Kentucky License Plate Lookup

Type the KY plate exactly as it reads on the car and keep Kentucky selected. The plate is only the way in: we match it to the car's VIN, and the VIN carries the history.

1. 1. Enter the plate

   Type the Kentucky plate and pick the state. Spaces and dashes don't matter.

2. 2. We find the car's VIN

   The plate turns into the car's 17-character VIN in seconds, and you see the decoded year, make and model before you pay.

3. 3. Open the full history report

   One payment of $9.99, no account. The report opens at once, with records from all states.

What the report includes

One report for the VIN behind the plate, searched across all states:

• Odometer readings in miles

  Dated readings from state safety and emissions inspections and auction sales, with a rollback check.

  All states

• Police-reported crashes

  Crashes involving this VIN, with the year, plus the damage recorded when the car was sold at auction.

  All states

• Salvage and auction history, with photos

  Insurance and salvage auction sales of this VIN: sale date, damage type, title, odometer at sale and the auction photos.

  All states

• Title brands

  Salvage, rebuilt, flood and junk brands, so you know what the title says before the seller tells you.

• Recalls and owner complaints

  Safety recalls and owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the model and model year.

  Model-level

• Factory specs

  Model year, make, model, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain and assembly plant, decoded from the VIN.

  Every VIN

What KYTC and its offices charge for titles, registration and plates, as published. Each row links its source.

A Kentucky private sale starts with a notary. The seller signs the back of the title in front of one, and you must transfer it at your county clerk within 15 days. Bring proof of Kentucky insurance issued within the last 45 days, your ID and money for the 6 percent usage tax. On a used car, that tax is 6 percent of the price you paid (less a Kentucky-registered trade-in) or of the average retail value. Title and transfer fees are $9 each, and a lien adds $22. Check that the seller paid the property tax, which is owed by whoever owned the car on January 1. A car from another state needs a sheriff's inspection before Kentucky will title it. Kentucky does no periodic safety inspection, so have a mechanic check it. Flood risk is real in the eastern counties' river valleys. Kentucky issues a salvage title when repair costs pass 75 percent of retail value, and a rebuilt title can read "rebuilt vehicle water damaged". Kentucky also brands hail damage on the title.

Private sale

The seller signs the back of the Kentucky title in front of a notary and fills in the assignment with you. Within 15 days, take the title, proof of Kentucky insurance issued within 45 days and your ID to your county clerk, and pay the 6 percent usage tax and fees. Titles issued before 2000 also need form TC 96-182.

Dealer sale

A dealer sale comes with a temporary tag while the county clerk processes your registration. If the car was titled in another state, it needs a sheriff's inspection before Kentucky will title it. Ask whether the January 1 property tax has been paid, since it is owed by whoever owned the car on that date.

Title transfer deadline

15

Source: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing (Drive.ky.gov)

Kentucky follows the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. 2721) and adds its own law:

KRS 61.878(1) and 601 KAR 2:020, applying the federal DPPA (18 U.S.C. 2721)

Kentucky's Open Records Act excludes records whose release federal law forbids, so the Transportation Cabinet and county clerks withhold personal information from vehicle records. 601 KAR 2:020 lists the permitted purposes, such as theft, recalls and other DPPA uses, and requesters must apply on a Cabinet form.

Source: KYTC