How to Fill Out a Kentucky Title Transfer Form

To fill out a Kentucky title transfer form, complete the assignment section on the back of the original Certificate of Title: enter the odometer reading and disclosure box, the sale price, the buyer’s full legal name and address, and any new lienholder, then both the seller and buyer sign in front of a notary. The buyer files the notarized title with their county clerk within 15 days of the sale. The form itself is short. What trips people up is the small stuff: a name that doesn’t match the front of the title, an “and” where they meant “or,” a missed damage disclosure.

Before You Write Anything on the Title

You need the original Kentucky Certificate of Title. A photocopy will not work. If a lienholder is listed on the front, that lienholder must have already signed off and released their interest before the seller can assign the title to a new buyer.¹

If the original title has been lost, the current owner has to apply for a duplicate before the sale can move forward. That means taking a completed TC 96-182 form, a photo ID, and either the title number or license plate number to the county clerk. The duplicate title fee is $6 plus the cost of notarization.¹

Have this information ready before you start writing:

Full legal names and addresses for seller and buyer, spelled exactly as they should appear on state records
Vehicle identification number (VIN) from the dashboard plate or driver’s door jamb
Current odometer reading at the time of sale
Sale price and the exact date of the transaction
Lienholder name and address, if the buyer is financing

Write in ink, print legibly, and do not cross anything out. Clerks will reject a title with strike-throughs or correction fluid on the assignment section.

The Seller’s Section, Field by Field

Odometer Reading and Disclosure Box

The seller enters the vehicle’s current mileage in the odometer field and checks one of three boxes: actual mileage, not actual mileage, or exceeds mechanical limits. Federal law requires this disclosure on every transfer that isn’t exempt.²

Not every vehicle needs the disclosure. Vehicles with a model year of 2010 or older are exempt when transferred in 2026, along with vehicles rated over 16,000 pounds gross weight and vehicles that aren’t self-propelled, such as trailers. For model years 2011 and newer, the exemption doesn’t apply until the vehicle is at least 20 years old.³

Sale Price

The seller writes the agreed-upon sale price in the designated field. This number is not a formality. The county clerk uses it to calculate the buyer’s 6% motor vehicle usage tax, and if the price looks unrealistically low the clerk can assess tax based on book value instead.⁴

Damage Disclosure

Kentucky law requires the seller to disclose in writing any damage to the vehicle that cost more than $2,000 to repair, excluding wheels, tires, or glass, if the damage occurred while the vehicle was in their possession before delivery. The buyer signs acknowledging the disclosure. Skipping this step can unwind the sale later if the buyer discovers undisclosed damage.⁵

Seller’s Signature and Date

The seller signs and prints their name exactly as it appears on the front of the title, then enters the transfer date. If the seller’s legal name has changed since the title was issued, they should sign both the old name and the current legal name. If a lienholder still appears on the front, that lienholder must sign to release their interest before the assignment is valid.

The Buyer’s Section

Name, Address, and New Lienholder

The buyer prints their full legal name and current Kentucky address in the buyer fields. If the vehicle is being financed, the new lienholder’s name and address go in the lien section so the lien is recorded on the new title when it’s issued.

“And” Versus “Or” for Joint Owners

If two people are buying together, the word between their names controls who can later sell the vehicle. Names joined by “and” mean both owners must sign for any future transfer. Names joined by “or” mean either owner can sell it alone. Kentucky no longer allows “and/or” on titles issued after June 27, 2025, and any older title carrying “and/or” is treated as “and.”⁶ Pick deliberately. Couples who separate later, or co-owners who fall out, find out quickly which word they used.

Buyer’s Signature

The buyer signs and prints their name to confirm acceptance of the vehicle and the accuracy of the information on the form. Do not sign until you’re in front of a notary.

Notarizing Both Signatures

Kentucky requires both the seller’s and buyer’s signatures on the title to be notarized. This applies to every version of the Kentucky title currently in circulation, including older titles, black-bordered titles, and current blue-bordered titles.⁷

You can have the signatures notarized at the county clerk’s office when you submit everything, or at a bank, UPS store, or other notary beforehand. The county clerk charges $2 per notarization.⁷ Outside notaries may charge more. Buyer and seller do not have to appear together. The seller can have their signature notarized separately, then hand the title over.

Some Kentucky titles printed before February 28, 2000, do not have a notary section on the back. For those, the seller’s signature is notarized on a separate TC 96-182 form rather than directly on the title.⁷ The clerk can walk you through it if the format is unfamiliar.

Submitting to the County Clerk

The buyer takes the completed title to their local county clerk within 15 days of the sale.¹ Missing that deadline is the most common problem, and it matters for both sides. Until the transfer is processed, the seller remains the legal owner of record, so parking tickets, toll violations, and accident liability can still land on them.

Bring:

The signed and notarized title
Kentucky Driver’s License, Kentucky ID card, or Social Security card
Proof of Kentucky auto insurance issued within the last 45 days
A separate lien release, if the seller’s lienholder signed off apart from the title
Payment for fees and tax

Expect a $9 title application fee, a $17 transfer fee, and $21 for a standard registration. If a new lien is being recorded, add a $22 title lien statement fee. Notarization at the clerk’s window is $2 per signature. The 6% usage tax is on top of these. Once the clerk processes the paperwork, you’ll leave with a new registration and plates if applicable; the new title arrives by mail within several weeks.

Situations That Change the Form

Vehicles Given as a Gift

A gifted vehicle uses the same assignment section on the back of the title. Fill in seller and buyer information, notarize, and submit. There is no purchase price, so usage tax is calculated on the trade-in value listed in Kentucky’s reference manual.⁸

Transfers between certain family members are exempt from usage tax entirely: spouses, parents and children (including stepparents and stepchildren), and grandparents and grandchildren. To claim the exemption, the recipient completes the Multipurpose Form (71A101) with a notarized signature, and all parties must be Kentucky residents.⁸

Out-of-State Titles

If the vehicle currently has an out-of-state title, the buyer brings the signed-over out-of-state title with a completed TC 96-182 (Application for Kentucky Certificate of Title) to the county clerk. Some states issue only a registration card or bill of sale rather than a title; those documents stand in for the title in Kentucky’s process. Signatures still have to be notarized.¹

Signing Through a Power of Attorney

When the seller or buyer can’t appear to sign in person, Form TC 96-336 (Limited Power of Attorney to Transfer Ownership) lets them appoint someone else. The owner completes the form, signs it before a notary, and the appointed person then signs the title on their behalf. The form has to be filled out completely before the owner signs it. No blank fields left for the agent to fill in later.

1
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Vehicle Titling
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC Ch. 327 – Odometers
3
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.17 – Exemptions
4
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 138.460 – Motor Vehicle Usage Tax – Imposition – Rate
5
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 186A.540 – Written Disclosure of Damages to Motor Vehicle
6
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 186A.035 – Motor Vehicle Registration by Birth Month of Owner
7
Jefferson County Clerk. Transfers
8
Kentucky Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Usage Tax