CATLETTSBURG, Ky. — A full-scale Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Driver Licensing Regional Office has opened in Catlettsburg, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Monday. The expanded office used to be a smaller, appointment-only field office in the Boyd County city.

The address remains the same at 2900 Louisa St., Suite 2.

The Catlettsburg location is the cabinet's 16th permanent regional office so far, joining a network that will eventually consist of about two dozen offices around Kentucky to handle driver licensing.

The regional offices are the only places at which Kentuckians can apply for a REAL ID credential and soon will assume all driver licensing services historically performed by the Office of the Circuit Court Clerk in each county. A phased transition of services from circuit court clerks to KYTC is underway, and the transition will be completed in 12 counties by the end of April.

Kentuckians who need to obtain, upgrade or renew licenses can do so at any of the regional offices, even ones outside of their county of residence.

The Catlettsburg office will adhere to Beshear's Healthy at Work guidelines.

“Driver licensing is an essential service that sometimes can be done online or by mail but often must be done in person,” Beshear said. “So, we are taking care to offer that service in a way that protects public health while providing our fellow Kentuckians with the operator’s licenses and official identification cards they need for employment, travel and emergencies.”

No Kentuckian will be required to obtain a REAL ID to operate a motor vehicle, KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said; however, a REAL ID or another form of federally accepted ID will be required by federal law for air travel in the U.S. come Oct. 1, 2021. It will also be required for admission to military installations, such as Fort Campbell and Fort Knox.

“I encourage Kentuckians who plan to travel by air in the future, or to visit a restricted facility, to prepare now and get the proper ID, whether at Catlettsburg or any of the other KYTC Driver Licensing Regional Offices,” Gray said.

The Catlettsburg regional office will process applications for REAL ID or standard licenses and ID cards. Kentuckians who need driver testing must do so with the Kentucky State Police (KSP) before applying at a licensing office.

Residents must apply for a REAL ID in person at a KYTC regional office with proof of identity, residence and social security. A guide to the required documents is online.

If you need to renew or replace a standard-issue license or ID card, you can do so by mail or drop-off with the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in your county of residence, given there has been no change of name or address and you don't need driver testing by KSP. Circuit court clerks will process mail applications through June 30. 

The Catlettsburg regional office joins others in Paducah, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Madisonville, Elizabethtown, Louisville/Hurstbourne, Burlington, Frankfort, Lexington, Richmond, Morehead, Somerset, Columbia, Jackson and Prestonburg. KYTC also operates a temporary regional office by appointment only at Louisville-Bowman Field.

Operating hours for the Catlettsburg office will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern. Applicants may make appointments online, and a limited number of workstations will be available to serve walk-ins. Applicants may also be asked to wait in their vehicles until notified to avoid gatherings in common waiting areas.