Official fees
Kentucky registration fee chart
Passenger vehicle registration
$21.00/yr
Motorcycle / moped registration
$18.50/yr
Title application fee
$9.00
first registration only
Lien filing fee
$22.00
per lien, if financed
Notary fee
$2.00
when the clerk notarizes on-site
Speed title (expedited)
$25.00
optional, next business day
EV / plug-in hybrid fee
$126.00/yr
electric motorcycles: $63/yr
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county clerk's office (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How to register a vehicle in Kentucky
- 1
Get liability insurance meeting Kentucky's minimums before you visit the clerk.
- 2
Bring the signed title (or out-of-state title), proof of insurance, and photo ID to your county clerk's office.
- 3
First-time registration of a purchased vehicle: pay the $9 title fee, usage tax, and $21 (or $18.50) registration together.
- 4
If there's a lender, the clerk files the lien for $22 and holds the title electronically until it's paid off.
- 5
Your registration renews every year in your birth month - the clerk mails a reminder about 45 days ahead.
- Passenger vehicle
- $21/yr
- Motorcycle
- $18.50/yr
- Title fee (new registration)
- $9
- Lien filing fee
- $22
- EV/PHEV fee
- $126/yr
Overview
Unlike states with a state-run DMV, Kentucky registration happens entirely through your county clerk - one of 120 separate elected offices, each running the same statewide fee schedule but with its own hours, lines, and occasionally its own small local add-ons. The calculator below breaks out the state-mandated pieces so you know what's fixed and what to expect on top.
Same state, other costs
More Kentucky vehicle costs
Common questions
Kentucky registration fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to register a car in Kentucky?
- $21 a year for a passenger vehicle. First-time registration on a newly purchased vehicle adds the $9 title fee and a $22 lien fee if financed - plus the 6% usage tax and any property tax due at that visit, which usually dwarf the registration fee itself.
- Why is Kentucky's registration fee so much lower than nearby states?
- Kentucky funds roads mostly through the motor fuels tax and the 6% usage tax collected once at purchase, not through an expensive annual registration sticker. The trade-off is the annual property tax bill, which for many owners costs far more than the $21 registration line.
- Do I register at the DMV in Kentucky?
- No - Kentucky has no state-run DMV counter for titling and registration. All of it goes through your county clerk, an independently elected office in each of Kentucky's 120 counties, using the state's KAVIS system.
- What's the lien filing fee for?
- $22 to record a lender's lien against the title when you finance a purchase. If you refinance or add a second lien, that's a separate $22 filing. The fee is released (no extra charge) once you pay off the loan and the lender submits a lien release.
- How much extra do EV owners pay to register in Kentucky?
- $126 a year on top of the standard $21 registration, for both fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles - electric motorcycles pay $63. The fee adjusts annually (capped at a 5% increase) under KRS 138.475 to help fund roads that EVs use without paying fuel tax.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
