The Kansas farm permit

Who can get a Kansas farm permit?

The handbook sets these conditions:

• You're at least 14 and under 17
• You live on a farm, or you're employed for pay on a farm
• The farm is at least 20 acres used in agricultural operations
• If you work on the farm, your employer signs an affidavit saying so. The affidavit is available at your local office
• A parent or guardian and the employer sign an affidavit
• You pass the vision, written and driving exams, or bring in the DE-99 completion slip from driver's education

Where you can drive at 14 and 15

The handbook limits driving at 14 and 15 to:

• Trips to and from, or in connection with, farm jobs or other farm work
• Direct trips between home and school, by the most direct route, to attend school (not school activities)

KDOR's graduated license page adds driving at any time with a licensed adult 21 or older. You can't carry minor passengers who aren't your siblings, or use a wireless device while driving except to report illegal activity or call for emergency help.

The less restricted farm permit at 16

At 16, with a parent's affidavit for 50 hours of supervised driving, you can drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and at any time to and from farm work, school activities and religious activities, or with a licensed adult. KDOR allows one non-sibling passenger under 18. KDOR's FAQ says farm permits stay valid until your 21st birthday.

KDOR's graduated license page says these limits end after six months on the farm permit or at 17, whichever comes first. The handbook (revised February 2022) words it differently: the age-related limits end at 16 after you've held a less restricted license or farm permit for six months. If your dates fall between the two, ask the office.

The farmers permit test

KDOR doesn't list a separate written test for farm permits. The handbook names the vision, written and driving examinations, and the written exam is the non-commercial knowledge test that the instruction permit uses: 25 questions, 80% to pass. The driving exam is the same three-part test new drivers take.