(1) All motor vehicles, including motorcycles, with a gross vehicular weight of six thousand (6,000) pounds or less, first registered, or for which the registration is renewed in this state on or after January 1, 1983, shall be placed in a system of year- round registration based upon the birth month 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.
(2) 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. If a motor vehicle is jointly owned, the owners shall indicate to the county clerk the birth month of one (1) of them to be used for purposes of this section. In addition, if a motor vehicle is jointly owned by a husband and wife, 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. Upon the death of one (1) of the spouses, the jointly-owned vehicle shall transfer to the surviving spouse free from payment of any state-required transferral fees.

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 186A.035

  • Cabinet: means the Transportation Cabinet. See Kentucky Statutes 186A.005
  • Joint tenancy: A form of property ownership in which two or more parties hold an undivided interest in the same property that was conveyed under the same instrument at the same time. A joint tenant can sell his (her) interest but not dispose of it by will. Upon the death of a joint tenant, his (her) undivided interest is distributed among the surviving joint tenants.
  • Month: means calendar month. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Owner: when applied to any animal, means any person having a property interest in such animal. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Right of survivorship: The ownership rights that result in the acquisition of title to property by reason of having survived other co-owners.
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(3) The certificate of registration and license plate issued for a motor vehicle first registered, renewed, or titled in this state on or after January 1, 1983, shall be valid, unless revoked in accordance with KRS § 186A.040 or canceled by the cabinet in accordance with KRS Chapter 186 or this chapter, upon payment of the required fee, for a period beginning on the first day of the month of the year in which registration is applied for, and expiring on the last day of the next birth month of the owner following the month during which registration is applied for. Upon the owner’s request, and after payment of the proper prorated fee, an owner may obtain a certificate of registration and license plate valid through the last day of his second birth month following the month and year in which he applied for a certificate of registration. 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) 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, by making application to the county clerk 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 be entitled to a registration fee of two dollars ($2) for each registration, or if the registration exceeds a twelve (12) month period, the clerk shall receive a fee of three dollars ($3).
(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 by mail 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 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.
(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 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, 1998
History: 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.
Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/98). This section was amended by 1998
Ky. Acts chs. 442 and 565 which do not appear to be in conflict and have been codified together.