Kentucky Red Titles: What Is It?

What is a Kentucky Red Title?
All right, so what is a Kentucky red title? A lot of people are inquiring about this. They got some piece of paper that says title on it from the state of Kentucky, and they’re thinking I’m good to go. These are not real titles. These are parts-only junk vehicles that, of all the 50 states, one state has ignored the federal guidelines on not allowing these vehicles on the road and given a piece of paper for their state only. In fact, even in their state, it doesn’t work in every County.

Tennessee’s Stance on Kentucky Red Titles
Here’s a web page from the state of Tennessee, which is right next door, talking about Kentucky red titles. Kentucky red titles are the equivalent of a non-reparable certificate. Vehicles that are issued Kentucky red titles are damaged beyond repair and would not meet safety standards. Now you might say, hey, this car is not damaged, doesn’t have anything wrong with it. Well, it might have been repaired, or it might have been a flood car, or it might have been a recovered theft. Either way, the insurance company said don’t go back on the road.

Registration Issues and Legal Implications
A vehicle that has been issued a Kentucky red title may not be registered in Tennessee or any other state for that matter, and many of them can’t even be registered in Kentucky anymore. So if you’re getting a vehicle with a Kentucky red title, look at it as you would any other type of junk parts-only non-reparable certificate of destruction vehicle. It’s not going to fly. The federal law says that states are not allowed to put them on the road. The insurance company that paid the claim put it into the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) and blocked it in all 50 states. It cannot be undone.

Advice for Kentucky Red Title Holders
So it’s not the same as a regular title. You can’t switch it to a rebuilt, you can’t switch it to a salvage, you can’t undo it. It’s permanent. So either don’t buy it, or if you did already buy it, look for your best way out of that trap that you’re in.

Title Consulting Services
We also have title consulting. If you click the link below, we can talk about a specific vehicle and also look it up to make sure that it really is a junk vehicle or parts-only before you take drastic action.