Motor Vehicles

Kentucky law designates the Fayette County PVA Office as the agency to administer assessment of all property in the county, including motor vehicles.  According to KRS 132.485, registration of a vehicle with the Fayette County Clerk is considered consent for that vehicle to be assessed by the PVA and for the vehicle to be valued according to standards set by the Department of Revenue.

The Department’s Office of Property Valuation uses the vehicle identification number, make, model and year to provide the PVA with a standardized valuation.  The January 1 assessment amount is determined by using the clean trade-in value from the January issue of the NADA Appraisal Guides and procedures adopted by the Department of Revenue.

The owner of a vehicle as of January 1 each year is liable for the property tax on that vehicle, in the county of registration, as of the assessment date. If the vehicle is sold during the year before its taxes are due, the January 1 owner is still liable for the taxes.

The PVA has the authority to make necessary adjustments based upon guidelines provided by the Department of Revenue. If a vehicle has obviously depreciated at a greater than average rate due to collisions or excessive mileage, the taxpayer must provide evidence such as documented mileage and/or cost to repair as of January 1 to the PVA within 45 days of the assessment notice (KRS 131.110).

For further information regarding motor vehicles, please contact Ronica Tyler at (859) 246-2722, ext. 224 or by email at [email protected]. You may fax documents to (859) 246-2728.

Click this link for motor vehicle tax forms and information:

Motor Vehicle Usage Tax Forms and Instructions