Kentucky Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Reciprocity runs in two directions, and Kentucky treats the two directions very differently.

Coming into Kentucky, recognition is broad. Kentucky recognizes a valid concealed carry license issued by any other state, by statute, with no agreement required from the other side. On top of that, anyone 21 or older who can lawfully possess a firearm may carry concealed in Kentucky with no license at all. So a visiting 21 year old rarely has to think about reciprocity here.

Leaving Kentucky, recognition is a list. Kentucky permitless carry stops at the state line. Of the 49 other states, 36 told the Kentucky State Police they honor a Kentucky CCDW license, 11 said they do not, and 2 gave an answer KSP records only as "other." The District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the territory KSP lists as Samoa Territory answered no. The U.S. Virgin Islands answered "other."

Kentucky recognizes every other state's license

The controlling provision is KRS 237.110(20)(a): a person who is not a resident of Kentucky and who has a valid license issued by another state of the United States to carry a concealed deadly weapon in that state may, subject to provisions of Kentucky law, carry a concealed deadly weapon in Kentucky, and his or her license shall be considered as valid in Kentucky.

Four things follow from the way that is written.

• Recognition is automatic and one way. It is in the Kentucky statute. It does not depend on the issuing state signing anything with Kentucky and it does not depend on that state recognizing Kentucky licenses in return. KSP dates its recognition of other states' licenses to July 15, 1998.
• It runs to non-residents. The subsection covers "a person who is not a resident of Kentucky." A Kentucky resident who holds another state's non-resident permit gets nothing from KRS 237.110(20)(a). A Kentucky resident who is 21 or older does not need it anyway.
• The license has to be a real, valid license for that state. The statute describes a license issued by another state "to carry a concealed deadly weapon in that state."
• "Subject to provisions of Kentucky law" means Kentucky's rules apply to you. The place restrictions in KRS 237.110(16), the carry rules and exemptions in KRS 527.020, and the authority of state and local government units and postsecondary institutions under KRS 237.115 apply to a visiting license holder the same way they apply to a Kentucky licensee. Your home state's carry rules do not travel with your license.

Visitors with no license at all

KRS 237.109, created by 2019 Ky. Acts ch. 10 and effective June 27, 2019, lets any person 21 or older who is otherwise able to lawfully possess a firearm carry concealed firearms or other concealed deadly weapons without a license, in the same locations as a person licensed under KRS 237.110. KSP applies that to visitors in plain terms: any person who is eligible to possess a firearm under the laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky may carry a concealed firearm or other concealed deadly weapon in Kentucky, "without regard to their citizenship or state of residence."

For most travelers 21 and over, that is the practical answer. You do not need Kentucky to recognize anything.

Visitors under 21

This is genuinely unsettled and worth telling students plainly. KRS 237.110(20)(a) sets no age floor of its own. Permitless carry under KRS 237.109 does start at 21. KSP's standing guidance says 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," but that answer sits in KSP's permitless carry material and predates the 2026 provisional license law. Nothing in this archive says how KSP applies KRS 237.110(20)(a) to an 18, 19, or 20 year old carrying on another state's license. Do not assume it works.

Which jurisdictions recognize a Kentucky CCDW license

KRS 237.110(20)(e) requires KSP, not less than once every 12 months, to ask the concealed carry licensing authority in every other state whether a Kentucky resident may carry there on a Kentucky license, or may use a Kentucky license to obtain that state's license. KSP must try to secure permission for Kentucky license holders and must enter into a written reciprocity agreement with each state that agrees. Once an agreement is in force, the annual re-contact requirement drops away for that state. The answers are a public record.

The chart below is KSP's published record of those responses, captured from the KSP reciprocity page on August 13, 2026.

Recognize a Kentucky CCDW license (36 states): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Do not recognize a Kentucky CCDW license (11 states, plus D.C. and three territories): California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington. Also the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the territory KSP lists as Samoa Territory.

Answered "other" (3 jurisdictions): Rhode Island, Vermont, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. KSP does not define what "other" means, and no source in this archive explains it. Treat these three as unresolved and contact the jurisdiction before you carry there.

KSP attaches two warnings to the chart, and both matter more than students expect:

• Some jurisdictions that recognize Kentucky licenses limit that recognition to handguns only and will not honor a Kentucky license for other deadly weapons. A Kentucky CCDW license covers weapons well beyond handguns, including a billy or club, blackjack, nunchaku, shuriken, and artificial knuckles.
• The laws of other jurisdictions "may differ from the laws of Kentucky regarding the circumstances under which you may legally carry a concealed weapon."

KSP tells travelers to contact every jurisdiction they intend to carry in. KSP does not answer questions about other states' laws.

