Pump the brakes: Kentucky 15-year-olds must wait a week to get permits under new bill

Austin Horn, Lexington Herald-Leader on Mar 27, 2025

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Kentucky teens eager to hit the road under a new bill allowing them to get their instructional permits at age 15 will have to wait just a little longer.

A decades-old software system will need to be updated before the state can begin issuing instructional permits to 15-year-olds, Gov. Andy Beshear said at a press conference Thursday.

For years, prospective Kentucky drivers could hit the road with a permit at 16, but House Bill 15, from House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy, R-Paducah, brought it down a year.

Rudy’s bill had an emergency clause that made it effective immediately. Beshear announced Thursday that 15-year-olds will be able to start scheduling appointments on Wednesday, April 2.

“I know a lot of 15-year-olds, including my son, and a lot of 14-year-olds, including my daughter, were very excited, but there is a lot of work that goes into it. The system we use to ultimately issue those permits in the process is about 40 years old. It means I took the test and registered under the same system that my kids will,” Beshear said.

Beshear added that the Transportation Cabinet had worked hard to push the date up.

“I know that’s not today, and I know it has an emergency clause and everyone was really excited about it, but this has moved up significantly since we started pushing in the last several days,” Beshear said. “We want to make sure that we hustle as hard as we can so that those 15-year-olds are able to go in, take that test, and ultimately get that permit.”

In response to a question about concerns of overcrowding at the state’s regional driver licensing centers, Beshear suggested that Kentuckians should take advantage of online license renewal options that are available. He acknowledged there could be a “one-time rush” with the change.

Permit holders still must be accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older in the passenger’s seat. Nothing will change with the written knowledge and vision tests required to obtain an instructional permit.

The change to the permit age aligns Kentucky with the vast majority of its neighbors in the South and Midwest. Kentucky was one of only eight states that made teens wait until the age of 16. Every state south of Kentucky lets 15-year-olds get their instructional permits.

Proponents of the bill have pointed out that it will allow more youths to seek employment and to learn under the tutelage of a licensed adult before moving on to a full license.

In addition to changing when Kentuckians can get a learner’s permit, the law allows 16-year-old teen drivers who have had their permits for more than 180 days to get their intermediate license. Until now, the earliest age a driver could have acquired a restricted license — where they’re allowed to hit the road alone with some time and passenger restrictions — was 16 1/2.

The bill initially lowered the age at which a Kentucky driver can get a full license, but a Senate committee substitute reverted it back to 17.