- Kentucky enacts new laws on Jan. 1, 2026.
- Senate Bill 100 creates the Division of Tobacco Licensing.
- Kentucky’s attorney general will enforce consumer data privacy rights exclusively.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Kentucky residents won’t need to wait for the new year’s legislative session to see new laws take effect in the Commonwealth. As 2026 begins, new laws calling for increased protections for the personal data of citizens, limitations for vape tobacco products, and a new tax rate will be enacted.
Senate Bill 100
Signed by Gov. Andy Beshear in late March, SB-100 will create the Division of Tobacco, Nicotine, and Vapor Product Licensing—any retailer in the state that sells alternative nicotine products, tobacco products, or vapor products must obtain a license to do so.
Lawmakers wrote that the fees associated with licensing and applications would be paid to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and that 50% of all collected fines would go toward a program educating the youth on the dangers of vaping and tobacco. The new law also directs the Department for Public Health to start a youth program that targets the dangers of vapor products while also making vape manufacturers and tobacco retailers provide clearer product information, allowing the product to be defined as an “authorized nicotine vapor product.”
According to Louisville’s FOX affiliate, WDRB, THC-infused drinks will not be available at Kentucky fairs and festivals in 2026. However, people can still purchase the hemp seltzers at Kentucky liquor stores. Buying THC-infused drinks by the single can has been banned in Kentucky since June 2025.
House Bill 1
This law will reduce the individual income tax rate for Kentuckians from 4% to 3.5% beginning on the first day of 2026.
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
Otherwise known as House Bill 15, the Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act (KCDPA) establishes rights for Kentuckians relating to the use of their personal data, setting requirements for people or business entities that control and process a consumer’s data.
The new law includes a “consumer privacy fund” administered by the office of Kentucky’s attorney general, which also “has exclusive authority to enforce the consumer data privacy rights,” the law states. The KCDPA goes into effect on Jan. 1.
