{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-527.020","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 527.020","heading":"Carrying concealed deadly weapon.","body":"(1) A person is guilty of carrying a concealed weapon when he or she carries concealed\na firearm or other deadly weapon on or about his or her person in violation of this\nsection.\n(2) Peace officers and certified court security officers, when necessary for the ir\nprotection in the discharge of their official duties; United States mail carriers when\nactually engaged in their duties; and agents and messengers of express companies,\nwhen necessary for their protection in the discharge of their official duties, may\ncarry concealed weapons on or about their person.\n(3) The director of the Division of Law Enforcement in the Department of Fish and\nWildlife Resources, game wardens of the Department of Fish and Wildlife\nResources, and policemen directly employed by state, county, city, or urban-county\ngovernments may carry concealed deadly weapons on or about their person at all\ntimes within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, when expressly authorized to do so\nby law or by the government employing the officer.\n(4) Persons carrying concealed weapons in accordance with KRS 237.109 or licensed\nto carry a concealed deadly weapon pursuant to KRS 237.110 may carry a\nconcealed firearm or other concealed deadly weapon on or about their persons at all\ntimes within the Commonwealth of Kent ucky, if the firearm or concealed deadly\nweapon is carried in conformity with the requirements of KRS 237.109 or 237.110.\nUnless otherwise specifically provided by the Kentucky Revised Statutes or\napplicable federal law, no criminal penalty shall attach to  carrying a concealed\nfirearm or other deadly weapon at any location at which an unconcealed firearm or\nother deadly weapon may be constitutionally carried. No person or organization,\npublic or private, shall prohibit a person from possessing a firearm, am munition, or\nboth, or other deadly weapon in his or her vehicle in compliance with the provisions\nof KRS 237.109, 237.110, and 237.115. Any attempt by a person or organization,\npublic or private, to violate the provisions of this subsection may be the subj ect of\nan action for appropriate relief or for damages in a Circuit Court or District Court of\ncompetent jurisdiction.\n(5) (a) The following persons, if they hold a license to carry a concealed deadly\nweapon pursuant to KRS 237.110 or 237.138 to 237.142, m ay carry a firearm\nor other concealed deadly weapon on or about their persons at all times and at\nall locations within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, without any limitation\nother than as provided in this subsection:\n1. A Commonwealth's attorney or assistant Commonwealth's attorney;\n2. A retired Commonwealth's attorney or retired assistant Commonwealth's\nattorney;\n3. A county attorney or assistant county attorney;\n4. A retired county attorney or retired assistant county attorney;\n5. A justice or judge of the Court of Justice;\n6. A retired or senior status justice or judge of the Court of Justice; and\n7. A retired peace officer who holds a concealed deadly weapon licens e\nissued pursuant to the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, 18\nU.S.C. sec. 926C, and KRS 237.138 to 237.142.\n(b) The provisions of this subsection shall not authorize a person specified in this\nsubsection to carry a concealed deadly weapon in a d etention facility as\ndefined in KRS 520.010 or on the premises of a detention facility without the\npermission of the warden, jailer, or other person in charge of the facility, or\nthe permission of a person authorized by the warden, jailer, or other person in\ncharge of the detention facility to give such permission. As used in this\nsection, \"detention facility\" does not include courtrooms, facilities, or other\npremises used by the Court of Justice or administered by the Administrative\nOffice of the Courts.\n(c) A person specified in this section who is issued a concealed deadly weapon\nlicense shall be issued a license which bears on its face the statement that it is\nvalid at all locations within the Commonwealth of Kentucky and may have\nsuch other identifying characteristics as determined by the Department of\nKentucky State Police.