KRS § 186A.035 Motor vehicle registration by birth month of owner -- Alternative schedule for certain vehicles -- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship for motor vehicle or manufactured home jointly owned by married couple -- Clerk's fee -- Renewal of registration. (Effective July 15, 2026)

186A.035 Motor vehicle registration by birth month of owner -- Alternative schedule for certain vehicles -- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship for motor vehicle or manufactured home jointly owned by married couple -- Clerk's fee -- Renewal of registration. (Effective July 15, 2026) (1) (a) Except for vehicles described in paragraph (b) of this subsection, all motor vehicles, including motorcycles, with a gross vehicular weight of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or less, first registered, or for which the registration is renewed, shall be placed in a system of year-round registration based upon the birth date of the owner, in order to distribute the work of registering motor vehicles as uniformly as practicable throughout the twelve (12) months of the year. (b) Owners of the following motor vehicles may elect to register these vehicles on an annual registration schedule of April 1 to March 31: 1. Farm vehicles registered under KRS 186.050(4); or 2. Motor vehicles with a gross vehicular weight of ten thousand (10,000) pounds or less that are owned by a business. (2) (a) If the owner of a motor vehicle is other than an individual, the month in which the owning entity came into being shall be used for purposes of this section. (b) Except for motor vehicles jointly owned under paragraph (c) of this subsection, if a motor vehicle is jointly owned: 1. One (1) of the owners, who is a resident of Kentucky, shall be identified as the designated owner; 2. The designated owner shall indicate to the county clerk his or her birth date to be used for purposes of this section; and 3. If the circumstances of ownership change and the designated owner is no longer an owner of the motor vehicle or no longer a resident of Kentucky, another owner may title the motor vehicle in his or her name if that owner is a resident of Kentucky. If none of the remaining owners are a resident of Kentucky, one (1) of the owners shall title the vehicle in that owner's state of residence. (c) If a motor vehicle or manufactured home is jointly owned by a married couple, the ownership shall exist as a joint tenancy with right of survivorship, unless the registration expressly states to the contrary and gives an alternative specific status. One (1) of the owners shall indicate to the county clerk his or her birth date to be used for purposes of this section. Upon the death of one (1) of the spouses, the jointly-owned vehicle or manufactured home shall transfer to the surviving spouse free from payment of a title application fee. The surviving spouse shall include a copy of the death certificate with the application for a new title. If the surviving spouse wishes to obtain a printed copy of the title, the owner shall apply to the county clerk and pay the fee for a printed title in KRS 186A.130. (d) A certificate of title: 1. May bear the connector "AND" to designate joint ownership. If the "AND" connector is used, the signatures of all owners shall be required to transfer the certificate of title; 2. May bear the connector "OR" to designate joint ownership. If the "OR" connector is used, the signature of only one (1) owner shall be required to transfer the certificate of title; and 3. Shall not bear the connector "AND/OR" to designate joint ownership. If a title produced prior to June 27, 2025, bears the connector "AND/OR," the cabinet and the county clerk shall follow the procedures in subparagraph 1. of this paragraph in transferring the certificate of title, unless directed otherwise by a court. (3) The certificate of registration and license plate issued for a motor vehicle first registered, renewed, or titled in this state shall be valid until the expiration date on the registration receipt, unless revoked in accordance with KRS 186A.040 or canceled by the cabinet in accordance with KRS Chapter 186 or this chapter. Any transaction relating to registration or registration renewal which would cause an unexpired Kentucky motor vehicle license plate to be surrendered shall have that unexpired fee prorated or credited against any additional fee required by a subsequent registration. (4) Except for vehicles registered under subsection (1)(b) of this section, KRS 186.041, 186.042, and 186.162 that have a specified, universal expiration date, after a motor vehicle has been initially placed in the system of year-round registration, the owner shall renew the registration annually during the owner's birth month, either by making application to the county clerk or on the cabinet's website, and paying the fee required for twelve (12) consecutive months of registration, which shall take effect on the first day of the month succeeding the owner's birth month and shall expire on the last day of the owner's next birth month. The county clerk shall collect the fees set forth in KRS 186.040(1) and (6) for each renewal. (5) At least forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration of the registration of any motor vehicle previously registered in the Commonwealth as provided by subsection (1) of this section, the owner of the vehicle shall be notified on the same notice required by KRS 134.805(5) of the date of expiration. Nonreceipt of the notice required by this subsection shall not constitute a defense to any registration-related offense. (6) Any owner who fails to renew the registration of a motor vehicle during the month in which the previous registration expired shall, if he or she applies for renewal of the registration in some later month, pay the same fees that would have been required if the registration had been renewed in the month which the previous registration expired, and, if applicable, the reinstatement fee for a cancelled registration required under KRS 186.040. (7) Fees which must be prorated in carrying out the intent of this section shall be prorated on the basis of twelfths of the annual registration fee. Any vehicle or manufactured home which is registered at any time during a month shall pay the fee required for that whole month plus any additional months of registration purchased consistent with the intent of the section. (8) The county clerk shall ensure that the certificate of registration issued to an owner displays the month and year in which the registration period begins and the month and year of its expiration, and shall issue to the owner a decal or decals corresponding to the month and year of expiration shown in the certificate of registration which shall be placed upon the corresponding license plate by the owner in the manner required by administrative regulations of the Department of Vehicle Regulation. Effective: July 15, 2026 History: Amended 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 135, sec. 14, effective July 15, 2026. -- Amended 2025 Ky. Acts ch. 95, sec. 1, effective June 27, 2025. -- Amended 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 45, sec. 1, effective April 4, 2024; and ch. 123, sec. 25, effective July 15, 2024. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 442, sec. 7, effective July 15, 1998; and ch. 565, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 97, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1996. -- Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 19, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1994; and ch. 85, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1994. -- Amended 1988 Ky. Acts ch. 241, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1988. -- Amended 1986 Ky. Acts ch. 363, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1986. -- Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 37, sec. 2, effective July 13, 1984. -- Created 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 164, sec. 4, effective July 15, 1982.