate: PASS SB 39 w/ SFA 6 (SFA 6) RSN# 3841 (February 20, 2026): 29 yea, 8 nay, passed
Subjects: Property, Environment And Conservation, Land Use, Hunting And Fishing, Fish And Wildlife, Agriculture
Common questions
- What is SB39?
- SB39 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT relating to fish and wildlife and declaring an emergency.
- What does SB39 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to fishing in privately owned lakes and ponds.
- What is the status of SB39?
- Signed into law as of April 10, 2026. Latest action: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 93) (April 10, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB39?
- Gary Boswell (R, SD-008), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB39?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/sb39.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.