The provisional license for ages 18 to 20 has no reciprocity answer yet

2026 Ky. Acts ch. 173 (House Bill 312) created KRS 237.118, effective July 15, 2026. It directs KSP to issue a provisional CCDW license to a person who is 18 but younger than 21 and who, notwithstanding the age criterion in KRS 237.110(4)(c), meets every other criterion in KRS 237.110(4) and the requirements of KRS 237.110(3). Governor Beshear vetoed the bill on April 3, 2026 and both chambers overrode the veto on April 14, 2026.

Inside Kentucky, a provisional license carries like a standard one. KRS 237.118(3)(b) provides that any reference in the Kentucky Revised Statutes to a license issued under KRS 237.110 is also a reference to a provisional license. KRS 237.118(4) makes it valid throughout the Commonwealth until the holder turns 21.

Outside Kentucky, treat it as an open question. Nothing in this archive answers any of the following:

• Whether a state that recognizes Kentucky CCDW licenses will honor a KRS 237.118 provisional license held by an 18 to 20 year old. That is the other state's decision, not Kentucky's, and KSP's chart records answers given before the provisional license existed. The chart has no column for license class or holder age.
• Whether KSP has asked the other states about provisional licenses in its KRS 237.110(20)(e) annual inquiry, or intends to.
• Whether an existing written reciprocity agreement, which under KRS 237.110(20)(e) ends the annual re-contact duty, would sweep in a license class that did not exist when the agreement was signed.

There is also a practical timing point. As of the August 2026 capture, KSP had not opened applications to 18 to 20 year olds: KSP says its vendor began work on the online portal on June 15, that the portal is "expected to be updated this fall," and that KSP will announce the launch date.

Kentucky permitless carry does not travel

KSP is blunt about the outbound direction. Carry of concealed deadly weapons by Kentucky residents visiting other states is governed by the laws of those states. Only states that require no license for any person to carry concealed would let a Kentucky resident carry with no CCDW license, and the laws of those states may also differ on what weapons may be carried.

Why hold a license you do not need at home

KSP gives three reasons, and reciprocity is the first one:

• Most states still require a license to carry concealed, and Kentucky's permitless carry law does not apply out of state.
• A CCDW license "will also assist in weapons purchases from licensed dealers." KSP states elsewhere that only a valid CCDW license will serve as a substitute for the NICS background check when purchasing a firearm.
• The license comes with training and familiarity with gun laws.

Moving to Kentucky with an out-of-state license

KRS 237.110(20)(b) through (d) gives a new resident a limited grace period, and it is narrower than most people assume: by its terms it applies to a license issued by a state "that has entered into a reciprocity agreement with the Department of Kentucky State Police."

1. Within 60 days of moving to Kentucky, complete the KSP form. It requires a signed and notarized statement that your license is valid, in compliance with the issuing state's law, and has not been revoked or suspended for any reason except valid forfeiture on departure from the issuing state.
2. The form also requires your name, date of birth, citizenship, gender, Social Security number if applicable, proof that you are a United States citizen, permanent resident, or otherwise lawfully present, your former out-of-state address, your current Kentucky address, the date your Kentucky residence began, the issuing state, and your license number.
3. Attach a photocopy of the out-of-state license.
4. Deliver the form and attachments by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address on the KSP form, within that same 60 days.

The out-of-state license becomes invalid in Kentucky on the earlier of two events: you have resided in Kentucky more than 120 days, or Kentucky issues you a license.

Two cautions. First, this archive contains no list identifying which states have signed written reciprocity agreements with KSP, so the reader cannot tell from KSP's published chart whether a given state's license qualifies for the 120 day grace period. Second, if you are 21 or older, KRS 237.109 lets you carry concealed as a Kentucky resident regardless, so the grace period matters mainly for the paperwork trail and for people who are not eligible for permitless carry.

Kentucky does not license non-residents, and no license transfers in

KRS 237.110(4)(b) limits licensing to a United States citizen who is a resident of the Commonwealth, a citizen on active duty assigned to a military posting in Kentucky, or a person lawfully admitted to the United States who is either a Kentucky resident or assigned to a military posting here. There is no non-resident Kentucky license.

KSP states there is no statutory authority for another state's concealed carry license to be transferred to Kentucky. An applicant has to meet the KRS 237.110 requirements, including residency and training, and no waiver of the training requirement is authorized based on out-of-state training completed for another jurisdiction's license. The only training waivers are the categories in KRS 237.110(6): certified and retired Kentucky peace officers, listed federal and military peace officers, certain corrections officers, and active or honorably discharged service members with qualifying handgun training.

On the way out: KRS 237.110(13)(a) requires KSP to revoke the license of a person who becomes permanently ineligible under the criteria in that section, and Kentucky residency is one of those criteria. KSP answers the moving-away question directly in its CCDW FAQ. Non-residents are not eligible for a CCDW license, so, in KSP's words, "the license of an individual that moves out of state is subject to revocation." KSP adds that licensees who move out of state may voluntarily surrender the license by mailing it, with a letter explaining that they are moving out of state, to:

Kentucky State Police Criminal Identification and Records Branch, CCDW Section 1266 Louisville Road Frankfort, KY 40601

Tell a student who is leaving Kentucky the plain version: once you are no longer a Kentucky resident you are no longer eligible, the license is subject to revocation, and mailing it back is the path KSP documents. What no source here supplies is timing. KSP publishes no deadline for reporting a move and no schedule for when revocation follows one, so do not quote a student a specific date.

