(1) Any county, urban-county, or charter county may apply to the Department of Juvenile Justice to construct, operate, or contract for the operation of a youth alternative center.
(2) The youth alternative center shall be a nonsecure facility and shall be under the jurisdiction of that governing body, subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(3) The youth alternative center shall be used only for the detention of juveniles. The youth alternative center shall not be part of a county jail or other facility that houses adult offenders.
(4) The youth alternative center may be used as a place of detention for juveniles by order of a court prior to adjudication and after adjudication regardless of whether the child is a status offender, public offender, or youthful offender.