Kentucky Boat Registration Summary
Kentucky boat registration summary is a free resource designed to inform the boating public about registration requirements, recording methods, and title search guidelines for the State of Kentucky. The data is maintained as an open wiki forum where readers are encouraged to participate by sharing knowledge and experiences with this particular state. Simply click on the "Wiki-Share" link to contribute further details or suggest a revision.
This information is subject to change and should be confirmed with the respective agency.
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State of Kentucky
Division of Motor Vehicles
Boat Titling Information
Boat Registration
Information
Registration Overview
Kentucky issues boat registrations and titles on all non-exempt boats operating within this jurisdiction. Although titling and registration transactions are administered by the respective county clerk offices, such records are maintained by the Division of Motor Vehicles. Outboard motors are not titled or registered separately in Kentucky although they can be listed on the boat registration records. Although registration and titling is not required for boat trailers in Kentucky, it is optional and would be required when operating in most other states. Personal property taxes are assessed on boats in Kentucky. There are approximately 156,800 boats registered in the State of Kentucky. This accounts for 1.3% of all nationwide registrations.Marking Requirements
Boat registration numbers in Kentucky begin with a "KY" designation which is followed by four numbers and then two letters. These must be displayed on all non-documented boats along with registration sticker tabs. Coast Guard documented vessels may not display the state registration numbers. However they must display the state registration tabs, an owner designated vessel name, and a hailing port. An official documentation number must also be affixed to a visible interior location in the hull itself or an integral part of the hull. All vessels manufactured after 1972 are required to have a 12 digit hull identification number affixed to the vessel by the manufacturer. State assigned hull numbers prefixed with the letters "KYZ" are available for home made boats and those without factory designations. Kentucky does not require hull identification number verifications.Registration Requirements
Registration is required in Kentucky for all motorized boats with certain exemptions. Coast Guard documented vessels are exempt from registration. A visitation period of 60 days is allowed for boats that are Coast Guard documented, foreign titled, or registered in another state. Kentucky issues titles for all registered boats except those which are Coast Guard documented. Transfer, abandonment, theft, or destruction of an Kentucky registered boat must be reported to the County Clerk's Office within 15 days.Ownership and Liens
Security interests in state titled boats are recorded with the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. These will be shown on both the registration certificate and title when applicable. All titles with active security interests are sent directly to the secured party. Tax liens are sometimes flagged in the state's registration database or perhaps recorded as Uniform Commercial Code filings. There are no provisions for recording mechanic's liens or other non-secured claims against registered boats which are not documented. If the vessel is USCG documented, a lender's security interest may be perfected by filing a preferred vessel mortgage. These are recorded with the National Vessel Documentation Center with the earliest submissions taking priority. Other lien claims can be filed in the same manner although these function as notifications only. All such filings are indexed on the vessel's underlying abstract of title. Security interests in non-documented and non-titled boats are recorded as Uniform Commercial Code filings.Boat Title Searches
Although boat titling and registration in Kentucky is administered by the respective county clerk offices, the records are maintained by the Division of Motor Vehicles. This agency does not facilitate online searches for the general public due to strict privacy laws. However, record printouts may be obtained by an owner or otherwise qualified party by submitting a boat record request form. It is also reported that the DMV offices will provide telephone verifications on information shown on boat title or registration certificates in hand. State and Federal tax liens on boats are not always recorded in a consistent manner and are therefore difficult to identify. They may show up as a red flag on state registration records, as UCC filings, in state revenue records, in a county clerks records, or on a vessel's abstract of title for documented boats. Given these disparities, it may be worth obtaining the services of a public record vendor that has access to a broad range of personal property lien recordings. Ownership, mortgage, and lien search recordings for USCG documented vessels can be obtained by ordering an abstract of title and a copy of the certificate of documentation from the National Vessel Documentation Center. However, these are encoded and can be difficult to interpret, especially on older vessels with numerous recordings. It may be worthwhile to contact a professional vessel title company for assistance in this regard. Non-recorded maritime liens may also be a factor when conducting boat title research in Kentucky. These include liabilities for items such as services, equipment, fuel, storage, parts, supplies, and damages which can become attached to the boat itself regardless of ownership. One of the most useful tools for doing this kind of research is our premier boat history search database. It is a gathering of eight nationwide databases into a single interface which can be searched by numerous criteria. These include records for stolen boats, marine lien claims, boating accidents, pollution incidents, auctioned boats, factory recalls, and documented vessels. Yacht brokers, documentation companies, and attorneys do not warrant or guarantee titles. There is furthermore no such thing as boat title insurance in the marine industry. The owner must accordingly stand behind any such representations. Of course it will be of no consolation if a guarantor is insolvent, non-cooperative, or can not be located. This calls for a thorough background check to ensure the owner's wherewithal for making good on any hidden liens or title deficiencies.Advertisement
