Kentucky Concealed Carry Permit Basics

Kentucky issues two kinds of concealed carry licenses. The standard CCDW license under KRS 237.110 goes to applicants 21 and older and lasts five years. The provisional license under KRS 237.118 is new: it goes to applicants who are 18, 19, or 20, and it expires the day the holder turns 21. Both are issued by the Department of Kentucky State Police, and both let you carry a concealed firearm, other deadly weapon, or a combination, plus ammunition, anywhere in the Commonwealth that state or federal law does not put off limits.

You do not need either license to carry concealed in Kentucky if you are 21 or older. KRS 237.109 lets anyone 21 or older who can lawfully possess a firearm carry concealed without a license, in the same places a licensee may carry. That has been the law since June 27, 2019. Most people who apply anyway do it for reciprocity, for the dealer-purchase benefit, or because they want the training.

What changed in 2026: provisional licenses for ages 18 to 20

House Bill 312 of the 2026 Regular Session created a new section of KRS Chapter 237, now codified as KRS 237.118. Governor Beshear vetoed the bill on April 3, 2026. The House overrode the veto 81-18 and the Senate overrode it 28-9 on April 14, 2026, and the bill was delivered to the Secretary of State the same day as 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 173. KRS 237.118 took effect July 15, 2026.

Before HB 312, an 18 to 20 year old in Kentucky could not carry a deadly weapon concealed at all. The Kentucky State Police guidance still in circulation says exactly that: "Persons under age 21 may be eligible to possess a firearm, but are not allowed to carry the firearm (or other deadly weapon) concealed in Kentucky." That statement is now accurate only for 18 to 20 year olds who do not hold a provisional license. Permitless carry under KRS 237.109 is still limited to age 21 and up.

Practical status as of this writing: KSP has not opened applications to 18 to 20 year olds yet. Its CCDW page states that KSP contacted the online-portal vendor in early April, the vendor began work on June 15, and the portal "is expected to be updated this fall" before it will accept applications from eligible individuals ages 18 to 20. KSP says it will announce the official launch date once the upgrades are complete. If you teach or advise in this age group, tell them to watch the KSP site rather than assume the door is open.

The standard CCDW license (KRS 237.110)

Who issues it. The Department of Kentucky State Police, under KRS 237.110(1).

What it does. Under KRS 237.110(2), a license is valid throughout the Commonwealth, is good for five years from the date of issuance unless revoked or suspended, authorizes you to carry a concealed firearm or other deadly weapon (or both) on or about your person, and authorizes you to carry ammunition for a firearm on or about your person. It does not override the location bans in KRS 237.110(16) or the authority granted by KRS 237.115. That section is really two grants. Colleges, universities, and any other postsecondary education facility, including technical schools and community colleges, may control the possession of deadly weapons on any property owned or controlled by them. Separately, a unit of state, city, county, urban-county, or charter county government may prohibit licensees from carrying concealed in that portion of a building actually owned, leased, or occupied by that unit. KSP puts it the same way: units of state and local government and postsecondary education facilities have the authority to limit the carrying of concealed weapons on property owned or controlled by them.

Weapons it covers. KSP lists these as covered by a CCDW license: any weapon from which a shot readily capable of producing death or serious physical injury may be discharged; a billy, nightstick, or club; a blackjack or slapjack; nunchaku karate sticks; a shuriken or death star; and artificial knuckles made from plastic or other similar hard material. For permitless carry, KSP points to the definition of deadly weapon in KRS 500.080.

Who qualifies. KRS 237.110(4) directs KSP to issue an original or renewal license if the applicant:

