Driving Tests

Kansas Farm Permit: Who Qualifies and Where You Can Drive

informational·how to guide·Published August 23, 2026

Who qualifies for a farm permit in Kansas?

A Kansas farm permit is for a person who is at least 14 but under 17 and who lives on a farm in Kansas or is paid to work on one. A farm is land of more than 20 acres used in agricultural operations. A parent or guardian signs an affidavit, and the applicant passes the vision, written and driving tests, or brings the DE-99 driver's ed slip.

Where the Kansas farm permit facts come from

The rules come from Kansas law: K.S.A. 8-296 (farm permit), K.S.A. 8-291 (penalties) and K.S.A. 8-240 (tests and fees). The Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles sets out each age on its graduated driver license page, with more in its teen driving FAQ, required documents page and fee chart. The Kansas Driving Handbook (revised February 2022) adds form details. This guide is current as of 2026. When the handbook and the law differ, this guide follows the law. Confirm the rules with the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (ksrevenue.gov) before you drive.

Who can get a Kansas farm permit

You can apply for a farm permit when you are at least 14 but under 17 and you either live on a farm in Kansas or are paid to work on one. Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-296) defines a farm as any parcel of land larger than 20 acres that is used in agricultural operations, and you must be able to prove that you live or work on one.
While you hold the permit, you may drive any class C motor vehicle, the license class for an ordinary passenger car. You do not need driver education or an instruction permit first, but a parent or guardian must approve the application.

Which farm affidavit you need

You live on a farm. A parent or guardian signs an affidavit that you live on a farm.
You work on a farm but do not live on one. Your employer and a parent or guardian both sign an affidavit about the job.
Where to get the employer form. The employer affidavit is available at your local driver's license office.

Tests and documents for a farm permit

At the driver's license office you take three tests: vision, written and driving. A driver education certificate of completion, the DE-99 slip, can replace the tests.
For a first license, an applicant who has no valid Kansas license or ID card brings one lawful presence document (such as a state-issued birth certificate or an unexpired passport), proof of a Social Security number, and two recent proofs of a current Kansas residential address. Each proof of address must show your name and a physical address, not only a PO box.

Where and when you can drive with a farm permit

Where and when you can drive with a farm permit
Trip	Age 14 or 15	Age 16, first six months
Farm work	Any time, going to or from or in connection with a farm job, employment or other farm-related work.	Any time, going to or from or in connection with farm work.
School	On school days, over the most direct route between home and your school, to attend school. School activities are not included.	Any time, going to or from authorized school activities.
Religious services	Not a listed trip. Drive only with a licensed adult beside you.	Directly to or from a religious worship service held by a religious organization.
Other driving	Any time in a passenger car with an adult beside you who holds a valid commercial, A, B or C license.	From 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., or any time in a passenger car with a licensed adult beside you.

Who can supervise you and who can ride with you

The adult beside you must hold a valid commercial, class A, B or C license. The Division of Vehicles says this adult must be 21 or older.
Under 16, you may not drive with minor passengers who are not your brothers or sisters. For six months after you turn 16, you may not drive with more than one passenger under 18 who is not a member of your immediate family. A conviction for breaking a passenger rule counts as a moving traffic violation. The free Kansas question about how many passengers under 18 may ride in the first six months at 16 uses the same limit for the restricted license.

What changes at 16 and after six months

Before you turn 16, a parent or guardian signs an affidavit that you completed at least 50 hours of driving with an adult, at least 10 of them at night. That adult must be at least 21 and hold a valid commercial, A, B or C license. The office does not require a log of the hours. If you do not turn in the affidavit, the age 14 and 15 rules stay until you turn it in or reach 17.
After the six-month period at 16, if you obeyed the farm permit law, you may drive at any time without these restrictions.

Phone rules for a farm permit holder

You may not use a wireless communication device while you drive.
The only exceptions are to report illegal activity and to get medical or other emergency help.
The rule applies at 14 and 15 and at 16.

How much a Kansas farm permit costs

Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-240) sets a $20 license fee for a farm permit or a class C license for a person under 21, plus a $3 examination fee. A new card also has an $8 photo fee. If you fail the written or the driving test, each retake costs $1.50. Ask the driver's license office for your total before you go.

Penalties for breaking farm permit rules

If you drive outside the farm permit restrictions

It is a misdemeanor under Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-291). The court must suspend your driving privilege for 30 days on a first conviction, 90 days on a second, and one year on a third or later conviction.

If you are in two or more accidents that are chargeable to you

The farm permit is suspended, and it cannot be reinstated for one year.

If you are convicted of two or more moving violations on separate occasions

Under 16, you cannot get a license without the age 14 and 15 restrictions until 17. At 16, you cannot get one without the age 16 restrictions until 18. The Kansas teen driver penalties guide has more.

Farm permit or restricted license at 15?

The restricted license starts at 15 and needs an approved driver training course. The farm permit starts at 14 and needs no driver education and no instruction permit. If you do not live or work on a farm, see the Kansas restricted license at 15 guide for that path.

Key takeaways

You qualify at 14 to under 17 if you live on a farm of more than 20 acres or are paid to work on one. A parent or guardian signs an affidavit; a worker also needs the employer's signature.
You pass the vision, written and driving tests, or bring the DE-99 slip. Driver education and an instruction permit are not required.
At 14 and 15 you may drive for farm work, to school on school days, or with a licensed adult 21 or older beside you.
Turn in the 50-hour affidavit before 16. At 16 you then drive under a 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. limit for six months, and the restrictions end if you obeyed the law.
Next step: practice on the free Kansas Class C written practice test. It is free and in English only.

Kansas farm permit: common questions

How old do you have to be to get a farm permit in Kansas?

You must be at least 14 but under 17 to apply. At 14 and 15 you drive under the tightest rules: farm work, school on school days, or with a licensed adult. At 16, if you turned in the 50-hour affidavit, you get six months of easier rules before the restrictions end.

Do I need driver's ed to get a farm permit in Kansas?

No. Driver education and an instruction permit are not required for a farm permit. You take the vision, written and driving tests at a driver's license office instead. If you did complete driver's ed, the DE-99 completion slip can replace those tests.

Can I drive to a friend's house with a farm permit?

Not alone at 14 or 15. At that age you may drive only for farm work, to school on school days, or in a passenger car with a licensed adult beside you. At 16 you may also drive anywhere from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with no more than one passenger under 18 outside your immediate family.

What happens if I do not turn in the 50-hour affidavit?

The age 14 and 15 rules stay in place after your 16th birthday. They end when you give the affidavit to the Division of Vehicles or when you turn 17, whichever comes first. The affidavit must show at least 50 hours of supervised driving, with at least 10 at night.

Do I need a new card when my farm permit restrictions end?

No. Farm permits are valid until your 21st birthday, and the state computer record removes the age restriction when you meet the rules. You do not need to go back to the office. If you want a new card without the restriction printed on it, you pay an $8 photo fee.