If you are at least 21 and may otherwise lawfully possess a firearm, Kentucky lets you carry a concealed deadly weapon without any license. That...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
If you are at least 21 and may otherwise lawfully possess a firearm, Kentucky lets you carry a concealed deadly weapon without any license. That authority took effect June 27, 2019. You may carry in the same locations as a person holding a valid Kentucky license. Off-limits places and federal restrictions still apply to you. A license still does things that permitless carry (often called constitutional carry) alone does not.
Kentucky allows persons age 21 or older, and otherwise able to lawfully possess a firearm, to carry concealed deadly weapons without a license under KRS 237.109(1). The minimum age for this is 21. For those adults, no license is required to carry a concealed deadly weapon. Adults younger than that age are outside this rule and must look to the provisional license instead.
The statute is an authorization to carry concealed deadly weapons without a license. That section, KRS 237.109, became effective June 27, 2019. A person carrying without a license may carry in the same locations as persons with valid licenses, under KRS 237.109(1).
The statute itself carries one express limit.
Because your carry locations track a license holder's, the places closed to a licensee are closed to you as well. Eight such locations are named in KRS 237.110(16). The table names each one.
| Location where a Kentucky license does not authorize carry | Source |
|---|---|
| Police station or sheriff's office | |
| Detention facility, prison, or jail | |
| Courthouse, courtroom, or court proceeding | |
| Meeting of a governing body or the General Assembly | |
| Portion of an establishment for on-premises alcohol consumption | |
| School, child-caring facility, day-care center, or family child-care home | |
| Airport secured area | |
| Anywhere federal law prohibits firearms |
Carrying a concealed weapon unlawfully is a Class A misdemeanor, and a Class D felony if the person was previously convicted of a felony in which a deadly weapon was possessed, used, or displayed, under KRS 527.020(10). Federal exposure is separate. A knowing violation of the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act is punishable by a fine and imprisonment of not more than 5 years, served consecutively to any other sentence, and is deemed a misdemeanor for other purposes of law, under 18 U.S.C. 924(a)(4).
A license to carry concealed deadly weapon (CCDW license) grants two things that permitless carry alone does not.
No. Persons age 21 or older who may otherwise lawfully possess a firearm may carry concealed deadly weapons without a license. The floor for that authority is age 21.
Not under permitless carry, which starts at 21. Kentucky law provides a separate provisional CCDW license for applicants aged 18 to 20, under KRS 237.118(2). The minimum age for that license is 18. The Department of Kentucky State Police is required to issue provisional licenses, effective July 15, 2026. It is not yet accepting those applications: its online application portal is expected to be updated this fall and will then begin accepting applications, and the department will announce the official launch date once the upgrades are complete.
A provisional license is valid until the holder turns twenty-one (21) years of age, under KRS 237.118(4)(b). The Department of Kentucky State Police must mail the switch notice at least 90 days before the provisional license expires. A holder has six months after a provisional license expires to apply to switch to a standard license, under KRS 237.118(6)(f), before having to start a fresh application under the standard license statute. A provisional licensee who converts at 21 is not required to retake the firearms training course, under KRS 237.118(6)(g).
Yes. A loaded or unloaded firearm or other deadly weapon in a factory-installed enclosed container shall not be deemed concealed, under KRS 527.020(8). That includes a glove compartment, center console, or seat pocket, whether or not it is locked.
Possession of weapons, or ammunition, or both in a vehicle on the premises is not a criminal offense as long as they are not removed from the vehicle or brandished, under KRS 237.110(17). One exception applies to that rule.
A firearm may be removed from the vehicle or handled in the case of self-defense, defense of another, defense of property, or as authorized by the owner, lessee, or occupant of the property, under KRS 237.106(3). An employer that fires, disciplines, demotes, or otherwise punishes an employee for lawfully exercising that right while complying with the section is liable in civil damages, and a court shall grant an injunction, under KRS 237.106(4). A person, including an employer, who owns, leases, or otherwise occupies real property may still prevent a person prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition on the property, under KRS 237.106(2).
An adult who is not a pupil of any secondary school may possess a firearm contained within a vehicle, if it is not removed from the vehicle, except for a purpose permitted in that statute, or brandished, under KRS 527.070(3)(a). Schools otherwise appear on the list of locations a license does not reach.
No. Nothing in the section allows carrying or possessing a deadly weapon where it is prohibited by federal law, under KRS 237.109(2). A knowing Gun-Free School Zones Act violation carries imprisonment of not more than 5 years under 18 U.S.C. 924(a)(4).
Carrying a concealed weapon is a Class A misdemeanor, or a Class D felony where the defendant was previously convicted of a felony in which a deadly weapon was possessed, used, or displayed, under KRS 527.020(10).
This page covers one part of our Kentucky concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Kentucky guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.