KRS § 186A.100 Application, procedure, and use for temporary motor vehicle registration.

186A.100 Application, procedure, and use for temporary motor vehicle registration. (1) A motor vehicle dealer issued a dealer plate under KRS 186.070 who sells a vehicle to a person who will title and register the vehicle for use upon the highways of this state or another state shall equip the vehicle with: (a) The buyer's existing Kentucky license plate if the customer traded in a vehicle bearing that plate and the vehicle will be titled and registered in Kentucky. The cost of this temporary use of the existing plate shall be three dollars ($3), of which the clerk shall retain two dollars ($2). This cost shall not replace any other fees for reissuance of the existing plate at registration of the purchased vehicle; or (b) A temporary tag executed in the manner prescribed in this section and in KRS 186A.105 and 186A.110, which shall be valid for sixty (60) days from the date the vehicle is delivered to the purchaser. The cost of the tag shall be three dollars ($3), of which the county clerk shall retain two dollars ($2). (2) (a) A motor vehicle dealer who meets the requirements of subsection (1) of this section shall: 1. Apply to the county clerk of the county in which the dealer maintains his or her principal place of business for issuance of temporary tags; and 2. Not apply to the county clerk of any other county unless granted permission by the Motor Vehicle Commission. (b) When applying for temporary tags, a motor vehicle dealer: 1. Shall report the number of sales in the previous year; 2. Shall be limited to an initial purchase of temporary tags of no more than one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the number of sales in the previous year; and 3. May provide the Motor Vehicle Commission with evidence of sales in excess of eighty-five percent (85%) of the number of tags received under subparagraph 2. of this paragraph, and the Motor Vehicle Commission may allow the dealer to purchase additional temporary tags. (c) A motor vehicle dealer shall make application for temporary tags on forms supplied to the county clerk by the Transportation Cabinet. (3) The county clerk of any county who receives a proper application for issuance of temporary tags shall record the number of each tag issued upon the application of the dealer for temporary tags, or if a group of consecutively numbered temporary tags are issued to a dealer in connection with a single application, record the beginning and ending numbers of the group on the application. (4) The clerk shall retain, for a period of two (2) years, one (1) copy of the dealer's temporary tag application, and ensure that it reflects the numbers appearing on the tags issued with respect to the application. These copies may be kept by the county clerk in an electronic format. (5) (a) If the owner of a motor vehicle submits to the county clerk a properly completed application for Kentucky certificate of title and registration pursuant to KRS 186A.120, any motor vehicle required to be registered and titled in Kentucky, that is not currently registered and titled in Kentucky, may be equipped with a temporary tag, which shall be valid for sixty (60) days from the date of issuance, issued by the county clerk for the purpose of operating the vehicle in Kentucky while assembling the necessary documents in order to title and register the vehicle in Kentucky. (b) The Transportation Cabinet may promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A governing this section. (6) (a) The county clerk may issue a temporary tag to the owner of a motor vehicle that is currently registered and titled in Kentucky. (b) A temporary tag authorized by this subsection shall be used for emergency or unusual purposes as determined by the county clerk for the purpose of maintaining the owner's current registration. (c) A temporary tag authorized by this subsection may only be issued by the county clerk and shall be valid for a period of between twenty-four (24) hours and seven (7) days, as determined is necessary by the clerk. (d) A county clerk shall not issue a temporary tag authorized by this subsection unless the owner of the motor vehicle applying for the tag presents proof of motor vehicle insurance pursuant to KRS 304.39-080. Proof of insurance for a personal motor vehicle shall be determined by the county clerk as provided in KRS 186A.042. (e) A temporary tag issued pursuant to this subsection shall not be reissued by the county clerk for the same owner and same motor vehicle within one (1) year of issuance of a temporary tag. Effective: June 27, 2025 History: Amended 2025 Ky. Acts ch. 39, sec. 3, effective June 27, 2025; ch. 70, sec. 1, effective June 27, 2025; and ch. 95, sec. 9, effective June 27, 2025. -- Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 113, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2022. -- Amended 2011 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 3, effective January 1, 2013. -- Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 27, sec. 1, effective June 26, 2007. -- Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 130, sec. 9, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 53, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1996. -- Amended 1988 Ky. Acts ch. 105, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1988; and ch. 113, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1988. -- Created 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 164, sec. 17, effective July 15, 1982. Legislative Research Commission Note (6/27/2025). This statute was amended by 2025 Ky. Acts chs. 39, 70, and 95. Where these Acts are not in conflict, they have been codified together. Where a conflict exists between Acts chs. 39 and 70, Acts ch. 70, which was last enacted by the General Assembly, prevails under KRS 446.250. Legislative Research Commission Note (7/12/2012). The amendment of this statute in 2011 Ky. Acts ch. 5 was to be effective January 1, 2013, pursuant to Section 7 of that Act. However, in 2012 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 1, 2011 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 7, was repealed, and a new effective date of January 1, 2014, was established for the 2011 amendment of this statute, pursuant to 2012 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 2. Legislative Research Commission Note. Subsection (4) of this section was created in 1988 Acts Ch. 105, Section 1, to provide for the issuance of a fifteen-day temporary tag by the county clerk for out-of-state vehicles being registered in Kentucky. Although this conformed with the existing fifteen-day temporary tag issued by dealers pursuant to (1), subsection (1) was later amended by 1988 Acts Ch. 113, Section 3, to extend the temporary tag period to thirty days. Inadvertently, in the later enactment, (4) was not amended to conform. Pursuant to KRS 7.136, the Reviser of Statutes has made a technical correction in order to make the subsections consistent.