Free Kentucky Motorcycle Bill of Sale
Kentucky prices your motorcycle before you do: the 6% usage tax is based on the bike's NADA retail value unless the price is attested in a notarized Affidavit of Total Consideration, so the bargain you negotiated doesn't shrink the tax on its own. The clock is the other trap — 15 days at the county clerk, and weekends and holidays count. The title application, where required, is Form TC 96-182, filed at the county clerk's office (Kentucky has no DMV branches), and no inspection of any kind stands between the handshake and the road.
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Kentucky Motorcycle Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Sales Tax Details
Same 6% usage tax applies to motorcycles.
Kentucky Motorcycle Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Look up the bike's NADA value before negotiating — the 6% usage tax is based on it unless a notarized Affidavit of Total Consideration attests your price.
- Verify the frame VIN against the Kentucky title.
- For your records, complete a bill of sale with VIN, year, make, model, odometer, sale price, date, and both signatures.
- Seller signs the title over in front of a notary, with the odometer disclosure.
- Buyer brings the notarized title (plus TC 96-182 where required) to the county clerk within 15 days — weekends and holidays count.
- Buyer pays the 6% usage tax (on NADA retail value, or on the price attested in a notarized affidavit), plus title and registration fees.
- No inspections — Kentucky tests neither safety nor emissions on motorcycles.
Common Pitfalls
- Counting business days — the deadline is 15 calendar days, and a long weekend can silently push you into penalty territory.
- Writing a low price to trim the tax — without a notarized affidavit the tax is based on NADA retail value anyway, so under-declaring is pointless and conspicuous.
- Looking for a DMV — Kentucky titles vehicles at the county clerk's office, full stop.
- Assuming a beat-up bike beats the book — only a notarized Affidavit of Total Consideration gets the tax based on your actual price, and that price must be at least 50% of the trade-in value.
Pro Tip
Kentucky motorcycles: the county clerk, a notarized title, 15 days — and a 6% tax that reads the NADA book unless a notarized affidavit attests your price.