A firearm kept in a vehicle's factory-installed glove compartment, center console, or seat pocket is not treated as concealed under Kentucky law,...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
A firearm kept in a vehicle's factory-installed glove compartment, center console, or seat pocket is not treated as concealed under Kentucky law, locked or unlocked, loaded or unloaded KRS 527.020(8). Because it is not deemed concealed there, no license to carry concealed deadly weapon (CCDW license) is needed to keep it in that spot. That rule in KRS 527.020(8) does not apply to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under KRS 527.040.
Kentucky allows a person age 21 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm to carry concealed without a license under KRS 237.109(1). Kentucky law separately provides that a loaded or unloaded handgun kept in a vehicle's glove box, center console, or other factory-installed enclosed container is not legally considered concealed, so it may be carried there without a CCDW license. Kentucky puts one limit on that rule in the same subsection: KRS 527.020(8) does not apply to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under KRS 527.040.
The protection does not reach someone who may not have a gun in the first place. A person, including an employer, who owns, leases, or otherwise occupies real property may prevent a person prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition from possessing one on the property, under KRS 237.106(2).
Kentucky law lists the glove compartment, center console, and seat pocket as containers installed by the vehicle manufacturer, and a firearm there is not concealed storage whether or not the container is locked. A loaded or unloaded firearm or other deadly weapon in such a container "shall not be deemed concealed". The KRS 527.020(8) rule that a firearm in a factory-installed container is not concealed does not apply to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under KRS 527.040.
On someone else's land, KRS 237.106(1) generally bars a property owner, lessee, occupant, or employer from prohibiting a person legally entitled to possess a firearm from keeping a firearm, firearm part, ammunition, or ammunition component in a vehicle on the property. On an employer's premises, possession of weapons or ammunition in a vehicle is not a criminal offense so long as they are not removed from the vehicle or brandished while the vehicle is on the premises, under KRS 237.110(17).
An employer that fires, disciplines, demotes, or otherwise punishes an employee for lawfully exercising this vehicle-firearm right, while the employee complies with the statute, is liable in civil damages, and the court shall grant an injunction against the violating employer under KRS 237.106(4). Under KRS 237.106(3), a firearm may be removed from the vehicle or handled for self-defense, defense of another, defense of property, or as authorized by the owner, lessee, or occupant of the property.
One agency is carved out of the employee-vehicle protection.
School property has its own rule. Under KRS 527.070(3)(a), an adult who is not a pupil of a secondary school may possess a firearm contained within the vehicle the adult operates, if it is not removed from the vehicle except for a purpose permitted in that statute and is not brandished.
Travel across state lines is governed by federal law. 18 U.S.C. 926A lets a person transport a firearm through Kentucky between two places where possession is legal, if the firearm is unloaded and not readily accessible from the passenger compartment, and in a vehicle without a separate trunk it is in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
Knowingly possessing a firearm or other deadly weapon on public or private school property is unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, a Class D felony under KRS 527.070(1), subject to the listed statutory exemptions. The adult-in-a-vehicle exemption in KRS 527.070(3)(a) requires that the firearm stay in the vehicle and not be brandished.
A private business, day-care center, family child-care home, or licensed health-care facility may ban concealed carry on its premises and must post signs if the premises are open to the public; violating a posted ban is not a crime but can result in denial of entry or removal. A CCDW licensee who fails to carry or display the license on a law enforcement officer's request commits a noncriminal violation with a penalty of $25 and no court costs, under KRS 237.110(15).
| Situation | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Glove box, console, seat pocket | A factory-installed enclosed container is not concealed storage, locked or unlocked | KRS 527.020(8) |
| Loaded handgun in that container | Not deemed concealed, so no CCDW license is required for it | KRS 527.020(8) |
| Parking area of a property owner or employer | Owner, lessee, occupant, or employer generally cannot bar a firearm in a vehicle on the property | KRS 237.106(1) |
| Employer premises | Possession in the vehicle is not a criminal offense if not removed from the vehicle or brandished | KRS 237.110(17) |
| Employer retaliation | Employer is liable in civil damages and the court shall grant an injunction | KRS 237.106(4) |
| Taking the firearm out | Removal or handling allowed for self-defense, defense of another, defense of property, or as authorized by the owner, lessee, or occupant | KRS 237.106(3) |
| Person prohibited from possession | Owner, lessee, or occupant may prevent that person from possessing a firearm or ammunition on the property | KRS 237.106(2) |
| Adult non-pupil on school property | Firearm may stay in the vehicle, not removed except for a permitted purpose, not brandished | KRS 527.070(3)(a) |
| Interstate trip through Kentucky | Unloaded, not readily accessible, and in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console when there is no separate trunk | 18 U.S.C. 926A |
The KRS 527.020(8) rows above carry one limit: that subsection does not apply to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under KRS 527.040.
The CCDW license adds two things that permitless carry alone does not provide.
The Department of Kentucky State Police is required to issue provisional licenses, effective July 15, 2026, and it is not yet accepting those applications: the agency says its online application portal is expected to be updated this fall and will then begin accepting applications from eligible individuals ages 18 to 20, with the official launch date announced once the upgrades are complete. Separately, a loaded or unloaded handgun in a factory-installed enclosed container in a vehicle is not legally considered concealed under KRS 527.020(8), so it may be carried there without a CCDW license. KRS 527.020(8) itself does not apply to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under KRS 527.040.
A loaded or unloaded firearm in a factory-installed enclosed container is not deemed concealed under KRS 527.020(8), so no CCDW license is required for that storage. The statute names the glove compartment, center console, and seat pocket among those containers, locked or unlocked. One limit goes with it: KRS 527.020(8) does not apply to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under KRS 527.040.
KRS 237.106(1) generally bars an employer who owns, leases, or occupies the property from prohibiting a firearm, firearm part, ammunition, or ammunition component in a vehicle on the property. Possession in the vehicle on those premises is not a criminal offense if the weapons are not removed from the vehicle or brandished.
An employer that fires, disciplines, demotes, or otherwise punishes a complying employee for exercising this right is liable in civil damages, and the court shall grant an injunction against that employer.
An adult who is not a pupil of a secondary school may possess a firearm contained within the vehicle the adult operates, if it is not removed except for a purpose permitted in the statute and is not brandished. Knowing possession of a firearm on school property otherwise is a Class D felony, subject to the statutory exemptions.
Yes. A firearm may be removed from the vehicle or handled for self-defense, defense of another, defense of property, or as authorized by the owner, lessee, or occupant of the property.
Federal law protects transport between two places where possession is legal when the firearm is unloaded and not readily accessible from the passenger compartment, and, in a vehicle without a separate trunk, is in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
A licensee must carry the license while carrying concealed and display it on a law enforcement officer's request. Failing to do so is a noncriminal violation with a penalty of $25 and no court costs.
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.