Kentucky Boat Registration

Kentucky titles motorboats. A certificate of title is the ownership record and is required for most motorized vessels, filed through the county clerk on form TC 96-184 for a $9.00 title fee.

The major exception is a federally documented vessel. Under KRS 235.070 a boat covered by a valid U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation is exempt from both Kentucky titling and Kentucky registration, and it is not assigned or required to display a KY number — a broader exemption than many states grant, since Kentucky (unlike, for example, Florida) does not force a documented boat to carry a state registration decal. An owner may still choose to register voluntarily. If a documented boat is later converted to state title and registration, the owner provides evidence of deletion from the Coast Guard's documentation system along with a completed TC 96-184. See state registration vs USCG documentation for how the two systems interact.

Every boat manufactured in or after 1972 must carry a valid 12-character Hull Identification Number (HIN) — 12 characters uninterrupted by slashes, hyphens, or spaces — and that HIN must be recorded correctly on the Kentucky title and registration.

Since January 1, 2017 the Transportation Cabinet requires the HIN to be validated at the time of titling or registration. In practice the county clerk collects a photo or a pencil tracing of the hull number so the physical HIN can be matched against the paperwork before Kentucky will title or register the boat — this matters most for boats bought out of state or with a worn or questionable number. Decode any existing hull number first with the HIN decoder to confirm the manufacturer and model year line up with the title.

Homemade boats and boats with no readable HIN follow a separate path: the owner applies to the Transportation Cabinet for a state-assigned HIN. Kentucky-issued hull numbers begin with the prefix "KYZ," and the assigned number is then stamped or affixed to the hull and recorded on the title.

Kentucky boat registrations are renewed annually and all expire on the same date — April 30 — regardless of when you first registered. The Department of Revenue mails a courtesy renewal notice about two months before expiration showing the registration fee and any property tax due. You can renew online, by mail, or in person at the county clerk; the ad valorem property tax on the boat is collected together with the renewal, so a registration will not be renewed until the tax is paid.

Non-motorized craft — canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and other human-powered boats — are not "motorboats" and do not have to be registered in Kentucky. Federally documented vessels are exempt from both Kentucky titling and registration and are not assigned a KY number, though the owner may register voluntarily. A boat currently registered in another state may be used on Kentucky waters for up to 60 consecutive days without registering here. Ship's lifeboats used only as lifeboats, boats with a valid foreign registration temporarily on Kentucky waters, and boats owned by the United States government are also exempt.