Kentucky title and registration, step by step

Which forms, which fees and which deadlines. For a car bought in the state and for one you bring from another.

In Kentucky the title is issued by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet — Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing (DRIVE) (KYTC). Today the title is paper: the seller signs the assignment and the buyer takes it to the County Clerk. Starting January 1, 2027 the state will keep titles in its electronic system (AVIS) instead of mailing them; you can ask the County Clerk for a printed copy if there is no loan or once it is paid off.

Where it happens. At the County Clerk's office in your county of residence (or the county where you mainly drive the car). Speed titles are only done at the County Clerk, not at the state office in Frankfort. Confirm the deadline and the event that starts it for your transaction: a purchase, receipt of the signed title or a move into the state can have different rules.

Case 1: you bought a car in Kentucky (private seller)

What the seller hands you

• The title with the transfer section completed: your name and address, sale price, date, odometer reading and the seller's signature (both owners if two names are joined by "and").
• If there was a loan: a lien release from the bank, or the lien already removed from the title.
• A bill of sale with VIN, price and signatures. You need it for the sales tax.

What you bring to the office

• The state forms (below), completed.
• The signed title and the bill of sale.
• Applicable insurance or financial-responsibility documents: 25/50/25 (or a $60,000 single limit), plus basic reparation benefits (PIP, no-fault) of up to $10,000 per person, covering medical expenses and lost wages of up to $200 a week (KRS 304.39-110 and KRS 304.39-020). PIP is required on every vehicle except motorcycles. You can reject PIP only in writing, on the Department of Insurance form, and it is worth knowing what you give up: once you sign it you are no longer entitled to that $10,000 (unless you buy the coverage back), your liability premium may go up, and in exchange you get your full right to sue back. The policy must be from a company authorized in Kentucky and issued within 45 days when you title.
• Valid photo ID.
• Payment: title, registration, plate and sales tax if not paid yet.

Case 2: you bring a car from another state

• Everything above, plus: Yes. A car coming from another state needs an inspection by a certified inspector (designated by the sheriff of the county where you will title it) before you go to the County Clerk. It costs $15 for an individual, paid to the sheriff's office; if the inspector travels to the car, add $20 per trip. An inspection done in one Kentucky county counts in every other one: no one may charge you for a second (KRS 186A.115(2)(f)).
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: Kentucky charges a 6% Motor Vehicle Usage Tax, paid to the County Clerk when you title; without it you get no plate (KRS 138.460). The trade-in credit applies the same on a new car and on a used car: the tax is figured on what you pay minus the value the seller allows you for the car you hand over (KRS 138.4603 for a new car, KRS 138.450(16)(a) for a used one). On a used car the sworn sale price cannot come in below 50% of the difference between the trade-in value of the car you are registering and that of the car you traded, per the Department of Revenue's reference manual; with no sworn affidavit, the Department of Revenue sets the price from that manual. The tax is never less than $6. Do not sign an affidavit with a false price: that is a Class D felony with a minimum $2,000 fine per offense (KRS 138.990(10)(a)). If you move to Kentucky with a used car, the tax is figured on the manual's trade-in value, not on what you paid (KRS 138.450(14)). A car titled salvage, rebuilt or hail damage is taxed on what you actually paid, sworn to in an affidavit (KRS 138.450(19)). If you overpaid because the car was in worse shape than the manual assumes, you can claim a refund from the Department of Revenue for up to 4 years (KRS 138.460(12)). On top of that, you pay a yearly property (ad valorem) tax on the car when you renew the registration.

Forms

• TC 96-182 — Application for Kentucky Title or Registration (includes odometer, sale price and title brands)
• TC 96-3 — Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (seller, if the buyer does not transfer)
• TC 96-150TF — Transit Tag Application
• TC 96-215 — Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Assembled from Wrecked or Salvaged Motor Vehicles
• TC 96-16A — Request for Motor Vehicle and Boat Records (title history)

Fees — confirm current amounts (KYTC)

Amounts come from the linked state sources and can change. This guide distinguishes source checkpoints from narrow claim reviews; confirm the total for your transaction before you go. A dash means an amount has not been confirmed here.

Sales tax

Kentucky charges a 6% Motor Vehicle Usage Tax, paid to the County Clerk when you title; without it you get no plate (KRS 138.460). The trade-in credit applies the same on a new car and on a used car: the tax is figured on what you pay minus the value the seller allows you for the car you hand over (KRS 138.4603 for a new car, KRS 138.450(16)(a) for a used one). On a used car the sworn sale price cannot come in below 50% of the difference between the trade-in value of the car you are registering and that of the car you traded, per the Department of Revenue's reference manual; with no sworn affidavit, the Department of Revenue sets the price from that manual. The tax is never less than $6. Do not sign an affidavit with a false price: that is a Class D felony with a minimum $2,000 fine per offense (KRS 138.990(10)(a)). If you move to Kentucky with a used car, the tax is figured on the manual's trade-in value, not on what you paid (KRS 138.450(14)). A car titled salvage, rebuilt or hail damage is taxed on what you actually paid, sworn to in an affidavit (KRS 138.450(19)). If you overpaid because the car was in worse shape than the manual assumes, you can claim a refund from the Department of Revenue for up to 4 years (KRS 138.460(12)). On top of that, you pay a yearly property (ad valorem) tax on the car when you renew the registration.

If you sell: protect yourself

Listed seller-notice or transfer document: TC 96-3 (Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer), notarized; KRS 186A.215(4) says the seller shall file it once the seller learns the buyer did not file within 15 days. Check its conditions and the state process below. Since January 2024 the plate stays with the seller: the seller removes it and can move it to another vehicle of the same class for $11, or returns it to the County Clerk. The buyer leaves with a temporary tag from a dealer or the County Clerk, or uses a plate they already own with current registration. The seller signs the title assignment BEFORE A NOTARY when handing over the car (the County Clerk turns away a signature that is not notarized); the buyer files it with the County Clerk within 15 days. There is no dollar late fee for missing the 15 days, but breaking KRS 186.190 is a Class A misdemeanor (KRS 186.990(2)) and until you transfer you cannot register or drive the car. If the buyer does not transfer, KRS 186A.215(4) says the seller files TC 96-3, notarized, and the County Clerk blocks any registration transaction on that car. If you sell to someone from another state, tell your County Clerk the new owner's name and state and return the Kentucky plate. Keep copies of the title, filed notices and handover date to answer later registration, toll or ownership questions.

Mistakes that cost

• Missing the deadline. Check the deadline and consequence for your transaction; filing periods and penalties do not all start from the same event.
• Title with cross-outs or correction fluid. Ask the issuing agency which correction or replacement document it accepts before using it.
• Buying with an "open" title (signed by a previous owner, not the person selling to you). Confirm the ownership chain and the documents the agency requires before paying.
• Showing up without in-state insurance. Confirm the insurance or financial-responsibility documents required for your situation.