Kan. Stat. Ann. § 12-16,227
2026 session law — the Revisor of Statutes has not yet published this section. Source: Session Laws of Kansas 2026, ch. 152 (Secretary of State). K.S.A. number per the Revisor's 2026 composite list of Aug. 13, 2026. Effective 7/1/2026. Governor's veto overridden. CERTIFICATE In accordance with K.S.A. 45-304, it is certified that Senate Bill 391 was not approved by the Governor on April 8, 2026; was returned by objections and approved on April 9, 2026 by two-thirds of the members elected to the Senate notwithstanding the objections of the governor; was reconsidered by the House of Representatives and was approved on April 10, 2026, by two-thirds of the members elected to the House, notwithstanding the objections, the bill did pass and shall become law. This certificate is made this 10 th day of April, 2026 by the Chief Clerk and Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President and Secretary of the Senate. Daniel R. Hawkins Speaker of the House of Representatives Susan W. Kannarr Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives Ty Masterson President of the Senate Corey Carnahan Secretary of the Senate Docking State Office Building 915 SW Harrison Street Topeka, KS 66612 785-296-4564 kssos@ks.gov 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 785-296-4564 kssos@ks.gov 800-262-VOTE(8683) election@ks.gov 785-296-BOOK(2665) sos_lawbooks@ks.gov © 2025 Kansas Secretary of State
Operative Text
(a) No city or county shall adopt or enforce any ordinance or resolution that: (1) Prohibits landlords from refusing to lease privately owned single-family or multi-unit residential property or commercial property to a person because such person’s source of income to pay rent on such property consists, in whole or in part, of a financial payment or consideration from or through the housing choice voucher program, or any successor program, authorized by chapter 8 of title 42 of the United States code, or any other housing assistance program in which participation by a landlord is voluntary; (2) restricts a landlord’s ability to use or consider income-qualifying methods, credit scores, credit reports, eviction history, property damage history or criminal history or to request such information when done to determine whether to lease a property to a prospective tenant according to such landlord’s customarily applied criteria in making such determinations; (3) limits the amount of a security deposit a landlord may require to lease a property to a prospective tenant; or (4) requires landlords to grant an automatic right of first refusal to tenants. (b) Any ordinance or resolution prohibited by subsection (a) that was adopted prior to July 1, 2026, shall be null and void.
Under Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 12-16,120; 12-16,123; 12-16,138; 12-16,219; 12-16,227; 12-2723, effective July 1, 2026, Kansas cities and counties are prohibited from passing or enforcing local rules that would require landlords to accept housing vouchers or other voluntary assistance programs, restrict how landlords screen applicants, cap security deposit amounts, or mandate a right of first refusal for existing tenants. Any local ordinance or resolution that conflicted with these prohibitions and was adopted before July 1, 2026, is declared null and void. The law reflects a state-level decision to preempt local governments from regulating these specific aspects of the landlord-tenant relationship.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 12-16,120; 12-16,123; 12-16,138; 12-16,219; 12-16,227; 12-2723 establishes that, as of July 1, 2026, no Kansas city or county ordinance can compel a landlord to accept housing choice vouchers or other voluntary assistance programs, limit screening criteria such as credit scores or criminal history, cap security deposits, or require offering tenants a right of first refusal. Operators who have been subject to such local rules should be aware that any pre-existing ordinances of this type are now void under state law. Compliant operators generally document their screening criteria consistently and apply them uniformly across applicants.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 12-16,120; 12-16,123; 12-16,138; 12-16,219; 12-16,227; 12-2723 means that, as of July 1, 2026, local governments in Kansas cannot require landlords to accept housing vouchers or limit how landlords screen tenants. Tenants who believe a local ordinance is being misapplied or that other state or federal protections apply to their situation may consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid office for general information. Federal fair housing laws remain separately applicable and are not affected by this state provision.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 27, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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