Out-of-state peace officers and retired officers

Active officers from another state. Under KRS 527.020(7)(a), a full-time paid peace officer of a government agency from another state or territory, or an elected sheriff from another territory, may carry a concealed deadly weapon in Kentucky on or off duty if that state or territory accords Kentucky full-time paid peace officers and elected sheriffs the same rights by law. If the other state limits Kentucky officers to carrying on duty, the same restriction applies to that state's officers in Kentucky. This is mirror-image reciprocity, and it does not authorize carry in a detention facility as defined in KRS 520.010 without permission from the person in charge.

Retired or former officers from another state. KSP's position: a retired or former out-of-state peace officer holding a valid concealed carry license from another state may carry in Kentucky subject to Kentucky law, and a retired or former officer with valid LEOSA certification and identification under 18 U.S.C. 926C may carry in Kentucky. KSP quotes the limit in 18 U.S.C. 926C(b): LEOSA does not supersede state laws that let private persons or entities restrict concealed firearms on their property, or that restrict firearms on state or local government property, installations, buildings, bases, or parks.

Kentucky LEOSA certification. KSP states that pursuant to KRS 237.110, KRS 237.138, KRS 237.140, KRS 237.142, and 502 KAR 13:010, a qualified honorably retired elected or appointed peace officer may apply for certification to carry a concealed deadly weapon under 18 U.S.C. 926C. The application goes to the sheriff of the applicant's county of residence. There is no charge for the application. An approved applicant receives both a CCDW license valid for five years and a Kentucky LEOSA license valid for 12 months from the date of the most recent range qualification, at no charge. KSP notes that a free CCDW license is not issued to honorably retired peace officers from other states or federal agencies who reside in Kentucky, because they are not exempt from the KRS 237.110 application fee.

Every practical detail in that paragraph comes from KSP's own LEOSA page. The full text of KRS 237.138, KRS 237.140, and KRS 237.142 is not in this archive, so treat the statutory chain as KSP's stated authority rather than as language anyone here has read. 502 KAR 13:010 names KRS 237.140 as its statutory authority and lists KRS 237.138 to 237.142 in its "relates to" line, which corroborates the chain without supplying the text.

Before you cross a state line

1. Check the destination state's own licensing authority, not just the KSP chart. The chart records what that state told KSP, and answers change.
2. Ask whether recognition covers only handguns. A Kentucky license covers deadly weapons defined by KRS 500.080, and other states may not.
3. Ask about that state's place restrictions and carry conditions. Kentucky's rules do not follow you.
4. If you are relying on permitless carry rather than a license, assume it does not work outside Kentucky unless the destination state licenses nobody.
5. If you hold a provisional license under KRS 237.118, get a direct answer from the destination state before you carry there.

Ambiguities and open items

• Provisional licenses out of state. Unresolved in every direction. See the section above.
• Which states have written agreements. KRS 237.110(20)(e) contemplates written reciprocity agreements, and KRS 237.110(20)(b) conditions the 120 day new-resident grace period on the issuing state having one. No source in this archive lists the states that have signed agreements, and the KSP chart does not separate agreement states from unilateral recognition.
• The "other" answers. KSP records Rhode Island, Vermont, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as "other" with no explanation, and no source here supplies one.
• Under-21 non-resident licensees in Kentucky. KRS 237.110(20)(a) is silent on age; KSP's guidance on who may carry predates KRS 237.118.
• KSP guidance predates HB 312. KSP's permitless carry FAQ and CCDW home FAQ still describe a state where nobody under 21 may carry concealed. The statute controls.
• Chart freshness. The recognition list here reflects KSP's page as captured on August 13, 2026. KSP updates it as states answer its annual inquiries.
• The LEOSA authorities are cited, not read. KRS 237.138, KRS 237.140, and KRS 237.142 appear in this archive only as cross-references, catchlines, and citations by KSP and 502 KAR 13:010. Both captured copies of 502 KAR 13:010 carry a SUPERSEDED banner and the current version was never captured. The retired-officer details above rest on KSP's LEOSA page, which is agency guidance. Verify against the current statute and regulation before advising a retired officer.

Statute and source reference

Contacts

Kentucky State Police, CCDW Section Phone: (502) 227-8700 Email: CCDWquestions@ky.gov

KSP cannot answer questions about the concealed carry laws of other states and does not issue legal opinions. Its CCDW pages carry a standing disclaimer that the information is provided for convenience and is not a formal legal opinion or legal advice.