Hotel Inspections
Hotels and motels in Northern Kentucky are required to have a permit and are inspected by the Health Department at least once per year.
The Health Department regularly inspects all hotels and motels in Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Kenton Counties. Most hotels are inspected at least once per year. Boarding homes, rooming houses, and bed and breakfasts are not inspected by the Health Department.
Opening a hotel/motel
Hotels in Northern Kentucky must have a permit and pay the applicable fees.
1-25 rooms: $250 | 26-50 rooms: $275 | 51-100 rooms: $300 | 101-200 rooms: $325 | 201-300 rooms: $350 | 301-400 rooms: $375 | 401+ rooms: $400
New construction or remodeling
Physical submissions must be accompanied by:
- A completed Plumbing Plan Application Form.
- The $150 review fee, payable to NKY Health.
- Three complete sets of plans and two additional sets of plumbing plans — all full-size sheets (24″x36″).
- A completed Food Establishment Plan Review Application and supporting documentation.
Plan drawings can be submitted to Ted Talley, Environmental Health Manager, Northern Kentucky Health Department, 8001 Veterans Memorial Drive, Florence, KY 41042.
Electronic submissions
- Plans, applications and supporting documentation can be submitted electronically as PDF files to ted.talley@nkyhealth.org.
- Large files may require a file hosting service, such as Dropbox.
- One complete set of plans and one additional set of plumbing – all full-size sheets (24″x36″) – must also be physically sent to Ted Talley, Environmental Health Manager, Northern Kentucky Health Department, 8001 Veterans Memorial Drive, Florence, KY 41042
Electronic submissions must include:
- A completed Plumbing Plan Application Form.
- The $150 review fee, payable to NKY Health.
- Review fee can be paid over the phone a with a credit card (no AMEX) after plans are submitted.
- A complete set of plans.
- A completed Food Establishment E-Plan Review Application and supporting documentation.
For more information on plan review, please contact Ted Talley at ted.talley@nkyhealth.org or call 859-363-2027.
Inspections
Below are the latest hotel inspection scores. Please keep in mind that the inspection scores only represent the conditions present at the time of the inspection. Conditions in a hotel can change from hour-to-hour and day-to-day.
Inspectors look for 27 potential items of violation, including:
- Is there hot and cold running water in all bathrooms?
- Are rooms and common areas free of bed bugs and rodents? Are other insects under control?
- Are rooms and common areas safe and in good repair, without any safety or fire hazards?
A violation that is more likely to impact health or safety is considered critical, and will have a higher point value assigned. An example of a critical item is a hotel room infested with bed bugs.
If a hotel has any critical violations or a total score below 85, a follow-up inspection is done. Scores below 70 may require conferences with officials from the Kentucky Department for Public Health and/or closure due to imminent health/safety threats.
View Boone County hotel inspection scores
View Campbell County hotel inspection scores
View Grant County hotel inspection scores
View Kenton County hotel inspection scores
More information
Copies of hotel inspection reports are available to the public upon written request. Please call 859-341-4151 for more details.
Legionnaires’ Disease
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella bacteria. It can be associated with hotels and resorts. It is deadly for approximately 1 in every 10 people who get it.
The problems that lead to Legionnaires’ disease are preventable through water management programs. A water management program is a multi-step, continuous process designed to:
- Identify areas in a building where Legionella could grow and spread
- Reduce risk by managing and monitoring the water system
- Trigger action when risks are identified
For additional information on Legionnaires’ disease prevention, please visit www.cdc.gov/legionella/wmp/hotel-owners-managers.html.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was a guest at a Northern Kentucky hotel and saw conditions that concerned me. What should I do?
The Health Department investigates complaints about sanitation and safety issues in hotels and motels. Complaints can be submitted online or by calling 859-341-4151. Please note that it may be a few days before your complaint will be investigated.
An emergency has impacted a hotel/motel. What should they do?
When emergency situations occur that affect the ability to operate, such as fire, extended power outages and water service interruptions, the establishment should suspend its operations and notify the Health Department.