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Kentucky Guide

Titling a Car in Kentucky After Moving From Another State

Last verified: November 2026 against Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and DOR sources

When you move to Kentucky, you convert your out-of-state title to a Kentucky title before you register the car and get Kentucky plates.

Here is what to bring and what you pay.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Get Kentucky insurance

    You cannot drive the car in Kentucky until it has Kentucky insurance. Bring proof with an issue date within 45 days.

  2. 2

    Pass the sheriff’s inspection

    A vehicle brought into Kentucky from another state needs a passed sheriff’s inspection.

  3. 3

    Complete Form TC 96-182

    Fill out the Application for Kentucky Certificate of Title (TC 96-182). Bring your signed-over out-of-state title, or the registration or bill of sale if your state issues only those. The signatures must be notarized.

  4. 4

    Go to your county clerk

    The Cabinet’s new resident page says to title and register within 10 days of establishing residency, and elsewhere on the same page gives 15 days to apply for registration after bringing a vehicle in. Plan on 10.

  5. 5

    Pay the usage tax and fees

    The 6% usage tax is due, but you get credit for tax paid to another state with a substantially identical tax (KRS 138.460). The title is $9 and registration $20.50.

What to bring

  • Proof of Kentucky insurance issued within 45 days
  • Proof of a passed sheriff’s inspection
  • Form TC 96-182 and your signed-over out-of-state title
  • Your Kentucky driver’s license, Kentucky ID card, or Social Security card
  • Proof of any tax paid to your old state, for the credit

Estimate your Kentucky costs

The calculator does not apply the credit for tax paid to another state. Subtract that tax from the 6% it shows, and add any balance to the $9 title and $20.50 registration.

Open the full Kentucky calculator

Vehicle & Transaction Details

Enter purchase information to calculate true out-of-pocket costs in Kentucky.

51 Jurisdictions Active
Kentucky 6% tax base
$
7 years old
Kentucky tag options
1-Year Term (Kentucky registers for one year)
EV surcharge rules
Lien fee: $12.00
Kentucky: Deductible
$

Kentucky Notice: Kentucky taxes the price on the notarized affidavit (Form TC 96-182) less the seller's trade-in allowance, but not below 50% of the trade-in value of the vehicle you buy minus the trade-in value of the vehicle traded.

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Estimated taxes & fees

Estimated taxes & fees

Jurisdiction

Kentucky

Estimated taxes & fees
$929.50

Sales/Excise Tax + Title Certificate + Tags & Registration

Itemized Line ItemEstimated Fee
1Vehicle Sales / Excise Tax (6%)

Calculated at 6% on taxable base of $15,000

$900.00
2Certificate of Title Fee

Standard state title certificate issuance

$9.00
3Lien / Security Filing Fee

Unfinanced / cash purchase (waived $0.00)

$0.00
4Registration & Tag Fee

Base license plates & tags

$20.50

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Kentucky rates last verified: November 2026
Official Notice & Statutory Disclaimers

Estimates only, not tax or legal advice. Verify with your county clerk or the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The electric vehicle fee shown is the $120 statutory base. The Department of Revenue adjusts it each year, and the adjusted 2026 amount is not published on the Cabinet's fee pages.

The usage tax cannot fall below the floor set from the reference manual values, which the estimate does not apply.

Yearly vehicle property tax and the optional $10 wildlife contribution are not included.

An electric or plug-in hybrid motorcycle pays a $60 ownership fee instead (KRS 138.475). That is the base amount; the state adjusts it yearly, and the adjusted figure was not published when we checked.

County & Local Tax Note: Kentucky charges a 6% motor vehicle usage tax statewide (KRS 138.460). Counties and cities add no sales tax to a vehicle purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and DOR process.

Only the difference. Kentucky credits tax paid to another state that has a substantially identical tax.

Sources

Last verified: November 2026. Rules change, so check with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and DOR before you go.

More Kentucky guides

How to Title a Private Car Sale in KentuckyThe notarized title, 15 days, the 6% usage tax, and the fees.How to Gift a Car in KentuckyThe family exemption, Form 71A101, other gifts, and the title.
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