Apollo's Templates
HomeBill of SaleKentucky
Bill of sale · Kentucky

Kentucky Bill of Sale

Kentucky private sales run through the county clerk on a notarized title — and since January 2024, your plate stays with you. Here's how the bill of sale fits alongside TC96-182, the 6% usage tax, and the property-tax gate.

The Kentucky answer

The clerk's office runs the show.

Everything converges at the county clerk: the notarized title assignment, form TC96-182 (also notarized — clerk staff will do it for about $2), the 6% usage tax, and the plates. Kentucky publishes no bill of sale form because the notarized title is the legal document — which is exactly why the bill of sale you write yourselves is the only record of the deal both parties walk away holding.
You’re seeing a notary anyway
Build the notarized version — one appointment covers it all
Kentucky notarizes the title and TC96-182 regardless — the same desk can stamp your bill of sale’s certificate page.
Start
Just need the receipt?
Build a standard Kentucky bill of sale — free, with photos
VIN, odometer, price, and AS-IS terms — no notarization needed on the bill of sale itself.
Start
Taxes, twice

The usage tax at the counter, the property tax every January.

Kentucky taxes vehicles coming and staying. At transfer, the clerk charges the 6% Motor Vehicle Usage Tax on NADA average retail or the actual price — record the honest number on your bill of sale, because that’s the paper the price claim rests on. Then each January 1, whoever the state lists as owner owes a full, unprorated year of vehicle property tax — and here’s the practical bite: delinquent property tax blocks the transfer. Buyers should ask to see current tax status before money moves; sellers should time year-end sales with January 1 in mind.

Not legal advice. Verified against Kentucky county clerk and Department of Revenue sources in July 2026 — official links in our 50-state requirements table.
Bluegrass questions

Kentucky specifics, answered.

Is a bill of sale required in Kentucky?

No — the notarized title assignment plus form TC96-182 carry a Kentucky private sale, both signed before a notary. A bill of sale is the recommended receipt on top: it records the price and date in a document each party keeps, which matters because the clerk's usage-tax math and any later dispute both start from what was actually paid.

Where does the notarization actually happen?

Anywhere a notary works — but the easiest answer is the county clerk's office itself, where staff notarize title paperwork for about $2 with photo ID. If the seller signs and notarizes everything in advance, the buyer can complete the transfer at the clerk without the seller present.

How is Kentucky's vehicle tax different?

Twice over. At transfer, the clerk collects a 6% Motor Vehicle Usage Tax computed on NADA average retail value or the price paid. And every January 1, the listed owner owes a full year of ad valorem property tax on the vehicle — unprorated, and any delinquent property tax must be cleared before the clerk will process your transfer at all.

What changed with Kentucky license plates?

Since January 2024, plates stay with the seller — a reversal of Kentucky's long-standing plate-follows-the-car rule, so plenty of advice you'll find is outdated. Remove your plate at sale. Buyers bringing a vehicle in from out of state also need a $15 VIN inspection by the county sheriff before titling, and the transfer window after a notarized assignment is 15 days.