Kentucky Nursing License: Lookup, Renewal, CE, and Fees
Kentucky is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. RNs renew every year, complete 14 hours of continuing education per cycle, and pass the NCLEX-RN plus the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam.
Look up a Kentucky nursing license
The board's search shows license status, expiry date, and any public discipline. Nursys Quick Confirm is a free national check you can use as a second source.
Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN) · read 2026-09-02 · a dash means the board publishes no figure
Renewal and continuing education in Kentucky
Kentucky RN licenses renew annually, expiring every October 31; the renewal window runs from September 15 through midnight on October 31 Eastern time, and the licensure and continuing education period runs November 1 through October 31. Renewal requires 14 hours of continuing education, including one-time coursework on domestic violence, pediatric abusive head trauma, suicide prevention, and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias for nurses within a set window of licensure. A license lapsed one year or more requires retaking the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam.
Renewal costs $65, compared with the $125 fee charged for an initial Kentucky RN license. These fees cover the renewal or issuance of the license itself; the NCLEX-RN exam fee and the state and federal fingerprint-based background check through IdentoGO are billed separately and are not part of the renewal fee. The board does not state additional renewal costs beyond this fee.
Required CE topics
- 1domestic violence 3 hrs (one-time, within 3 years of licensure)
- 2pediatric abusive head trauma 1.5 hrs (one-time, within 3 years of licensure)
- 3suicide prevention 2 hrs (one-time, within 3 years of licensure; graduates of KY programs after August 2025 exempt)
- 4Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 1 hr (one-time; all nurses licensed as of 2024-07-15 by 2027-10-31, new licensees within 3 years)
Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN) continuing education rules · read 2026-09-02
How much does a Kentucky RN license cost?
Board fees exclude exam registration and fingerprinting · Kentucky board fee schedule ↗ · read 2026-09-02
Moving to Kentucky: endorsement and temporary permits
Kentucky belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, effective January 19, 2018, so a registered nurse holding a multistate license from another compact state may practice in Kentucky under that multistate privilege rather than applying for endorsement. The Kentucky Board of Nursing's page confirms compact membership, charges no fee for it, and references a 60-day residency rule dated January 2, 2024; the profile does not spell out that rule's full terms.
A nurse moving to Kentucky without a multistate license applies for endorsement through the KBN Nurse Portal for a $165 fee, submitting verification of the original license through Nursys or directly from the issuing board, an official transcript, a state and federal background check through IdentoGO, and a passing score of 80% or higher on the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam. A Kentucky-only temporary permit valid six months may be issued while the application is pending, and completed applications stay valid for one year.
Education and exam for an RN license in Kentucky
To become licensed as an RN in Kentucky, an applicant must pass the NCLEX-RN exam and the Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam, a 35-question open-book exam on Kentucky nursing law administered by NCSBN for a $15 fee, with a passing score of 80% or higher. Kentucky nursing program graduates are reported to the board by their school; out-of-state graduates must have an official transcript sent directly from their program. The board's page does not specify which nursing degree types it accepts.
What do RNs earn in Kentucky?
BLS OES May 2025 · 50,300 RNs employed in Kentucky · RN salary in Kentucky by city →
Nearby states
| State | Compact | Renewal | CE per cycle | Initial fee | Lookup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | Yes | Every year | 14 hours | $125 | Verify |
| Illinois | No | Every 2 years | 20 hours | $50 | Verify |
| Indiana | Yes | Every 2 years | None | $50 | Verify |
| Missouri | Yes | Every 2 years | None | $0 | Verify |
| Ohio | Yes | Every 2 years | 24 hours | $75 | Verify |
| Tennessee | Yes | Every 2 years | — | $150 | Verify |
| Virginia | Yes | Every 2 years | 30 hours | $190 | Verify |
| West Virginia | Yes | Every 2 years | 12 hours | $70 | Verify |
Official boards of nursing · read 2026-09-02
Sources
- Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN) ↗licensure, renewal, CE, and fee ruleshigh confidence
- kbn.ky.gov/KBN%20Documents/fees-for-licensure-applications-and-service…
- kbn.ky.gov/Registered-Nurse/Pages/rn-examination.aspx
- kbn.ky.gov/Registered-Nurse/Pages/rn-endorsement.aspx
- kbn.ky.gov/Licensure/Pages/jurisprudence-exam.aspx
- kbn.ky.gov/Licensure/Pages/Renewal.aspx
- kbn.ky.gov/KBN%20Documents/LPN-RN-Only-Renewal.pdf
- Nursys ↗ national license verification
- BLS OES May 2025 Kentucky RN wages and employment
Read 2026-09-02. Rules and fees change; confirm with the board before acting.