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What Counts as Night Driving in Kentucky?
10 night hours. That’s what Kentucky wants before you take the road test. The question is when those hours start counting.
Kentucky’s Night Driving Definition
Kentucky uses fixed hours: 12 AM to 6 AM. Doesn’t matter what the sun is doing. If the clock says 12 AM, you’re in night territory.
This is actually easier to track than sunset-based definitions. You always know exactly when night starts and stops. No looking up sunset tables.
What This Means for Your 10 Night Hours
Kentucky wants 10 hours of driving during the night window defined above. Out of your total 60 required hours, that’s the part most families put off.
Night drives are stressful. Parents don’t love being in the passenger seat when visibility drops. Teens are less confident. So the night hours pile up at the end and you’re scrambling.
The best approach: one night drive per week starting from day one. By month three, you’ll have your 10 hours done without ever cramming.
Curfew vs. Night Hours
Don’t confuse night hours with curfew. Kentucky has a curfew for permit holders: no driving between 12 AM and 6 AM.
You can still log night hours before curfew starts. If night begins at sunset (say 6 PM) and curfew starts at 12 AM, you have that window to practice.
Kentucky Permit Requirements Quick Reference
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Total supervised hours | 60 |
| Day hours | 50 |
| Night hours | 10 |
| Night definition | 12 AM to 6 AM |
| Minimum permit age | 15 |
| Permit hold period | 6 months |
| Supervisor minimum age | 21 |
Tracking Night Hours in Kentucky
Kentucky’s fixed-hour definition makes tracking straightforward. But you still need to log every session, calculate durations, and keep running totals for day and night separately.
Moda handles all of that. Start a session, drive, stop. It knows Kentucky’s rules and categorizes your hours automatically.
For full Kentucky permit requirements, see our Kentucky permit hours guide.