Leitchfield Code Enforcement demolishes residence deemed 'unsafe and unfit for human occupancy'

The city of Leitchfield recently razed a residence deemed “unsafe and unfit for human occupancy.”

The residence, at 302 Sunset Drive off Brandenburg Road, presented myriad safety issues to the neighborhood, including worsening structural integrity illustrated by a roof that was caving in and several feet of water standing in the basement, which posed a danger to children (and adults) enticed to explore the eroding structure.

The city’s Code Enforcement Director, Tyler Harrell, is tasked with maintaining the “health and safety of the public by reviewing and evaluating properties and grounds to ensure the compliance of regulations,” according to Leitchfield’s Code Enforcement website.

After receiving complaints regarding the deteriorating condition of the property, Harrell inspected the structure.

“Upon receiving concerns from citizens, the structure located on Sunset Drive was inspected and determined to be unsafe and unfit for human occupancy due to significant structural deterioration, constituting a public nuisance under Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) and the city of Leitchfield Code Enforcement Ordinance,” Harrell said.

Prior to the property owner passing away, Code Enforcement workers, following Harrell’s inspection, boarded up the doors and windows “to prevent unauthorized entry,” a circumstance that has previously been an issue with residences within the limits of Leitchfield, specifically 224 South English Street and 502 West Main Street, among others.

“Following the owner’s death, we paused enforcement action for approximately six months to allow time for an executor or administrator of the estate to be appointed,” Harrell said. “During this period, the estate never entered probate, no responsible party came forward, and no responses were received to mailed notices or postings on the property.”

At the end of the six-month pause, the property was re-inspected and again deemed unsafe, as Harrell said the structure “continued to pose a threat to public health and safety.”

The next step was the receive approval from the City Code Enforcement Board for demolishing the property.

“As the Code Enforcement Director, I submitted a request to the City Code Enforcement Board to proceed with an emergency demolition, which the board approved pursuant to KRS 65.8838, and forwarded as a recommendation to the city council,” Harrell said.

(KRS 65.8838 reads in part that the city may take “immediate action to remedy a violation of its ordinances when there is reason to believe that the existence of the violation presents imminent danger, a serious threat to the public health, safety, and welfare, or if in the absence of immediate action, the effects of the violation will be irreparable or irreversible.”)

In December 2025, the Leitchfield City Council approved the City Code Enforcement’s recommendation that the structure be razed.

Harrell then mailed a notice and posted a notice on the property announcing the city’s intention to proceed with demolishing the structure “as a last resort to abate the ongoing safety hazard.”

The code enforcement crew proceeded with the demolition, which took seven days to complete.

Harrell noted that although the structure has been razed, there are still holes to fill and work to “dress up around the property.”

“Once the grade work is finished,” Harrell noted, “we will sow grass seed and scatter straw to prevent washout.”