Kentucky RN licensure 2026: $125 fee, 3–5 weeks

Kentucky licensure at a glance

Apply and check current fees at kbn.ky.gov.

Kentucky renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against kbn.ky.gov (1, 2, 3).

Kentucky RN license renewal: annual; licensure period Nov 1 to Oct 31. Continuing education for Kentucky renewal: 14 contact hours per year, or an approved alternative such as national certification.

Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.

Kentucky required CE topics, and free courses for them

Can Kentucky nurses finish CE for free? Yes: every required CE topic Kentucky names for RN or LPN renewal has a free course, 4 of 4.

Kentucky renewal CE: 14 contact hours every year (Nov 1-Oct 31), or an approved alternative such as national certification, 7 hours plus a satisfactory evaluation, or 120 preceptor hours. Topics the Kentucky board names, checked Sep 2026:

• Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia: 1 contact hour · one-time (nurses licensed as of July 15, 2024 by Oct 31, 2027; later licensees within 3 years of licensure) · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a national nursing organization in 201 KAR 20:220
  Courses for Kentucky nurses: Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: Tools for Early Identification, Assessment, and Treatment (1 h, completely free); Alzheimer's Disease and Other Forms of Dementia (KY DPH) (1 h, free, account needed)
• Suicide prevention: 2 contact hours · one-time, within 3 years of initial licensure · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a 201 KAR 20:220 national organization
  Courses for Kentucky nurses: KDPH Addressing Suicide & Chronic Stress in the Nursing Field (2.4 h, free, account needed)
• Domestic violence: 3 contact hours · one-time, within 3 years of initial licensure · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a 201 KAR 20:220 national organization
  Courses for Kentucky nurses: Understanding and Responding to Domestic Violence: Dynamics, Impact, and Legal Compliance in KY (3 h, free, account needed)
• Pediatric abusive head trauma: 1.5 contact hours · one-time, within 3 years of initial licensure · RN/LPN/APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a 201 KAR 20:220 national organization
  Courses for Kentucky nurses: MCH Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma (1.6 h, free, account needed)
• APRN pharmacology: 5 contact hours · every year · APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a 201 KAR 20:220 national organization (pharmacology CME from a certifying-body-recognized provider also accepted)
  No free course found for Kentucky's version of this yet.
• APRN pain management or addiction disorders (DEA registrants with a KASPER account): 3 contact hours · every year (within the 5 pharmacology hours) · APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a 201 KAR 20:220 national organization
  No free course found for Kentucky's version of this yet.
• APRN medicinal cannabis certification CE: 3 contact hours · every year · APRN. Source
  Provider approved by KBN, another state board, or a 201 KAR 20:220 national organization
  No free course found for Kentucky's version of this yet.

Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for Kentucky nurses.

Compact status: Compact state

Kentucky issues multistate licenses. With Kentucky as your primary state of residence, one license covers every other NLC state; it follows your residence, not your job. Compact map.

Getting licensed in Kentucky

Endorsing into Kentucky runs through the Kentucky Board of Nursing at $125, quoted at 3–5 weeks, with no second NCLEX. Because Kentucky participates in the compact, a travel nurse holding a multistate license can start an assignment here without a separate application, which is why Kentucky contracts often list short lead times.

Advanced practice in Kentucky

Whether an NP may prescribe independently in Kentucky is set by the Kentucky Board of Nursing and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.

Practice environment

Staffing ratios: Kentucky has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratio law. Staffing is governed by hospital policy and, where one exists, the collective bargaining agreement — so safe-staffing concerns are raised through the facility's chain of command and its staffing committee rather than through a state standard.

Persistent Appalachian rural shortages; strong CRNA pay relative to baseline RN reflects regional anesthesia recruitment difficulties.

Licensure in states bordering Kentucky

Illinois · Indiana · Ohio · West Virginia · Virginia · Tennessee.

Related Kentucky guides

Kentucky RN salary data · travel nursing in Kentucky · compact license map · national licensing guide.