Kentucky school sports heat policy
KHSAA’s handbook writes on-site WBGT readings and activity limits as requirements for every sport, at practices and games. How to read these labels
- Association
- KHSAA (Kentucky High School Athletic Association)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 4, 2026
What KHSAA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
KHSAA’s policy (§4 of its handbook) says “Readings must be taken on the practice and game site a minimum of every hour, beginning 30 minutes before the beginning of the practices and games” and “Activities must be altered per the adopted alternation table regardless of the device used.” It places Kentucky “in Region 3 (Warmer Climate) states”, and the zones here are KHSAA’s own adjusted table. That table leaves two readings in no band (82.0 °F and 87.0 °F); this card shows each in the band below it.
- < 82.1°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82.1 to under 87.1°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 87.1 to under 90.1°FReduced: cap 2 h
Cap practice at 2 hours. Football: helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts only (pads off for conditioning). 4+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min).
- 90.1 to under 92°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 92°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
This is a plain-language summary to help you plan. It is not legal advice, and it is not the association’s document. Associations revise these policies often. Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association.
What else to know
- KHSAA’s policy covers “all organized activity (practice or play)” in every sport. It says readings are taken with a WBGT device “at the site of practice or competition” and that “No website, phone app or other computer programs can substitute”.
- KHSAA’s cold-water immersion tub guidelines (§9) say a cooler with ice and towels or a cooling tarp “must be available at the practice, game and event site” even at the lowest readings. From 82.1 °F WBGT, they call for a 150-gallon cold-water tub or tarp, with water below 60 °F, within 5 to 10 minutes of the site.
- Games get their own rules, sport by sport (§5). In baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and cross country, the reading is taken 15 minutes before the start and an ice immersion tub is ready from 86.0 °F; in football, the game officials (the referees) call a hydration break in every quarter when the kickoff reading is 87.0 °F or higher.
- KHSAA says readings should be taken at any practice or contest “where the current temperature is at or above 82.2 degrees, regardless of what time of year”. It moved from heat-index readings to WBGT in a phase-in set in August 2019, due to be complete before the 2024-25 school year.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82.1 to under 87.1°F” includes the first number and stops just below the second. The short activity notes in each row are a general guide, worded the same on every state page. KHSAA’s document may word its limits differently or add rest breaks, equipment and water rules, so open it for the exact rules.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes KHSAA’s document. It does not replace it. If they differ, go by the document and by the policy your school or league has adopted.
- Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association. Many schools adopt their own version.
- Any WBGT number WetBulbTracker shows is a modeled estimate for planning, not an official reading. Where a policy calls for an on-site reading, that reading governs.
- This page does not replace an athletic trainer’s judgment.
Live heat readings in Kentucky
Suggest a correction
Associations update these documents, often before the fall season. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us a link to the current document and we will re-check it.
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