Kentucky vehicle bill of sale

Fill in the free Kentucky bill of sale on this page and print it.

No Kentucky statute, rule or Transportation Cabinet page reviewed requires a bill of sale when a Kentucky-titled vehicle is sold privately. The Cabinet's titling page mentions a bill of sale only for out-of-state vehicles from states that issue only a registration or bill of sale. Instead, the seller signs the title in front of a notary. The price used for the 6% usage tax comes from a notarized affidavit of total consideration (KRS 138.450(16)). Form TC 96-182 has a sworn sale price and trade-in section signed by the seller and buyer.

Kentucky doesn't publish a required list. A complete bill of sale usually has:

• The seller's and buyer's names and addresses
• Year, make, model and VIN
• Odometer reading
• Sale date and price
• An "as is" statement if there's no warranty
• Both signatures and the date

1. Sign the back of the Kentucky title in front of a notary and write in the odometer reading. Only the seller can disclose the mileage.
2. If the title was issued before 2000, or the county clerk asks for it, complete the seller's part of Form TC 96-182, including the sale price, and sign it before a notary or attesting official.
3. Give the buyer the signed title. The buyer takes it to the county clerk with proof of Kentucky insurance, ID, and payment for the title fee and the 6% usage tax.
4. Keep your license plate. Move it to another vehicle of the same class for an $11 fee, or turn it in to the county clerk.
5. If the buyer has not transferred the title within 15 days, file a notarized Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (Form TC 96-3) with the county clerk in your county.
6. If you sold to an out-of-state buyer, tell your county clerk the buyer's name and state.

On the back of the Kentucky title, in the seller's assignment section. The seller must sign in front of a notary. For titles issued before 2000, Form TC 96-182 may also be needed. Its seller signature lines have an attesting official or notary block.

Optional. Kentucky doesn't require it, but you can file an Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (only if the buyer has not transferred the title within 15 days). Use Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (TC 96-3).

Since January 2024, a Kentucky seller keeps the plate when the vehicle is sold with unexpired registration. The seller can move the plate and registration to another vehicle of the same class for a one-time $11 fee, or turn the plate in to a county clerk. If the registration expires at the end of the month the transfer is processed, the seller must renew it to reuse the plate. Expired plates must go back to the county clerk, except personalized plates, whose rights are kept for one year after expiration. The buyer needs a new plate or a temporary tag, or can use a plate with unexpired registration they already own.

Inspection. The Transportation Cabinet's titling page lists no inspection for the sale of a Kentucky-titled vehicle. A sheriff's inspection is listed only for vehicles coming from out of state.

Odometer disclosure. Federal law (49 USC 32705) and KRS 190.300 require the seller to state the mileage when ownership changes, and only the seller can disclose it. The reading goes on the title, or in Section 2 of Form TC 96-182. If a title has already printed with the wrong mileage, the seller completes an Affidavit of Mileage Correction (Form TC 96-322) and the county clerk makes the correction. Under the federal rule (49 CFR 580.17), vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR and vehicles of model year 2010 and older are exempt.

Sales tax. Kentucky charges a 6% motor vehicle usage tax instead of sales tax. The county clerk collects it from the buyer when the title is transferred (KRS 138.460). For a used vehicle, the tax is on the total consideration, less any trade-in, as stated in a notarized affidavit. The taxed amount cannot be less than half of the vehicle's reference manual trade-in value, after subtracting the manual value of any vehicle traded in (KRS 138.450(16)). Without an affidavit, the clerk uses the reference manual value. Transfers between spouses, parents and children, stepparents and stepchildren, and grandparents and grandchildren are exempt (KRS 138.470(6)). Other gifts are taxed on the reference manual trade-in value.

The buyer has 15 days to apply for a new title. The title fee is $9.

Forms used in the transfer:

• Application for Kentucky Certificate of Title or Registration (Rev. 06/2026), TC 96-182
• Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (TC 96-3)
• Affidavit of Mileage Correction (TC 96-322)

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so check with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing, and county clerks if anything about your sale is unusual. Last verified October 20, 2026.

Listing it first? Good photos sell cars faster: see how to take pictures of a car to sell, and read the full guide to selling a car. Buying or selling in another state? Pick it on the bill of sale page.