\n(6) (a) Except as provided in this subsection, the following persons may carry\nconcealed deadly weapons on or about their person at all times and at all\nlocations within the Commonwealth of Kentucky:\n1. An elected sheriff and full -time and part -time deputy sheriffs certified\npursuant to KRS 15.380 to 15.404 when expressly authorized to do so\nby the unit of government employing the officer;\n2. An elected jailer and a deputy jailer who has successfully completed\nDepartment of Corrections basic training and maintains his or her\ncurrent in -service training when expressly authorized to do so by the\njailer; and\n3. The department head or any employee of a corrections department in\nany jurisdiction where the office of elected jailer has been merged with\nthe office of sheriff who has successfully completed Department of\nCorrections basic training and maintains his or her current in -service\ntraining when expressly authorized to do so by the unit of government\nby which he or she is employed.\n(b) The provisions of this subsection shall not authorize a person specified in this\nsubsection to carry a concealed deadly weapon in a detention facility as\ndefined in KRS 520.010 or on the premises of a deten tion facility without the\npermission of the warden, jailer, or other person in charge of the facility, or\nthe permission of a person authorized by the warden, jailer, or other person in\ncharge of the detention facility to give such permission. As used in t his\nsection, \"detention facility\" does not include courtrooms, facilities, or other\npremises used by the Court of Justice or administered by the Administrative\nOffice of the Courts.\n(7) (a) A full-time paid peace officer of a government agency from another  state or\nterritory of the United States or an elected sheriff from another territory of the\nUnited States may carry a concealed deadly weapon in Kentucky, on or off\nduty, if the other state or territory accords a Kentucky full -time paid peace\nofficer and a Kentucky elected sheriff the same rights by law. If the other state\nor territory limits a Kentucky full -time paid peace officer or elected sheriff to\ncarrying a concealed deadly weapon while on duty, then that same restriction\nshall apply to a full-time paid peace officer or elected sheriff from that state or\nterritory.\n(b) The provisions of this subsection shall not authorize a person specified in this\nsubsection to carry a concealed deadly weapon in a detention facility as\ndefined in KRS 520.010 or on t he premises of a detention facility without the\npermission of the warden, jailer, or other person in charge of the facility, or\nthe permission of a person authorized by the warden, jailer, or other person in\ncharge of the detention facility to give such pe rmission. As used in this\nsection, \"detention facility\" does not include courtrooms, facilities, or other\npremises used by the Court of Justice or administered by the Administrative\nOffice of the Courts.\n(8) A loaded or unloaded firearm or other deadly wea pon shall not be deemed\nconcealed on or about the person if it is located in any enclosed container,\ncompartment, or storage space installed as original equipment in a motor vehicle by\nits manufacturer, including but not limited to a glove compartment, cen ter console,\nor seat pocket, regardless of whether said enclosed container, storage space, or\ncompartment is locked, unlocked, or does not have a locking mechanism. No\nperson or organization, public or private, shall prohibit a person from keeping a\nloaded or unloaded firearm or ammunition, or both, or other deadly weapon in a\nvehicle in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. Any attempt by a\nperson or organization, public or private, to violate the provisions of this subsection\nmay be the subje ct of an action for appropriate relief or for damages in a Circuit\nCourt or District Court of competent jurisdiction. This subsection shall not apply to\nany person prohibited from possessing a firearm pursuant to KRS 527.040.\n(9) The provisions of this sec tion shall not apply to a person who carries a concealed\ndeadly weapon on or about his or her person:\n(a) If he or she is the owner of the property or has the permission of the owner of\nthe property, on real property which he or she or his or her spouse, p arent,\ngrandparent, or child owns;\n(b) If he or she is the lessee of the property or has the permission of the lessee of\nthe property, on real property which he or she or his or her spouse, parent,\ngrandparent, or child occupies pursuant to a lease; or\n(c) If he or she is the sole proprietor of the business, on real property owned or\nleased by the business.\n(10) Carrying a concealed weapon is a Class A misdemeanor, unless the defendant has\nbeen previously convicted of a felony in which a deadly weapon was p ossessed,\nused, or displayed, in which case it is a Class D felony.","path":["KRS Chapter 527"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55372","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:04Z","sha256":"7599bb8607d868ab4ab164930edfcd7d69b436239859c306a6e5a24d24c7e550","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-527.010","next":"us-ky/krs-527.030"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}