Kentucky Traffic Laws: Points, Tickets, License Suspension and DUI

Kentucky uses a point system. Drivers start with zero points. A driver age 18 or older who reaches 12 or more points within two years faces suspension or probation (a warning letter is sent at 6 points); for drivers under 18 the threshold is 7 points (warning letter at 4 points). Drivers are offered a hearing first. Suspension for a points accumulation is 90 days to 6 months the first time, 1 year the second time, and 2 years for later accumulations within two years; probation, if granted, lasts twice the suspension period.

Speeding 15 mph or less over the limit is 3 points, and 16 to 25 mph over is 6 points. Speeding 26 mph or more over the limit is treated as a serious violation that can lead to a 90-day suspension or probation after a hearing. The Cabinet's point chart also lists 0 points for 10 mph or less over on a limited-access highway and 3 points for 11–15 mph over on a limited-access highway. Out-of-state speeding convictions are not assigned points.

Points expire two years from the date of conviction (not the citation date). The conviction itself stays on the driving record for five years from the conviction date.

Completing Kentucky State Traffic School prevents points from being assessed, but the conviction still appears on the record (it does not show on the 3-year public record but does show on the 5-year record used by law enforcement, courts and other agencies). A driver may attend only once every 12 months, cannot have been under suspension at the time of the citation, and cannot use it for a conviction carrying a mandatory suspension. Unlicensed and out-of-state drivers are not eligible unless a court orders it. CDL holders' moving convictions still appear on the record. The online course costs $39 and the classroom course $15, completed or enrolled within 30 days of the referral or conviction date.

Traffic fines are paid to the court in the county where you received the ticket; the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet does not accept fine payments. Kentucky Court of Justice county pages link to the courts' ePay system for online payment, and each county's Circuit Court Clerk lists its accepted payment options.

Your suspension notice from the Division of Driver Licensing says whether a fee is required; a $40 reinstatement/re-licensing fee may be required whenever your privilege is suspended. Paying the fee alone does not restore your privileges: all suspension requirements must be met, and paying a fine does not end a suspension for unpaid fines until the reinstatement fee is also paid. Pay online through myDrive (in-state license holders with a linked account and Letter ID; card processing fee applies), at any Driver Licensing Regional office, by phone at 502-564-1257, or by mail with a certified check or money order payable to "Kentucky State Treasurer" to the Division of Driver Licensing, Attn: Central Section, 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622. No testing is required for suspensions under one year; vision and written tests are required after suspensions over one year. An active ID card must be canceled before paying the fee.

Traffic citations are handled by the court in the county where the ticket was issued, through that county's circuit court clerk. Kentucky Court of Justice county pages list payment options; for example, the Boone County page lists cash, local check, money order, and credit or debit card (fee applies), and says payment can be made online with ePay.

Suspension reasons verified on official pages: reaching the point threshold (12 points in two years for adults, 7 for drivers under 18), speeding 26 mph or more over the limit (90 days or probation after a hearing), and DUI convictions (see first-offense DUI). Before reinstatement after a DUI suspension, the driver must complete the required alcohol or substance abuse treatment or education program.

0.08 or more for drivers 21 and older; 0.02 or more for drivers under 21. A driver under 21 at 0.08 or more is subject to the regular adult DUI penalties.

First offense within 10 years: fine of $200 to $500, or 48 hours to 30 days in county jail, or both; the judge may allow a community labor program of 48 hours to 30 days instead. If aggravating circumstances are present, there is a mandatory minimum of 4 days in jail. License suspension is 6 months, or 4 months for a person issued an ignition interlock license who meets the 90-consecutive-day requirement within the first 4 months. An under-21 driver convicted at 0.02 (but under 0.08) faces a $100–$500 fine or 20 hours of community service instead.

Refusing a breath or blood test results in suspension of the driver's license by the court at arraignment, while the case is pending. A breath-test refusal can be used as evidence in court; a blood-test refusal cannot. If later convicted of a second or third DUI within 10 years, a person who refused a test faces a mandatory minimum jail sentence twice as long. If the person is not convicted but the court finds there was a refusal, the license is suspended for the same period a DUI conviction would bring; the court may allow an ignition interlock license.

10 years. Penalties are based on the number of offenses within a ten-year period; prior convictions from other states count.

A person suspended for DUI may apply for an ignition interlock license, which allows driving only a vehicle with an interlock device during the suspension (it can be applied for at any time, including while a refusal suspension is pending). A court-granted hardship license (for work, school, medical care or required programs) is available only for suspensions under the drug-related DUI provisions (KRS 189A.010(1)(c) or (d)) and not when a test was refused.

The statute shown on the official statute site bars a driver of a moving vehicle on the traveled portion of a roadway from writing, sending or reading text-based messages (texts, instant messages, email) on a personal communication device. Exceptions include GPS use, dialing or selecting a number to make a call, emergency or public safety operators, and texting to report illegal activity or summon help.

A fourth or later DUI offense within a 10-year period is a Class D felony. If an aggravating circumstance is present (the statute's list includes, for example, transporting a passenger under 12), the mandatory minimum jail term is 240 days with no early release. First, second and third offenses within 10 years are misdemeanors. Prior DUI convictions from Kentucky and other states count.

A person convicted of a misdemeanor can petition the court to expunge it no sooner than 5 years after finishing the sentence or probation. For a single-incident misdemeanor the court must grant expungement only if, among other conditions, the offense is not one subject to enhancement for a second or later offense, or the time for such enhancement has expired. Because DUI penalties increase for repeat offenses within 10 years, this condition affects when a misdemeanor DUI can be expunged. How long a DUI stays on the Kentucky driving record was not found on an official page.

Yes. Kentucky State Police posts conduct 'traffic safety checkpoints' that check for sobriety along with seatbelt, insurance and registration violations. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's checkpoint guide says these are also known as sobriety checkpoints and that, under the Kentucky Supreme Court's decision in Commonwealth v. Buchanon (2003), key decisions such as date, time, location and procedures must be made by supervisory officers, among other requirements.