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Kentucky Boat Registration Summary
The information presented here is subject to change and should be
confirmed with the respective state agency.
Please
read our
terms of use before proceeding.
Kentucky boat
registration summary presents an overview of boat titling, registration,
loan perfection, and operational requirements for the State of
Kentucky. More detailed information, forms, guidelines, and other
resources are obtainable by downloading a
Boat Registration Kit
for this state. You will also find an extensive listing of general
purpose boat and trailer registration forms on our Forms
page.
Please visit our
State page for additional
articles and information about registering or titling boats, trailers,
and outboard motors.
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Boat Registration Statistics |
There are
approximately 178,000 boats registered in the State of Kentucky. |
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Registration Numbering. |
The boat
registration number prefix for Kentucky is "KY". |
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Registration Agency |
The Division
of Motor Vehicles maintains boat records. Registration and title
applications are administered by the respective County Clerk's office. |
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Registration Requirements |
Registration
is required for all motorized boats. Coast Guard documented
vessels are exempt from registration. Boat registrations are
renewed annually. |
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Title Requirements |
Kentucky
issues titles for all registered boats except those which are
Coast Guard documented. |
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Boat Registration Records |
Detailed
information on how to obtain verbal and written reports can be
found in our
boat registration kit for this state. |
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State Tax Requirements |
Personal
property taxes are levied on boats in Kentucky. |
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Loan Perfection |
Security
interests on non-documented boats which are state titled must be
recorded on the state title records. On
Coast Guard documented vessels, a preferred mortgage must be
recorded on the vessel's abstract of title. A UCC financing
statement must be filed if the boat is neither titled or
documented. |
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Ownership Designations |
Joint
ownership methods are not designated on boat registrations in
Kentucky. |
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Residency requirements. |
Non-residents
may register a boat in Kentucky if this is the state of
principal usage. |
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Reporting Requirements |
Transfer,
abandonment, theft, or destruction of an Kentucky registered
boat must be reported to the County Clerk's Office within 15 days. |
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Hull Inspection |
Kentucky does
not require hull identification number verifications. |
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Outboard Motors |
Kentucky does
not issue titles or registrations for outboard motors. |
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Boat Trailers |
Boat trailer
titles and registrations are not issued in Kentucky. |
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Notary Requirements |
Kentucky notaries are
commissioned for 4 years and bonding varies by county. Notaries
are not required to affix
seals to notarized documents, but this is optional. |
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Dealer Licensing |
Dealer and
broker licensing is required in Kentucky. |
| Visitation period. |
A visitation
period of 60 days is allowed for boats that are Coast Guard
documented, foreign titled, or registered in another state. |
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Kentucky Boat Registration
Division of Motor Vehicles
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