KENTUCKY — Next month, eight more Kentucky counties will transition to a new driver licensing system. The counties making the switch include Caldwell, Casey, Green, Hardin, Menifee, Metcalfe, McCreary and Webster counties. Come May 24, the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in those counties will cease nearly all in-person driver licensing services.

“Over the years our circuit court clerks have done great work to get Kentuckians properly licensed,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “But the times demand a modernized system that offers convenience and choices to the customer, plus greater security for personal information and the credentials themselves. Our Transportation Cabinet Driver Licensing Regional Offices are uniquely equipped for that.”

Licensing services in the eight counties will be performed at specialized regional offices of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) instead of the Office of Circuit Court Clerk. Eventually, the entire state will make the transition.

“Kentucky’s system for driver license application, issuance and renewal is being taken to the next level with a network of driver licensing regional offices exclusively dedicated to licensing services,” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said.

The new additions bring the number of counties that have made the transfer of services to 20. The new issuance model is to be phased in statewide by June 30, 2022.

Residents in the eight counties may renew or apply for a REAL ID or new standard card version of driver licenses, permits, commercial driver licenses (CDLs) and ID cards at any Transportation Cabinet Driver Licensing Regional Office. While walk-in customers are welcome, applicants are encouraged to make an appointment online.

There is one temporary exception to the transition. Until June 30, 2021, the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in every county but Fayette will continue to process remotely submitted applications for renewal or replacement of standard-issue credentials, provided the card expires by that date and the applicant has not had a change of address or change of name and does not require testing performed by the Kentucky State Police (KSP). More information is available online. The remote renewal was a temporary, emergency measure directed by the Official Order of Gray in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Counties that already made the transition include Adair, Breathitt, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hopkins, Madison, McCracken, Pulaski, Rowan, Russell and Woodford.

KYTC has regional offices located in Paducah, Madisonville, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Louisville/Hurstbourne, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Lexington, Burlington, Richmond, Columbia, Somerset, Jackson, Morehead, Catlettsburg and Prestonsburg, all of which are temporarily operating at reduced capacity due to COVID-19. At Louisville/Bowman Field, a smaller, temporary field office is operating by appointment only.

KSP will continue to oversee all permit and license testing, and appointments for written or road testing can be made online. Testing will continue in current locations for counties being transitioned off license and permit issuance until further notice. Customers who complete testing will visit a KYTC Driver Licensing Regional Office to apply for the permit or license.

The transition of licensing services was officially launched with the passage of House Bill 453 during the 2020 Kentucky General Assembly.

Driver Licensing Regional Offices will offer the following:

• Online appointment scheduling
• Online license renewal for REAL ID or standard version cardholders who have not had a change in name or addres.
• A choice between a REAL ID or new standard card version. Both feature security upgrades and are available in either a four-year or eight-year card lifespan. CDLs are only available as eight-year credentials
• Residents can visit any regional office, regardless of where they live in Kentucky
• Periodic “Popup Driver Licensing” visits to counties without a regional office to offer on-site application and renewal services
• Applicants will receive a temporary identification document at the end of the transaction until the permanent card arrives at their home address, which KYTC said reduces the wait time for a card to be printed and boosts security in the card issuance process by eliminating in-office card production machinery

Kentucky will continue to offer the option of a standard driver's license; however, residents should know that a REAL ID or another form of federally approved identification, like a passport or military ID, will be needed in multiple scenarios once federal enforcement starts Oct. 1, 2021.