Can I be fined for speeding in a KY school zone over summer break? How it works
If you’ve ever passed a school on your morning commute, you’ve likely noticed those flashing signs that warn drivers to slow down as schools welcome students.
As explained in a 2024 blog post by the Kentucky law firm of Sam Aguiar, which has offices in Louisville and Lexington, school zones are specific areas that usually cover several streets near a school.
These zones are typically marked by road signs that indicate the speed limit, the effective hours and possibly flashing lights. In these zones, more restrictive speed limits are set during school hours, typically when students are traveling to and from school, though not always.
“Signs and beacons may be installed on roads in advance of schools to increase safety for vehicles and pedestrians,” Allen Blair, deputy director of public affairs at Kentucky’s Transportation Cabinet, wrote the Herald-Leader in an email June 25. “The beacons flash during timeframes centered on the school’s convening and dismissal times. The school speed limit is only active when the beacons on the signs are flashing, as stated on the signs. If the beacons are not flashing, the regular posted speed limit of the road applies.”
While drivers often shrug off these signs during the summer, or even during the school day outside of entry and dismissal times, they can be in effect for weekend ball games and less obvious school activities. A citation for speeding in an active school zone also carries steep penalties in Kentucky.
Here’s what Kentucky drivers need to know when they’re traveling through school zones.
What does state law say about speeding in school zones in Kentucky?
Under Kentucky law, fines for speeding are doubled when the violation occurs within a designated school zone.
More specifically, the Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.394 states, “If the offense occurred in an area near a school where flasher lights have been installed and are flashing, and a speed limit has been set pursuant to KRS 189.336, the fine established by subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be doubled.”
Fines for speeding in Kentucky can range from $20 for driving 10 miles over the posted limit, all the way to $100 for more serious offenses. There are also court costs to pay, in addition to points assigned against your license in some cases.
If you’re cited for speeding in an active school zone, you can also expect a mandatory court date and typically three points will be assessed against your license, according to Sam Aguiar Injury Lawyers.
If Kentucky drivers rack up 12 points in two years, they could lose their driver’s license, according to Kentucky’s Transportation Cabinet.
Can school zone speed limits be enforced on weekends or over the summer?
Schools generally have a responsibility to protect students under their care, as explained by Sam Aguiar Injury Lawyers. This means that school zone speed limits could be in effect even outside of the morning and afternoon rush hours during a typical school day. The Herald-Leader has reached out to the law firm for further comment.
Notable examples include a weekend ball game or other types of school events. Different signs can also be controlled by state or local governments, depending on the street they’re adjacent to.
“On state highways, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet traffic crews turn the beacons off once school is out for the summer and reactivate them when school resumes in the fall,” Blair, the KYTC spokesperson, told the Herald-Leader. “For school flasher assemblies installed on city streets or county roads, local governments would control those devices.”
It should go without saying that you shouldn’t be speeding on any Kentucky road, but when you are near a school, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has this common sense advice for drivers:
- Slow down and stay alert. Remember you shouldn’t be using your phone while driving, but make an extra effort to watch for children near bus stops.
- Obey any speed limit warning flashers you see near schools.
- When backing out of a driveway, driving in neighborhoods or near schools, watch out for children.
- Learn and obey the state’s school bus laws. If you see flashing lights on a school bus, know that yellow lights indicate the bus is about to stop to pick up or drop off children. If there are red flashing lights and the stop arm is extended, drivers should stop and wait until the lights stop and the arm is retracted. You can continue moving again when the bus starts moving. Do not try to drive around a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended.
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This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM.