Kentucky · Handbook chapter 1 · 6 min read

How to get a Kentucky permit and license: license classes, the vision and written tests, the 80 percent pass mark, documents to bring, the graduated license steps for teens, the adult waiting periods and the road test.

Why this chapter matters

The written test can ask about the licensing process itself, and teen drivers are often asked about the permit and intermediate license limits. The numbers to know are 15, 21, 80 percent, 180 days, 30 days, 60 hours and midnight to 6 a.m.

License classes

• Class D is the ordinary operator's license for driving a car, and the main subject of the Kentucky Driver Manual.
• Class E is for mopeds only, and Class M is for motorcycles.
• Classes A, B and C are commercial licenses, with their own manual.

To apply for an operator's, motorcycle or moped license you must have reached your 15th birthday, and your driving privilege must not be withdrawn in Kentucky or any other state. People who cannot get a license include anyone under 15, anyone whose license is suspended or revoked, anyone a court has judged mentally incompetent, anyone with an impairment that makes driving unsafe, and anyone unable to understand highway warnings or directions in English.

How the process works

1. Complete an application at a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Regional Driver Licensing Office.
2. The Kentucky State Police (KSP) give a vision screening and a written knowledge test. Testing is by appointment only, booked with the KSP online scheduler.
3. After passing, return to the regional office for your instruction permit. You get a temporary paper permit until the card arrives by mail.
4. Hold the permit for the required time, then take the road test with KSP.
5. Return to the regional office to be issued your license.

The vision screening

You need visual acuity of 20/40, with or without glasses or contacts, to move on to the written test. If you need lenses to reach it, your license will require them. If you do not meet the standard you are referred to a vision specialist; after the referral, 20/60 or better allows you to test.

The written test

• It covers driving rules, regulations, procedures and highway signs, and is based on the type of license you want.
• You need a minimum score of 80 percent to pass.
• The test can be given orally to applicants who cannot read English, but the signs portion must be answered from your own knowledge.
• Testing offices have tablets that read the test aloud in English and several other languages, with no special appointment needed. An oral test or an interpreter needs a special appointment.
• Kentucky does not publish how many questions the test has.

What to bring for a permit

• An original birth certificate or certified copy.
• Your Social Security card.
• One proof of Kentucky residency (two for a REAL ID).
• Under 18: the School Compliance Verification Form from your school (No Pass/No Drive Law), and a parent or legal guardian to sign the application.
• Legal proof of any change if your name, date of birth or gender differs from your documents.

Photocopies are not accepted for any required document.

Teen drivers: the graduated license

Drivers under 18 go through three phases: learner's permit, intermediate license and full unrestricted license. A parent or legal guardian must sign the application at the testing location and becomes jointly liable for damages. The parent can withdraw responsibility at any time, which cancels the permit or license.

Step 1: the permit

• Hold the permit for at least 180 days (this applies to all permit holders aged 15 to 20).
• Drive only with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front passenger seat, and carry your permit.
• No driving between midnight and 6 a.m. unless you can show good cause.
• No more than one unrelated passenger under 20.
• Complete a Practice Driving Log of at least 60 hours, including 10 hours at night, signed by a parent or guardian.
• Zero alcohol tolerance: 0.02 for anyone under 21.
• A permit violation, a moving violation or a DUI adds at least 180 days before you can apply for the intermediate license. More than six points can lead to suspension.
• Time spent suspended under the No Pass/No Drive Law does not count toward the 180 days.

Step 2: the intermediate license

After 180 days on the permit and once you are 17, you take the road test. Bring the signed Practice Driving Log and the Skills Test Eligibility Letter, which must be within seven days of its print date. When you pass, the examiner puts an Intermediate License sticker on your permit. The same curfew (12 a.m. to 6 a.m., with good-cause exceptions such as emergencies, school or work) and the one-passenger limit continue under 18.

Step 3: the full license

You can get a full unrestricted license after holding the intermediate license for 180 days, finishing driver education and reaching 17. Accepted driver education: the free classroom course, the $12.50 online course, a high school course, or an approved private driving school course with 4 hours of classroom training. You must enroll before your 18th birthday.

Adults: ages 18 to 20 and 21 and over

• The permit is valid for three years. If it is not renewed within one year of expiring, you repeat the written and vision tests.
• Ages 18 to 20 hold the permit for 180 days; ages 21 and over for 30 days.
• Every permit holder needs a licensed driver 21 or older in the front passenger seat.

The road test

• Bring a properly registered and insured vehicle. A rental car is allowed only if your name is on the rental contract.
• You cannot drive yourself to the test without a licensed driver 21 or older beside you.
• The examiner checks the vehicle's lights, horn, wipers, brakes, mirrors and signals, then rides with you. Both of you wear seat belts.
• Parking assist and cruise control may not be used.
• The test covers stops, backing, turning around, starting on a hill, parallel parking, intersections, speed, turns, lanes and right of way.
• A collision, violation or dangerous act can mean automatic failure, and failing to follow the examiner's instructions twice means disqualification.
• If you fail, wait at least one week before trying again.