Free Kentucky Boat Bill of Sale

A Kentucky boat bill of sale records a vessel changing owners, and here the signatures generally need notarizing.

Boats are titled and registered through your county clerk’s office rather than a state counter — either the clerk in the buyer’s county of residence or the county where the boat is docked.

The notary requirement is worth planning around. Many clerk’s offices can notarize signatures on the spot if identification is presented, which often makes going together the simplest route.

Kentucky’s transaction form has a useful property that is easy to miss.

Where you hold a bill of sale signed and notarized by the seller, the seller is not required to sign the Application for Title/Registration Motor Boat Transaction. The buyer still completes that application, but the seller’s part is already done.

For a seller who lives two counties away, that one document is the difference between one meeting and two.

Tip: Check how the names are joined on the existing title. Titles listing owners with OR, or AND/OR, need only one owner’s signature, while AND or no designation at all requires every owner to sign.

Gather the documents before you go, since a missing item means starting again.

• The Kentucky certificate of title, signed by the seller and notarized, or the registration receipt where it shows the boat has no title
• Your completed Application for Title/Registration Motor Boat Transaction
• A signed and notarized bill of sale where no title is available
• Photo identification for everyone named, plus Social Security or federal identification numbers
• A pencil tracing or photograph of the hull number
• A lien release where any lender is recorded

No more than two individuals may be placed on a Kentucky title, which is worth knowing before three friends buy a boat together.

This is the Kentucky detail that derails transfers, and it has nothing to do with the sale itself.

Every boat in Kentucky is assessed as of January 1 each year, and the tax liability sits with the owner of record on that date. If a boat transfers before renewal, the January 1 owner remains liable for the outstanding tax.

Delinquent taxes may prohibit transfer of title. So a buyer has a direct interest in asking whether the seller’s boat taxes are clear before handing over money.

Buying from out of state works too: bring the original out-of-state title, or the registration plus a bill of sale where that state does not title boats. Fees and tax figures change, so confirm current amounts with your county clerk. Start your Kentucky boat bill of sale now and get it notarized while the seller is still with you.