• Is not prohibited from purchasing, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition under 18 U.S.C. 922(g), 18 U.S.C. 922(n), or other applicable federal or state law.
• Meets one of four status tests: a U.S. citizen who is a Kentucky resident; a U.S. citizen on active duty in the Armed Forces assigned at the time of application to a military posting in Kentucky; a person lawfully admitted to the United States who is permitted by federal law to purchase a firearm and is a Kentucky resident; or a person lawfully admitted to the United States who is permitted by federal law to purchase a firearm and is assigned at the time of application to a posting in the Commonwealth.
• Is 21 or older. This is the one criterion KRS 237.118 sets aside for provisional applicants.
• Has not been committed to a state or federal facility for controlled substance abuse, and has not been convicted of a misdemeanor violation of KRS Chapter 218A or a similar out-of-state law, within the three years before the application.
• Does not chronically and habitually use alcoholic beverages, shown by two or more convictions under KRS 189A.010 in the preceding three years or a commitment as an alcoholic under KRS Chapter 222 or a similar out-of-state law in the preceding three years.
• Does not owe a child support arrearage equal to or greater than one year of nonpayment, if KSP has been notified of the arrearage by the Office of the Attorney General.
• Has complied with any subpoena or warrant relating to child support or paternity proceedings.
• Has not been convicted of KRS 508.030 (assault in the fourth degree) or KRS 508.080 (terroristic threatening in the third degree) within the preceding three years. The KSP commissioner may waive this one for good cause if the applicant is not a danger and the waiver would not violate federal law.
• Demonstrates competence with a firearm by completing a qualifying firearms safety or training course. See the Training Requirements section for the full rule.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the law on justifiable use of force by submitting the Department of Criminal Justice Training legal handout along with a signed statement that the applicant has read and understands it.

Background check. Before issuing an original or renewal license, KRS 237.110(3) requires KSP to run a state records check, a federal records check that includes a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) query, a federal Immigration Alien Query for applicants lawfully admitted to the United States, and, for applicants without permanent resident status where a doubt exists, consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, or another federal agency.

Timing. Under KRS 237.110(9), KSP must either issue the license or deny it within 60 days of receiving a complete paper application, or within 15 business days of receiving a complete electronic application. A denial has to be in writing with the grounds stated, and it carries a right to submit more documentation within 30 days and a right to de novo review in District Court within 90 days.

Carrying the license. KRS 237.110(15) requires you to carry the license whenever you are carrying a concealed firearm or other deadly weapon and to display it on request of a law enforcement officer. Failing to do so is a noncriminal violation with a $25 penalty and no court costs.

Keeping it current. Report a permanent address change, or the loss, theft, or destruction of a license, to KSP within 30 days. Failure to report is a noncriminal violation with a $25 penalty under KRS 237.110(11). A lost, stolen, or destroyed license is automatically invalid; a duplicate costs $15 on paper or $25 electronically under KRS 237.110(12).

Losing it. KSP revokes the license of anyone who becomes permanently ineligible and suspends the license of anyone who becomes temporarily ineligible, under KRS 237.110(13). If a domestic violence order or emergency protective order issues under KRS Chapter 403 against a license holder, the holder must surrender the license to the court or to the officer serving the order, and the license stays suspended until the order terminates.

The provisional license (KRS 237.118)

Who qualifies. KRS 237.118(2) directs KSP to issue a provisional license to a person who is 18 but younger than 21 and who, notwithstanding the age criterion in KRS 237.110(4)(c), otherwise meets every criterion in KRS 237.110(4) and the requirements of KRS 237.110(3). Read that carefully: the only thing waived is the age floor. An 18 year old applicant still has to pass the same background check and complete the same training as a 21 year old applicant.

What it does. Under KRS 237.118(4), a provisional license is valid throughout the Commonwealth, permits the holder to carry firearms, ammunition, other deadly weapons, or a combination at any location in the Commonwealth except where the Kentucky Revised Statutes or federal law say otherwise, authorizes concealed carry on or about the person, and authorizes carrying ammunition. It is valid until the holder turns 21 unless revoked or suspended, not for a fixed five-year term.

Everything else tracks KRS 237.110. KRS 237.118(3)(a) sends the issuance and regulation of provisional licenses back to KRS 237.110 except where the new section says otherwise. KRS 237.118(3)(b) goes further: any reference anywhere in the Kentucky Revised Statutes to a license issued under KRS 237.110 is also a reference to a provisional license. That is what makes a provisional license work for the carry privileges in KRS 527.020(4) and for the place restrictions in KRS 237.110(16).

It looks different. KRS 237.118(5) requires a provisional license to be readily distinguishable from a standard license.

