◆ KENTUCKY · CARRY LAW
Kentucky.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
Nothing in Kentucky that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Kentucky requires
The state's permit is the License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon, issued by your county sheriff.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
Yes
Yes, from 21. Kentucky wrote a separate section for it. Anyone 21 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm may carry concealed without a license, in the same places a license holder could.
In force since June 27, 2019.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes. Kentucky’s offense reaches concealed carry only.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 21, and Kentucky protects it: no person or organization, public or private, may forbid you keeping a firearm in your vehicle if you comply with the carry sections.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
You apply through your county sheriff, but the State Police issue. Worth having even though you do not need it here. It is what other states recognize.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
No. Kentucky licenses its own residents, and a visitor of 21 or over needs nothing anyway.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Not required
No statute read here requires you to announce it. Answer honestly if you are asked.
No duty-to-inform provision in Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 527.020, 237.109Read at the Kentucky Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 527.020 and 237.109 in the official text on 2026-09-06. The carrying offense and the permitless section. Neither contains a notification requirement.Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit or license to buy, and no state waiting period.
No purchase-permit provision in Ky. Rev. Stat. ch. 237Read at the Kentucky Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 237.109 and 527.020 on 2026-09-06. Kentucky licenses CARRYING and neither section creates a permit to acquire.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
Kentucky sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in Ky. Rev. Stat. ch. 527Read at the Kentucky Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read §§ 527.020 and 237.109 on 2026-09-06 and found no capacity limit.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
Cities and counties may not regulate firearms.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
No, none in this state
Kentucky has no extreme-risk protection order.
No extreme-risk order in Kentucky lawRead at the Kentucky Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched for a Kentucky extreme-risk or red-flag order on 2026-09-06. Kentucky’s domestic violence and interpersonal protective orders can reach firearms through federal prohibited-person rules, and no petition-based extreme-risk order exists alongside them.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Kentucky honors
If you are visiting Kentucky, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Kentucky permits are honored
If you live in Kentucky, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored30
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored19
Not settled2
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Lawful with the federal paperwork.
◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- your county sheriff ↗
- ATF’s index
- Kentucky firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)