Kentucky has no offense of carrying a firearm while intoxicated and no blood-alcohol threshold for carrying, and KRS 527.020 defines carrying a...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Kentucky has no offense of carrying a firearm while intoxicated and no blood-alcohol threshold for carrying, and KRS 527.020 defines carrying a concealed weapon with no intoxication element. The law reaches the room instead: no person may possess a loaded firearm in the room of a licensed premises where alcohol is sold by the drink, with exceptions for staff, law enforcement, and qualifying restaurants. Two or more DUI convictions in the three years before applying also disqualify a license applicant.
The drinking-room rule is written as a bar on any person possessing a loaded firearm in that room, with exceptions for staff, law enforcement, and qualifying restaurants. The alcohol and controlled substance criteria reach a person applying for a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon (CCDW license). The controlled substance criterion looks back over the three years immediately preceding the date the application is submitted. The alcohol criterion looks back over the three years immediately preceding that same date.
The Department of Kentucky State Police is required to issue provisional licenses, effective July 15, 2026, under KRS 237.118(2). The Department of Kentucky State Police is not yet accepting applications from people ages 18 to 20, and its concealed carry page says the online portal is expected to be updated this fall.
Under KRS 244.125(1), "no person shall be in possession of a loaded... firearm while actually within the room where alcoholic beverages are being sold by the drink" for on-site consumption, subject to the exceptions for staff, law enforcement, and qualifying restaurants. On licensing, KRS 237.110(4)(e) treats "two (2) or more convictions for violating KRS 189A.010" in the three years before the application as evidence of chronic and habitual alcohol use, which makes the applicant ineligible. KRS 237.110(4)(d) makes an applicant ineligible if committed to a state or federal facility for controlled substance abuse, or convicted of a misdemeanor controlled substance offense under KRS Chapter 218A, within the three years before applying.
The drinking-room prohibition does not apply to the owner, manager, or employee of the licensed premises, to law enforcement officers, to specially commissioned local peace officers, or to a qualifying bona fide restaurant, under KRS 244.125(2) and KRS 244.125(3).
Two or more DUI convictions under KRS 189A.010 inside the three-year window before the application date block issuance under KRS 237.110(4)(e). A commitment for controlled substance abuse, or a misdemeanor KRS Chapter 218A conviction, inside the same three-year window blocks issuance under KRS 237.110(4)(d). The controlled substance window is measured backward from the date the application is submitted.
| Rule | What the statute says | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loaded firearm in a by-the-drink drinking room | No person shall possess a loaded firearm while actually within the room where alcoholic beverages are sold by the drink for on-site consumption | KRS 244.125(1) | |
| Who is outside that rule | Owner, manager, or employee of the licensed premises, law enforcement officers, special local peace officers, and a qualifying bona fide restaurant | KRS 244.125(2) and KRS 244.125(3) | |
| Alcohol history and eligibility | Two or more convictions under KRS 189A.010 in the three years before the application make the applicant ineligible | KRS 237.110(4)(e) | |
| Controlled substance history and eligibility | Commitment for controlled substance abuse, or a misdemeanor KRS Chapter 218A conviction, in the three years before the application makes the applicant ineligible | KRS 237.110(4)(d) |
The CCDW license carries these things that permitless carry alone does not.
Kentucky has no offense of carrying a firearm while intoxicated and no blood-alcohol threshold for carrying, and KRS 527.020, the carrying statute, defines the offense of carrying a concealed weapon with no intoxication element. The room rule still applies. State law bars possession of a loaded firearm inside the room of a licensed premises where alcoholic beverages are sold by the drink for on-site consumption, with exceptions for staff, law enforcement, and qualifying restaurants. Drinking also reaches the license, because two or more convictions for violating KRS 189A.010 within the three years immediately preceding the application date make an applicant ineligible under KRS 237.110(4)(e).
State law bars possession of a loaded firearm while actually within the room where alcoholic beverages are being sold by the drink for on-site consumption, with exceptions for staff, law enforcement, and qualifying restaurants.
The owner, manager, or employee of the licensed premises, law enforcement officers, specially commissioned local peace officers, and a qualifying bona fide restaurant are outside the rule under KRS 244.125(2) and KRS 244.125(3).
A qualifying bona fide restaurant is one of the listed exceptions to the prohibition.
Two or more convictions for violating KRS 189A.010 within the three years immediately preceding the application date make the applicant ineligible under KRS 237.110(4)(e).
Commitment to a state or federal facility for controlled substance abuse, or a misdemeanor conviction under KRS Chapter 218A, within the three years before the application makes the applicant ineligible under KRS 237.110(4)(d).
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.