Kentucky Knife Laws (2026): Carry, Age Rules, and Exceptions

Kentucky excludes an "ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife" from its definition of "deadly weapon" entirely, so those two knife types are not regulated by the state's weapons-carry statutes at all. Any other knife counts as a deadly weapon, and carrying one concealed is a crime unless the carrier qualifies under Kentucky's permitless-carry statute or holds a formal concealed-deadly-weapon license. Kentucky is a permitless-carry state: anyone 21 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm may carry a concealed deadly weapon, including a qualifying knife, without any license at all.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers Kentucky state law only, principally Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 500.080, 527.020, 527.070, 237.109, 237.110, and 237.115. It does not cover Kentucky's general assault and menacing statutes, which can apply to a knife used as a weapon regardless of how it was carried.

The pocket-knife and hunting-knife carve-out that governs everything else

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 500.080(4) defines "deadly weapon" for the whole Kentucky Penal Code:

(4) "Deadly weapon" means any of the following: (a) A weapon of mass destruction; (b) Any weapon from which a shot, readily capable of producing death or other serious physical injury, may be discharged; (c) Any knife other than an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife; (d) Billy, nightstick, or club; (e) Blackjack or slapjack; (f) Nunchaku karate sticks; (g) Shuriken or death star; or (h) Artificial knuckles made from metal, plastic, or other similar hard material.

Subsection (c) is the operative knife rule for the whole state: an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife is excluded from the deadly-weapon definition by name, which means Kentucky's weapons-carry statutes, discussed below, do not reach those two knife types at all, regardless of blade length or how the knife is carried. Any other knife, one that does not qualify as an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife, is a statutory deadly weapon.

Can you carry a knife openly or concealed in Kentucky?

Kentucky has no general statute restricting open carry of a knife. Kentucky's carrying statute, Ky. Rev. Stat. § 527.020, is titled "Carrying concealed deadly weapon" and by its own text reaches concealed carry only:

(1) A person is guilty of carrying a concealed weapon when he or she carries concealed a firearm or other deadly weapon on or about his or her person in violation of this section.

Because an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife is not a "deadly weapon" under § 500.080(4)(c), carrying one concealed does not violate this statute. Any other knife (a dirk, dagger, switchblade, or similar knife falling outside the pocket-knife/hunting-knife carve-out) is a deadly weapon, and carrying one concealed is a Class A misdemeanor under § 527.020(10), rising to a Class D felony if the defendant has a prior felony conviction in which a deadly weapon was possessed, used, or displayed, unless the carrier qualifies under one of the exceptions below.

Section 527.020's general carry offense does not reach open carry, but two other statutes do, discussed below: KRS 527.070 makes possessing a deadly-weapon knife on the property of any educational institution other than postsecondary a felony whether it is carried openly or concealed, and KRS 237.115 lets a local government unit post its own buildings against concealed carry specifically.

Kentucky is a permitless-carry state

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 237.109 lets a qualifying adult carry a concealed deadly weapon, including a knife that would otherwise require a license, without any license at all:

(1) Persons age twenty-one (21) or older, and otherwise able to lawfully possess a firearm, may carry concealed firearms or other concealed deadly weapons without a license in the same locations as persons with valid licenses issued under KRS 237.110.

A separate, optional formal license is available under Ky. Rev. Stat. § 237.110, useful mainly for reciprocity with other states' concealed-carry laws, but the license requires the same 21-or-older age floor as the permitless-carry statute: § 237.110(4)(c) requires an applicant to be "twenty-one (21) years of age or older." Neither route is available to a person under 21.

Section 527.020(4) confirms that a person carrying under either § 237.109 or a § 237.110 license may do so "at all times within the Commonwealth of Kentucky" if carried in conformity with those sections' requirements, and that no criminal penalty attaches to carrying a deadly weapon concealed anywhere it could constitutionally be carried openly.

School property

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 527.070 makes it a Class D felony to knowingly possess, whether openly or concealed, a firearm or other deadly weapon in a public or private school building or bus, or on school grounds, of any educational institution other than a postsecondary or higher-education institution, for purposes other than instructional or school-sanctioned ceremonial purposes:

Unlawful possession of a weapon on school property is a Class D felony.

