Kentucky car bill of sale Do you need one? And what else does Kentucky require?

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Not required — but a notarized price affidavit sets the tax

The notarized title is the transfer. Kentucky does not ask for a separate bill of sale. The sale price goes on form TC96-182, in an affidavit that you and the buyer both sign and that is notarized. If there is no notarized affidavit, the state sets the taxable price from its reference manual. TC96-182 may be needed on a title issued before 2000. It is required for a vehicle titled in another state; if that state issues only a registration or a bill of sale, that document goes in place of the title. Signatures must be notarized.

Source: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Vehicle Titling; form TC96-182; KRS 138.450(16)

Not required. Still worth having.

The title transfers ownership — and the buyer leaves with it. A separate bill of sale gives both of you something to keep.

It records who bought and who sold, the agreed price, when the vehicle changed hands, and any other terms you write into it, such as what was included or that it was sold as-is.

It does not replace the signed title or any notice Kentucky requires. You may not need one for the state. You may still want one for your own records.

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Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

A notary

Verbatim from the Transportation Cabinet: in the sale of a vehicle, the seller must sign the back of the title IN THE PRESENCE OF A NOTARY. That signs over ownership. The buyer then takes the signed title, proof of Kentucky insurance, proof of identification, and money for fees and taxes to their local County Clerk's office. A title issued before 2000 may also need a completed TC96-182 to finish the transfer.

Source: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Vehicle Titling — Kentucky citizen to Kentucky citizen, checked Oct 12 2026

What happens to the plates?

You keep it

Since January 2024 the seller keeps the plate. It does not stay on the vehicle. You can move the plate and its unexpired registration to another vehicle you own of the same class, for a one-time $11 fee. If the registration has already expired, return the plate to your County Clerk's office (personalized plates excepted). Selling to an OUT-OF-STATE resident: the Transportation Cabinet says to return the Kentucky plate to your County Clerk's office. Kentucky law, KRS 186.190, says the seller keeps the plate on any sale.

Source: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Keep Your License Plate and Vehicle Titling; KRS 186.190(1)(a)

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Only if the buyer misses 15 days — or is out of state

There is no routine Kentucky notice of sale. The buyer must transfer the title within 15 days. If they have not, you must file form TC96-3, Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer, signed and notarized, with the County Clerk in your county. This applies to any buyer except a licensed Kentucky dealer. The Clerk then blocks registration on the vehicle until the transfer is done. If the buyer is from another state, you must also tell your County Clerk's office the new owner's name and state.

Source: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Vehicle Titling; KRS 186A.215(4); 601 KAR 9:160; form TC96-3

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the title — Kentucky law requires it too

You write the mileage on the title when you sign it over in front of the notary. Federal rule 49 CFR 580.5 and Kentucky law KRS 190.300 both require it. The Transportation Cabinet says only the seller can disclose the mileage. If your title has no proper odometer space, you complete form TC96-182, which has its own odometer section. If the mileage was written wrong, you complete form TC96-322, Affidavit of Mileage Correction, and the buyer takes it to the County Clerk.

Source: 49 CFR 580.5(c); KRS 190.300; KRS 186A.215(1); Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Vehicle Titling; form TC96-322

The forms Kentucky publishes

• Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer (TC96-3) — For when the buyer has not transferred it within 15 days — any buyer except a licensed Kentucky dealer. Signed and notarized. File with your County Clerk. Where: drive.ky.gov → Forms. Revision: 05/2020.
• Application for Kentucky Certificate of Title or Registration (TC96-182) — May be needed on pre-2000 titles. Required for vehicles titled in another state. Records the sale price and mileage. Signatures notarized. Where: drive.ky.gov → Forms. Revision: 06/2026.

Selling here, registering somewhere else

These are the rules where you are selling, not where the buyer is taking it. The title is signed under Kentucky’s rules, and the plate and the notice are yours to handle here.

Registering it and paying tax falls under the buyer’s own state’s rules.

How Kentucky compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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