Statute of Limitations for Invasion of Privacy in Kentucky

5 min read

Published March 22, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Overview

In Kentucky, a claim for invasion of privacy must be filed within the state’s statute of limitations (“SOL”) period. For most purposes, Kentucky uses a general, default limitations framework rather than a separate invasion-of-privacy clock.

That means the starting point is typically the general SOL for civil actions, which is governed by KRS 500.020. No claim-type-specific sub-rule was identified for invasion of privacy in the information provided for this page—so this guidance focuses on the default period that commonly applies.

Note: This page describes the general SOL framework for Kentucky. In actual cases, the limitations period can be affected by issue-specific facts (for example, when the alleged conduct was discovered, if tolling applies, or whether a claim is framed under a different legal theory).

If you’re trying to determine your deadline, DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator can turn a date you provide into an estimated filing deadline using Kentucky’s default SOL period.

Limitation period

Default/general SOL period in Kentucky: 5 years.
Kentucky’s general statute sets a 5-year limitations period for many civil actions that are not subject to a shorter, specific statute.

Practical way to think about it:

Identify the trigger date: commonly, the date the alleged invasion of privacy occurred, or—depending on the claim’s legal framing—when the injury was discovered or should have been discovered.
Count forward 5 years: Kentucky’s general default clock is 5 years, not 6 months or 2–3 years.
Use the deadline as a filing target: even if the last day is technically available, many people choose earlier filing to account for court processing and paperwork.

How the calculator changes the output

DocketMath’s calculator typically depends on your inputs. For Kentucky’s default SOL rule, these changes are usually driven by:

Start date you enter (e.g., date of the alleged incident)
How DocketMath applies the “calendar” math (end date is computed by adding 5 years and adjusting to a workable filing date when relevant)

Here’s what to expect conceptually when you change an input:

You change…	Likely effect on the estimated deadline
Start date moves later	Deadline moves later by roughly the same offset
Start date moves earlier	Deadline moves earlier by roughly the same offset
You choose a later “discovery”/trigger date	Deadline shifts later (because the 5-year clock starts later)

Key exceptions

Even when Kentucky has a default 5-year period, exceptions can matter in real-world disputes. The main categories to consider (without turning this into legal advice) are:

Tolling (pausing the clock): Some legal circumstances can pause or delay the running of a limitations period.
Different legal theory / different statute: Even when the conduct sounds like “invasion of privacy,” the legal claim might be pleaded under another cause of action with its own limitations rule.
Accrual/discovery nuances: Some claims focus on when a plaintiff discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the harm rather than the date of the event.

Because your brief specifies no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found, you should treat KRS 500.020’s 5-year default as the baseline—then sanity-check whether your facts suggest a tolling issue or a different accrual theory.

Warning: A later “discovery” date can extend the deadline, but courts may require that the discovery argument fits the legal theory and the facts. Don’t assume that simply calling something “discovered later” automatically changes the SOL outcome.

A quick checklist to prepare better inputs

Before you run DocketMath, gather:

These items help you choose the most defensible “start date” for the calculation.

Statute citation

Kentucky’s general/default statute of limitations period is set by:

**KRS 500.020 — General limitation period (5 years)

Under this general framework, the baseline SOL is 5 years, and this page applies that default because a claim-type-specific invasion-of-privacy sub-rule was not found for this brief.

Use the calculator

DocketMath can help you translate the 5-year Kentucky default into an estimated deadline.

Primary CTA: **/tools/statute-of-limitations

What to do

Go to /tools/statute-of-limitations
Enter your trigger/start date (for example, the date of the alleged conduct or the date you believe the claim accrued under your legal theory)
Confirm the jurisdiction is set to **Kentucky (US-KY)
Review the computed estimated SOL deadline

Interpret the result safely

Treat the calculator output as a timing estimate based on the inputs you provide.
If your situation involves possible tolling, delayed accrual, or a different legal theory, consider re-running the calculator using an alternative start date only if you have a factual basis for that date.

Pitfall: Using the date of the first incident when the conduct involved repeated postings or renewed publication may shift the practical accrual analysis. When uncertainty exists, run the calculator with the most defensible dates you can support and compare the resulting deadlines.

Sources and references

Start with the primary authority for Kentucky and confirm the effective date before relying on any output. If the rule has been amended, update the inputs and rerun the calculation.

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140