REGIONAL DRIVER LICENSING OFFICES TO OFFER NEXT LEVEL LICENSING THIS SUMMER, MAYFIELD LOCATION INCLUDED

Gov. Beshear Announces Seven Future Driver Licensing Regional Office Locations to Offer Next Level Licensing Services This Summer

Most locations identified to open in interim office spaces to fast-track expanded access

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 29, 2022) – A new era of driver licensing has been ushered in across most of Kentucky as driver licensing services shift from the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in each county to Driver Licensing Regional Offices by June 30, 2022. Gov. Andy Beshear today announced seven more locations for future regional offices. To accelerate access to more Kentuckians, temporary office locations will open by the end of June with plans to expand capacity or move to a future permanent location within the city.

“On Team Kentucky, we’re working every day to make sure all government services offered are up to the standard our families deserve,” Gov. Beshear said. “Driver’s licenses aren’t just credentials. They’re keys. They unlock so many other doors, like making your voice heard in an election, being able to drive to school or work as you pursue your goals or being able to travel on a plane or visit a military base to see loved ones.”

New offices will open this year in: Henderson, Independence, Lexington (2nd location), London, Maysville, Mayfield, and Pineville. In late April Gov. Beshear announced a Pikeville office is scheduled to open in its permanent location this summer. Opening dates and addresses will be announced later once arrangements are finalized.

There are 23 Driver Licensing Regional Offices strategically located across the state to serve residents from ANY Kentucky county- regardless of where they live- who need to request, replace or renew a driving credential and do not require testing. Regional offices in Danville, Elizabethtown and Mayfield are operating in temporary offices with plans to move to new sites within the same county. KYTC staff will make periodic “Pop-up Driver Licensing” visits to counties without a regional office to offer on-site application and renewal services.

Currently, the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in 106 of Kentucky’s 120 counties have transferred services to regional offices.

“This transition to a modern, secure network of Driver Licensing Regional Offices has been years in the making, in coordination and cooperation with the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks Association,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “Circuit court clerks will be able to focus solely on court duties, while at the regional offices, driver licensing is our only business.”

More than 150,000 Kentuckians have skipped a trip to a regional office entirely by renewing online or through the mail – options never before available. Kentuckians also have the option of renewing a license for eight years instead of the usual four years.

To learn more about how to renew your license in-person, online or by mail, click here. Applicants are encouraged to make an appointment online at drive.ky.gov | Regional Offices Map. Walk-in customers are welcomed on a first-come, first-served basis at most locations.

License applicants receive a temporary identification document at the end of the transaction for use until the permanent card arrives by mail at their home address. This reduces the wait time for printing credentials during visits and improves security by eliminating in-office card production machinery.

For years, circuit court clerks provided driver’s licenses and state identification card services in each county, but a majority of clerks asked KYTC to take over issuing REAL IDs. Legislation passed in 2020 that transitioned REAL ID services as well as other driver license and state ID services to KYTC.

REAL ID

Kentucky will continue offering the option of a standard driver’s license, but a REAL ID or other form of federally approved identification, such as a passport or Department of Defense-issued military ID, eventually will be needed by people 18 and older for boarding commercial flights and accessing military bases and federal buildings that currently require identification once federal enforcement begins May 3, 2023.

First-time application for a REAL ID must be made in person at a Driver Licensing Regional Office. Specific documentation is required. An interactive quiz that populates a personalized list of documents is available at drive.ky.gov | IDocument Guide

Driver Testing

Kentucky State Police will continue to administer all permit and license testing. Testing services are offered Monday through Friday by appointment. Kentuckians who need written, driving or vision testing for a permit, driver’s license or CDL must schedule an appointment online at kentuckystatepolice.org/driver-testing. Some KSP testing sites are within Driver Licensing Regional Offices and residents are assigned to conduct testing in specific locations based on where they live.