Kentucky Recording, Tracking & Surveillance Laws

At a glance

Adult subject — e.g., a spouse

Your own minor child

As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”

General (any subject)

Recording & consent

Kentucky is a one-party consent state. Under KRS 526.010 and 526.020 you may record a wire or oral communication if you're a party or one party consents. Recording others' communications without any party's consent is eavesdropping — a Class D felony.

Conversations in public with no reasonable expectation of privacy are different. The federal overlay still applies.

Recording law enforcement

Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — Kentucky sits in the Sixth Circuit — as long as you don't physically interfere. One-party consent means openly recording a public encounter you're part of raises no eavesdropping problem.

GPS & vehicle tracking

Kentucky has no statute written only for GPS trackers, but secretly tracking someone can be charged under the stalking statutes (KRS 508.130–.150). Tracking a vehicle you own is generally fine; secretly tracking someone else can be criminal. Treat non-consensual tracking as a lawyer question.

Private-investigator licensing

Kentucky requires a state license to work as a private investigator, under KRS Chapter 329A, through the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators. Working as a PI without a license is a Class A misdemeanor (a felony for repeat offenses). Applicants must pass a background check and meet the board's requirements.

Out-of-state investigator reciprocity

Kentucky recognizes just one state by reciprocity — Tennessee. A Tennessee-licensed investigator can seek Kentucky licensure through that agreement; investigators from every other state must complete Kentucky's full application and exam. Confirm current terms with the Kentucky Board.

Hidden cameras in private areas

Secretly using a camera or image-recording device to view, photograph, or film someone who is nude or engaged in sexual conduct, where they reasonably expect privacy, is video voyeurism in Kentucky (KRS 531.100). Hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, and changing areas are off-limits.

Cameras in your own home / nanny cams

You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks the video-voyeurism statute — and remember audio follows the one-party recording law. Capturing others' private conversations you're not part of can be unlawful.

Doorbell & outdoor cameras

A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard, or capture their private conversations. Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.

Workplace & employee recording

Kentucky's one-party consent rule applies at work: someone who is part of a conversation may record it. Secretly recording conversations you're not part of, or planting a device, runs into the eavesdropping statute. Employers who monitor email or work systems should give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.

Drone surveillance

Kentucky has no dedicated drone-privacy statute, but state law is explicit that committing an offense with the aid of a drone is punished the same as committing it in person — so drone-assisted voyeurism, stalking, harassment, or trespass are crimes. General flight and filming from public vantage points remain legal. Because coverage runs through those existing offenses, treat drone surveillance of people as a lawyer question. FAA rules govern the airspace.

See an error or an out-of-date citation? Please let us know.

General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official Kentucky Codes and consult a licensed Kentucky attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.