Kentucky license plate lookup

What a Kentucky plate lookup shows

Our free tool links a Kentucky plate to a vehicle, gives you the VIN and decodes it: year, make, model, engine and open safety recalls. With the VIN you can order a history report. Plate results come from a commercial vehicle-data provider.

The result never includes the owner’s name or address. Under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. § 2721), a state may release that personal information only for the permissible uses the law lists.

Who issues plates and titles in Kentucky

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing runs the system, and you title and register at the County Clerk’s office in your county of residence. After a sale, the title must be transferred to the new owner within 15 days. A car coming from another state needs a passed sheriff’s inspection before the clerk will title it.

Kentucky changed its plate rule in 2024: when a car is sold with unexpired registration, the seller keeps the plate and can move it to another vehicle of the same class for a one-time $11 fee. The buyer drives on a temporary tag, a plate they already own, or a new plate from the County Clerk until the registration is processed. If the buyer lives out of state, the seller returns the Kentucky plate to the County Clerk, and the buyer can get a $5 transit tag good for 15 days.

Getting a Kentucky title history or vehicle record

Title history requests go to the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing on the Request for Motor Vehicle and Boat Records (TC 96-16A). The cabinet says it accepts the form from any Kentucky resident or a business registered with the Kentucky Secretary of State. It processes requests in 3 to 5 business days. Towing and storage companies and creditors in possession use TC 96-16T, and government agencies TC 96-16G. The form must be filled in completely. Personal details remain subject to the DPPA’s permissible uses.

Kentucky title brands and rebuilt cars

Brands you may see on a Kentucky title include salvage, water damage and hail damage. When a salvage car is rebuilt, the owner submits the salvage title and the original parts invoices, and the cabinet’s Rebuilt Section initials the parts used before returning the invoices. Under 601 KAR 9:200, a foreign title branded for prior damage and repair becomes a Kentucky title noted rebuilt vehicle, and the cabinet requires a confidential Kentucky State Police inspection of a rebuilt car when documents are missing or a national crime database check flags it.

A salvage-titled car may be driven on Kentucky roads only to or from its inspection. Our salvage title check and flood damage check explain how to spot a history the paperwork doesn’t show.

Before you buy a car with Kentucky plates

• Run the plate while it’s still on the car, then match the VIN to the dashboard, the driver’s door label and the title.
• Plan your own plate or a temporary tag, since the seller keeps theirs.
• Finish the title transfer at the County Clerk within 15 days.
• If the title shows salvage, rebuilt vehicle, water or hail damage, ask for the repair invoices and inspection papers.
• Run a history report for brands from other states and odometer readings. See odometer rollback check, the VIN decoder and pricing.

A CARFAX report for a Kentucky car is $8.99 with us.