Because "deadly weapon" here carries the same § 500.080(4)(c) definition, a knife other than an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife falls within this school-property offense, and the statute applies whether the weapon is carried openly or concealed. The statute exempts several categories, including ROTC and school-club members required to carry a weapon for official duties, peace officers, and, notably, "a person possessing guns or knives when conducting or attending a 'gun and knife show' when the program has been approved by the board of education or board of trustees of the educational institution." This statute applies to any public or private educational institution other than a postsecondary or higher-education institution.

One exemption is a practical trap for a knife carrier: subsection (3)(a) exempts an adult who leaves a firearm secured in a vehicle on school property. That exemption is written for a firearm only, so it does not shelter a deadly-weapon knife left in a car on school grounds.

Government buildings

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 237.115 lets a unit of state, city, county, urban-county, or charter county government prohibit or limit carrying a concealed deadly weapon, including a qualifying knife, in the portion of a building that unit of government owns, leases, or occupies, provided the restricted area is clearly posted with signage at its entrance. A violation of such a local restriction cannot carry a criminal penalty; the statute limits enforcement to denial of entry, removal from the building, or employee discipline. The same section confirms that a college, university, or postsecondary institution retains its own authority to control deadly weapons on its property.

Does Kentucky preempt local knife ordinances?

Kentucky's code contains no statewide knife-specific preemption statute. Kentucky's local-preemption statute, Ky. Rev. Stat. § 65.870, bars a local government from occupying "any part of the field of regulation of the manufacture, sale, purchase, taxation, transfer, ownership, possession, carrying, storage, or transportation of firearms, ammunition, components of firearms, components of ammunition, firearms accessories, or combination thereof." By its own text, this preemption statute is scoped to firearms and their components and accessories; it does not name knives.

Federal law: what it does and does not reach

Federal law does not ban an individual from owning or carrying a switchblade. The Federal Switchblade Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241 to 1245, instead regulates interstate commerce in switchblade knives, barring their manufacture, sale, transport, or introduction into interstate commerce, and, in 15 U.S.C. § 1245, makes it a federal offense to knowingly possess, manufacture, sell, or import a ballistic knife in or affecting interstate commerce or within federal territorial jurisdiction. 15 U.S.C. § 1244 is captioned "Exceptions" and provides that the chapter "shall not apply to" the knives it lists, exempting them from the Act's prohibitions in 15 U.S.C. §§ 1242-1243 rather than changing the switchblade definition in 15 U.S.C. § 1241(b). Since a 2009 amendment, that exemption in § 1244(5) has covered any knife with a spring, detent, or other closure-bias mechanism that requires hand, wrist, or arm exertion to overcome the bias and assist opening, the carve-out that keeps modern assisted-opening folding knives legal in interstate commerce. A separate exception, § 1244(4), lets a person with only one arm possess and carry a switchblade with a blade three inches or less. None of this changes what Kentucky allows for ordinary carry; Kentucky's own deadly-weapon definition and permitless-carry statute above govern that question within the state.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Kentucky's knife laws as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer licensed in Kentucky for advice about a specific situation. Whether a specific knife qualifies as an "ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife" under Ky. Rev. Stat. 500.080(4)(c) can depend on the specific knife's features and the circumstances of its carry.

For a state-by-state comparison, see knife laws by state. Kentucky's self-defense statutes are covered separately on the Kentucky self-defense laws page.

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-18.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to carry a knife in Kentucky?

An ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife is not regulated by Kentucky's weapons-carry statutes at all, open or concealed. Any other knife is a statutory deadly weapon, and carrying one concealed requires being 21 or older under Kentucky's permitless-carry statute or holding a formal concealed-deadly-weapon license.

Does Kentucky require a permit to carry a concealed knife?

No. Ky. Rev. Stat. 237.109 lets a person 21 or older who may otherwise lawfully possess a firearm carry a concealed deadly weapon, including a qualifying knife, without any license. A formal license under Ky. Rev. Stat. 237.110 is optional and mainly useful for reciprocity with other states.

Are switchblades illegal in Kentucky?

Ky. Rev. Stat. chapter 527 names no switchblade, dagger, dirk, or ballistic knife. A switchblade is regulated the same way as any other knife that is not an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife, as a deadly weapon under Ky. Rev. Stat. 500.080(4)(c), requiring the carrier to be 21 or older to carry it concealed without a license.

Can you carry a knife on Kentucky school property?

No, unless an exemption applies. Ky. Rev. Stat. 527.070 makes possessing a deadly weapon, including a knife other than an ordinary pocket or hunting knife, on the property of any educational institution other than a postsecondary institution, a Class D felony, with exemptions including a school-board-approved gun and knife show.