Turning 21: the switch. KRS 237.118(6) sets out the transition:

1. Not less than 90 days before the provisional license expires, KSP mails the holder a written expiration notice and an application to switch to a standard license, on a form KSP prescribes. The envelope carries only the applicant's name and address.
2. The holder applies by filing the paper form with the sheriff of his or her county of residence, or by filing an electronic form with KSP instead, stating that he or she remains qualified under KRS 237.110(3) and (4), and paying an application fee prescribed by KSP.
3. The sheriff (paper) or KSP (electronic) issues a dated receipt for the switch application.
4. KSP issues the standard license once it has the completed switch application, the records check under KRS 237.110(3), a determination that the applicant is not ineligible under KRS 237.110(4), and payment of the fees. The sheriff destroys the provisional license when the standard license issues.

Two things to flag for students in this position. First, the training does not have to be repeated: KRS 237.118(6)(g) says a provisional licensee applying for a standard license under this subsection is not required to retake the firearms training described in KRS 237.110(4). Second, there is a six-month cliff: under KRS 237.118(6)(f), a holder who fails to submit the switch application within six months after the provisional license expires has to start over with a full application under KRS 237.110.

The standard license issued through the switch is not valid until the applicant is 21, per KRS 237.118(6)(g). An expired provisional license is void and is good for nothing except surrender to the sheriff in exchange for a standard license, per KRS 237.118(7).

Regulations. KRS 237.118(8) lets KSP promulgate administrative regulations under KRS Chapter 13A to administer the section.

Do you need a license at all?

If you are 21 or older, no. KRS 237.109 provides that persons age 21 or older who are otherwise able to lawfully possess a firearm may carry concealed firearms or other concealed deadly weapons without a license, in the same locations as persons holding valid licenses under KRS 237.110. Nothing in that section allows carrying where federal law prohibits it. KRS 527.020(4) ties the two together: persons carrying in accordance with KRS 237.109, and persons licensed under KRS 237.110, may carry concealed at all times within the Commonwealth if they carry in conformity with those sections.

KSP gives three reasons to get a license anyway, in answer to its own FAQ question "Is there still a reason to get a CCDW license?" Most states still require a license to carry concealed, and Kentucky permitless carry does not apply outside Kentucky. A CCDW license will also assist in weapons purchases from licensed dealers. And it provides the holder with training and familiarity with gun laws.

KSP is more specific about that second point elsewhere. Answering "What about the purchase of firearms?" on its permitless carry FAQ and its CCDW FAQ page, KSP states that only a valid CCDW license will serve as a substitute for the NICS background check when purchasing a firearm.

For an 18 to 20 year old, the calculus is different. Permitless carry is not available to you, so the provisional license is the only lawful route to concealed carry in Kentucky.

Federal limits that still bind 18 to 20 year olds

A provisional license is a Kentucky carry credential. It does not change federal law. Under 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1), a licensed dealer may not sell or deliver a firearm other than a shotgun or rifle, or ammunition other than shotgun or rifle ammunition, to anyone the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under 21. A provisional licensee can carry a handgun in Kentucky but still cannot buy one over the counter from an FFL until turning 21.

KSP has not published guidance on whether a provisional license functions as a NICS alternative at the point of sale the way it says a standard CCDW license does, and the sources in this archive do not answer that question. Treat it as unresolved.

Ambiguities and open items

• The KSP qualification pages have not caught up to the statute. The KSP qualifications page still says the child support arrearage and paternity notifications come from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. KRS 237.110(4)(f) and (g), as amended by 2025 Ky. Acts ch. 59, sec. 7, effective July 1, 2025, say the Office of the Attorney General. The statute controls.
• KSP guidance still describes the pre-HB 312 world. The permitless carry FAQ and the CCDW home page both state flatly that persons under 21 may not carry concealed in Kentucky. That text predates KRS 237.118 and has not been revised.
• No published fee for the provisional license or for the switch. KRS 237.118(6)(c)3. leaves the switch application fee to KSP, and KSP has not published it. KRS 237.118(3)(a) routes anything the new section does not cover back to KRS 237.110, which sets a $60 paper and $70 electronic application fee, but KSP has not confirmed in the sources here that those figures apply to an initial provisional application. See the Fees and Costs section, and verify with KSP before quoting a number to a student.
• Paper applications from 18 to 20 year olds. KSP's notice addresses only the online portal. Whether a sheriff's office will accept a paper provisional application before the portal work finishes is not addressed in any source in this archive. Call the county sheriff before sending a student in.
• No administrative regulations yet. Nothing in this archive shows KSP has promulgated the KRS Chapter 13A regulations authorized by KRS 237.118(8).

Statute reference