Kentucky Graduated License 2026: Permit, Intermediate, Full

How does the Kentucky graduated license work?

Permit: pass the KSP vision and written tests from 15, with a parent or guardian there to sign.
Intermediate license: after 180 days on the permit, at 16 or older, with 60 hours of practice logged and signed by a parent or guardian, pass the KSP road test. The examiner puts an Intermediate License sticker on your permit, and you pay for the license at a Regional Office.
Full license: after 180 days on the intermediate license, at 17 or older, with the 4-hour course done, go to a Regional Office with a parent or guardian.

The Driver Manual’s text gives 17 for the intermediate step, but Kentucky law, KRS 186.452, sets 16, and so does the Transportation Cabinet’s graduated licensing page.

Kentucky driver’s permit rules →The Kentucky driving log →The Kentucky State Police road test →Kentucky license and permit fees →

Intermediate license rules

You can drive alone, but under 18 not between midnight and 6 a.m. unless you have good cause, such as an emergency, school or work.
Under 18, you can carry only one unrelated passenger under 20, unless a driver training instructor is with you.
Under 21, the alcohol limit is 0.02.
Breaking these rules, a moving violation with points or a DUI adds at least 180 days before the full license.
Under 18, more than six points may get your license suspended.
The intermediate license is valid for two years and can be renewed.

The 4-hour graduated licensing course

If your permit was issued before 18, you enroll in an approved course before your 18th birthday and finish it before the full license. The options:

Alive at 25, free, in person or on Zoom. You need to be 15 and hold a Kentucky instruction permit.
RightLane online, $12.50, in English or Spanish.
A high school driver education course. You mail the completion papers, with your permit number, name and date of birth, to the Division of Driver Licensing, 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622.
A private course with four hours of classroom training at an approved driver training school.

Alive at 25 and RightLane send your completion for you, and it takes two full business days to process.

The Transportation Cabinet’s school page shows which schools run an approved course, and only two do: Fred Myers School of Driving in Paducah and Kentucky Driving School in Louisville. The Driver Manual still lists ABC, Green Light, Preferred and Sure-Drive, but the Cabinet’s page marks all four as not offering an approved course, so check that page before you pay.

Where to study, and the manual’s practice test →

How do you get your full license in Kentucky if you turn 18 first?

If you turn 18 before your 180 days on the intermediate license are up, you can apply for the full license as soon as the course is done. You don’t wait out the rest of the 180 days.

For parents and guardians

The parent or guardian who signs the application accepts responsibility, and is jointly liable for damages, and signs the practice driving log. You can withdraw that responsibility at any time with a form at a Regional Office. The teen’s permit or license is then canceled until someone signs a new application, or the teen turns 18.

Sources: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet · Kentucky General Assembly · Kentucky State Police and 5 more. Checked October 2026.