Kentucky
Targeted Brownfield Assessment Program
Kentucky's Targeted Brownfield Assessment (TBA) Program, part of the Brownfield Program of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP), offers environmental site assessments at no cost to local governments, nonprofit organizations and quasi-governmental organizations. DEP says the service helps local entities navigate redevelopment and pursue brownfield benefits such as liability relief and cleanup funding. DEP's Superfund Branch describes itself as the technical arm of the Cabinet's Brownfields Redevelopment and Reuse Program, performing Phase I and Phase II property assessments for eligible applicants.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 does not name a state assessment program among its standard record sources. The state's list of brownfield sites is the Brownfield Inventory. A TBA still matters, because the program's product is the assessment itself.
- Earlier assessments may already exist. If the property or a neighbor was assessed under the program, there may be a Phase I report, and a Phase II if testing followed. Ask for them.
- Timing is part of the program. DEP says that to be considered for liability relief and other brownfield benefits, the assessment must be conducted before acquiring the property, and that a Phase I performed to EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries standard is required before taking ownership. That is why DEP presents the TBA as an opportunity for local entities that want to put brownfield properties back into use.
- What follows a TBA. After an assessment, program staff can help an entity decide the property's future path, pursue liability protection under the 415 Program, or apply for cleanup funding.
Cleanup standards
DEP says the Phase II findings and the end use of the property determine the cleanup standards for the site.
Where to look a site up
The pages read link no list of TBA sites. The program's application form and its guidance are linked from the Targeted Brownfield Assessments page. The Brownfield Help Desk is at 502-564-6716 and brownfields@ky.gov.
Getting the file
The Cabinet takes open records requests by email to EEC.KORA@ky.gov, with as much detail as possible about the records sought. Name the assessment reports wanted. Only residents of the Commonwealth, as the Open Records page defines them, may request to inspect public records.
Sources
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet pages, read October 12, 2026, no modified date shown: