Driver’s license renewals could return to KY county offices under Senate bill
A Republican state lawmaker wants to return driver’s license renewal services to Kentucky’s local county offices.
Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, is spearheading the legislation which would give clerks, sheriff’s offices, county judge executives and other leaders in counties without a regional licensing office the option to run driver’s license renewal and duplication services.
Those services are now only available at the transportation cabinet’s 34 regional offices scattered across the state. There are two in Lexington and one in Richmond.
Senate Bill 7, Reed told reporters after he filed it Tuesday, would bring the service back to localities “where it belongs” and would increase access for many rural Kentuckians.
The state transitioned driver’s license services from county clerks to regional offices in 2021 with the hope they would be fully transitioned by June 2022. A bill passed by the legislature in 2020 required the shift to create a more centralized system and comply with federal REAL ID requirements.
But there’s been public outcry as the move has resulted in long wait times and limited appointment availability, which Reed said he hopes his bill addresses.
“Senate Bill 7 is the answer to the outcry of Kentuckians from across the state,” he said. “People are sick and tired of long drives, long lines and a broken system. With Senate Bill 7, we’re bringing driver’s license renewals back to county, local control. ... The results of what’s gone on in the past kind of speaks for itself. The people of Kentucky have demanded for us to fix this issue, and Senate Bill 7 does just that.”
Last spring, regional licensing offices were busy following a surge in demand for REAL IDs ahead of the federal enforcement date . There was also a new vision screening requirement in the state for renewing licenses that contributed to long lines.
The bill has 28 co-sponsors and is labeled in the body’s first 10 bills, indicating it will be priority legislation for the Senate.
Reed said the proposal has “the powers of leadership behind it to show that it is an important bill that we’re pushing for the people of Kentucky.”
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said in a press release it’s not often an issue generates “this level of support and uniformity” in a legislative chamber.
Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, said he plans to make the bill a priority.
It passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously Wednesday morning.
“It is one that I trust we can get over the finish line, and that provides a workable framework for our local officials,” Higdon said.
Last week, during his first weekly press conference of the year, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear appointed Jeremy Slinker as deputy secretary for the transportation cabinet specifically to improve processes at driver licensing regional offices.
Last year, following increased demand for in-person appointments and walk-in visits for licensing, the state hired 125 new, contracted full-time employees and launched a text check-in system. A fifth regional office in Louisville also opened last year.
From April to December 2025, Beshear said average walk-in customer wait times fell from 49 minutes to 11 minutes and average appointment wait times fell from 25 minutes to 11 minutes.
Last year, more than 1.3 million state credentials were issued, Beshear said, including 21,000 permits to 15-year-olds and the highest issuance month on record: more than 130,000 in May.
In the House, Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, introduced a policy just one day into this year’s session to let county circuit clerks issue temporary driver’s licenses and instructional permits.
A request for comment from Beshear’s office was not returned at the time of publication.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 4:27 PM.
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