The CROWN Act in Kentucky is not a statewide law. Four cities — Covington, Louisville, Frankfort, and Lexington — have passed local ordinances that prohibit discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles, treating those traits as part of race under their anti-discrimination codes. If you live or work in one of those cities, an employer, landlord, or business open to the public cannot penalize you for wearing your natural hair. Outside those city limits, you fall back on federal Title VII, which covers hair discrimination in theory but is harder to win on in practice.
Which Kentucky Cities Are Covered
Covington passed the first Kentucky ordinance in 2020.1City of Covington. Covington Bans Hair Discrimination Louisville followed in 2021 with Ordinance O-260-21, which amended Chapter 92 of the metro code.2Louisville Metro Government. Legislation Details – O-260-21 Frankfort passed its ordinance in March 2023, and Lexington enacted Ordinance No. 049-2023 two months later.3Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Ordinance No. 049-2023 – Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act
Your legal standing depends on where the discrimination happened, not where you live. Working in Louisville but living in a county without an ordinance still gets you Louisville’s protections for anything that occurs at that job. The reverse is also true: living in Lexington does not help if the incident happened outside Fayette County.
Statewide bills to extend these protections have not passed. HB 31 was introduced in 2022, and HB 125 and HB 232 followed in the 2025 session; none advanced.4Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky House Bill 31 Kentucky’s general civil rights statute, KRS 344.040, prohibits race-based employment discrimination but does not expressly list hair texture or protective hairstyles.5Justia Law. Kentucky Code 344 – 344.040 Unlawful Discrimination by Employers
What Counts as Protected Hair
The local ordinances define protected hair broadly. Lexington’s covers hair that is treated or untreated, hair types commonly associated with African Americans, and the use of extensions or treatments to create or maintain those styles. Specific styles named include braids, locs, twists, cornrows, Bantu knots, and afros. Hair ornaments like ribbons, headwraps, beads, and barrettes are also protected.3Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Ordinance No. 049-2023 – Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act
The legal logic is that these traits are inseparable from racial identity, so a rule targeting them is a rule targeting race.
Where the Protection Applies
In the covered cities, the ordinances reach employment, housing, and public accommodations. Employers cannot refuse to hire, fire, or deny promotions based on your natural hair or protective style. Grooming policies that ban locs, braids, or afros are legally challengeable as racial discrimination. These rules apply to private companies, government agencies, and labor organizations within city limits.
Landlords cannot deny housing or impose different lease terms based on a tenant’s hair. Businesses open to the public — restaurants, stores, service providers — cannot deny service or entry on these grounds. Louisville enforces its ordinance through the Human Relations Commission, with complaint investigations and the possibility of administrative hearings.6Louisville Metro Government. Louisville Metro Code 92.42 Complaints to Human Relations Commission
If You Live Outside a Covered City
Federal law offers partial coverage. The EEOC has interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to reach hair discrimination, stating that “discrimination on the basis of an immutable characteristic associated with race, such as skin color, hair texture, or certain facial features violates Title VII, even though not all members of the race share the same characteristic.”7U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Facts About Race/Color Discrimination
Several federal courts, however, have read Title VII more narrowly, allowing employers to enforce grooming policies that target styles like locs so long as the policies apply to everyone regardless of race. A federal CROWN Act of 2025 has been introduced but remains in committee.8Congress.gov. H.R.1638 – 119th Congress (2025-2026) CROWN Act of 2025 For now, a Title VII hair-discrimination claim is possible but harder to win than one brought under a local CROWN ordinance that names hair outright. If you are outside the four covered cities, filing with the EEOC is your main route.
How to File a Hair Discrimination Complaint
Start with the agency closest to where the discrimination happened. Louisville complaints go to the Human Relations Commission. Lexington complaints go to the Lexington Human Rights Commission.9Lexington Human Rights Commission. File a Complaint Both handle employment, housing, and public accommodations.
You can also file with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, which accepts employment and public accommodation complaints within 180 days of the incident and housing complaints within one year.10Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. File a Complaint For employment claims, you can also file a federal charge with the EEOC. The standard EEOC deadline is 180 calendar days, extended to 300 days when a state or local agency enforces a parallel law.11U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits For Filing A Charge Kentucky’s state commission and the local commissions in covered cities meet that condition, so most Kentucky filers get the 300-day window.
Deadlines are strict. Missing the window closes the door at state and local agencies even if the underlying facts are strong.
Evidence to Gather Before You File
Collect the full legal name and address of the employer, landlord, or business. Write down specific dates, times, and a detailed account of what was said and done. Copies of employee handbooks, written grooming policies, termination letters, or written warnings that mention your hairstyle are strong evidence. Names and contact information for witnesses help considerably.
Complaint forms generally ask you to identify yourself as the charging party, name the respondent, categorize the type of discrimination, describe how you were treated differently because of your hair, and state the outcome or damages you are seeking.
What Happens After You File
Louisville’s process gives a representative picture. After a complaint comes in, commission staff must send a copy to the respondent within ten days. The commission then has 60 days to investigate and decide whether there is probable cause to believe a violation occurred.6Louisville Metro Government. Louisville Metro Code 92.42 Complaints to Human Relations Commission
A probable cause finding sends the case to conciliation, where both sides try to reach an agreement. Possible outcomes include back pay for lost wages, policy changes within the organization, and other corrective measures. If conciliation fails, the case can go to a formal administrative hearing. A no-probable-cause finding can be challenged: you have ten days to request reconsideration, and the commission must issue a new determination within ten days after that.6Louisville Metro Government. Louisville Metro Code 92.42 Complaints to Human Relations Commission