Read the full stored bill text
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2508
Page 1 of 3
XXXX 3/3/2026 1:28 PM Jacketed
AN ACT relating to motor vehicle license plates. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 186.240 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) It shall be the duty of the cabinet to carry out the provisions of KRS 186.005 to 4
186.260, and: 5
(a) Provide to the clerk in each county access to all forms provided for in KRS 6
186.005 to 186.260; 7
(b) Keep a numerical record of all registration numbers issued in the state and 8
also keep a record of motor or vehicle identification numbers required by 9
KRS 186.160; 10
(c) Furnish to each clerk, originally each year upon estimate, and thereafter upon 11
requisition at all times, a sufficient supply of standard, noncommercial plates 12
and the supplies necessary to provide evidence of registration for all classes of 13
vehicles required to be registered;[ and] 14
(d) Prescribe a standard plate of practical form and size for police identification 15
purposes that shall contain: 16
1. The registration identifier; 17
2. An indication that Kentucky is the issuing jurisdiction; 18
3. At the discretion of the cabinet, any combination of the following 19
phrases: 20
a. "Bluegrass State"; or 21
b. "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"; 22
4. For standard plates for noncommercial vehicles: 23
a. The county in which the plate is issued; and 24
b. At the discretion of the person to whom the vehicle is registered, 25
the phrase "In God We Trust"; and 26
5. For plates for commercial vehicles, the year the license expires and 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2508
Page 2 of 3
XXXX 3/3/2026 1:28 PM Jacketed
words or information the Department of Vehicle Regulation may 1
prescribe by administrative regulation, pursuant to KRS Chapter 13A ; 2
and 3
(e) Prescribe an alternative standard plate for noncommercial vehicles that is: 4
1. Available to individuals who are sixty-five (65) years of age or older to 5
choose at the time of initial or renewal registration of a motor vehicle; 6
and 7
2. Of a highly visible design and letter coloring scheme that is distinct 8
from the standard plates under paragraph (d) of this subsection. 9
(2) Except as provided in KRS 186A.127, license plates issued pursuant to this chapter 10
shall conform to the provisions o f subsection (1)(c) and (d) of this section. The 11
Transportation Cabinet shall provide for the issuance of reflectorized plates for all 12
motor vehicles, and shall collect a fee, in addition to the fee set out in KRS Chapter 13
186 and KRS 281.631, of fifty cent s ($0.50). The fifty cents ($0.50) fee to 14
reflectorize license plates shall be used by the cabinet as provided in subsection (3) 15
of this section. 16
(3) The reflectorized license plate program fund is established in the state road fund 17
and appropriated on a c ontinual basis to the cabinet to administer the moneys as 18
provided in this subsection. The fifty cents ($0.50) fee collected by the cabinet to 19
reflectorize license plates shall be deposited into the program fund and used to issue 20
reflectorized license plat es. If at the end of a fiscal year, money remains in the 21
program fund, it shall be retained in the fund and shall not revert to the state road 22
fund. The interest and income earned on money in the program fund shall also be 23
retained in the program fund to c arry out the provisions of this subsection. The 24
Transportation Cabinet shall issue reflectorized license plates under the provisions 25
of this subsection on a schedule to be determined at the discretion of the cabinet. 26
(4) Except as directed under subsection (3) of this section, the Transportation Cabinet 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2508
Page 3 of 3
XXXX 3/3/2026 1:28 PM Jacketed
shall receive all moneys forwarded by the clerk in each county and turn it over to 1
the State Treasurer for the benefit of the state road fund. 2
(5) The Transportation Cabinet shall require an accounting by th e clerk in each county 3
for any moneys received by him or her under the provisions of this chapter, after the 4
deduction of his or her fees under this chapter, and for all receipts, forms, plates, 5
and insignia consigned to him or her. The Auditor of Public A ccounts, pursuant to 6
KRS 43.071, shall annually audit each county clerk concerning his or her 7
responsibilities for the collection of various fees and taxes associated with motor 8
vehicles. The secretary of the Transportation Cabinet, with the advice, consul tation, 9
and approval of the Auditor, shall develop and implement an inventory and 10
accounting system which shall insure that the audits mandated in KRS 43.071 are 11
performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. The 12
Transportation Cabinet shall pay for the audits mandated by KRS 43.071. 13
(6) When applied for under KRS 186.060 or 186.061, motor or vehicle numbers 14
assigned shall be distinctive to show that they were designated by the cabinet. 15
Section 2. For one year after the effective date of this Act, the Transportation 16
Cabinet shall publish educational and public service materials informing the public of 17
availability to senior citizens of the plates under subsection (1)(e) of Section 1 of this Act, 18
and their meaning. 19
Section 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027. 20