March renewal notices were delayed until mid-April

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Registration renewals typically sent in March to applicable Kentucky vehicle owners have been delayed to mid-April due to a state system issue. Vehicle owners have options to pay registration fees and taxes before receiving the mailed notice, including online renewal or visiting their local county clerk’s office.

Kentuckians with vehicle registrations expiring in April 2024 can visit drive.ky.gov to renew online by entering the title number found on a previous year’s registration document and their license plate number. Online renewals are not available if previous balances are owed or if insurance information is not on file.

Kentuckians always have the option to pay in person or check balances at their county clerk’s office. Those visiting offices ahead of receiving the April notice are asked to bring their ID, proof of insurance and last year’s registration document for the same vehicle.

Administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), the vehicle registration and titling portion of the Kentucky Automated Vehicle Information System (KAVIS) that launched in January is used primarily by county clerk staff to perform vehicle and vessel-related transactions and to generate user data used to mail notices. KAVIS generates the data used to prepare and send the renewal notification postcards.

“The new KAVIS system is getting stronger every day, and we’re committed to working through the challenges that any modernization project presents,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “We appreciate the public’s patience and want folks to know they can take care of their vehicle registration needs without having to wait for the notice to arrive.”

State transportation officials have resolved the majority of issues identified after making the new system available statewide. Processing times at county clerk’s offices have and will continue to improve throughout the year.

The KAVIS team continues to improve KAVIS performance and provide technical assistance to clerk staff adjusting to a new payment system and process.

“Despite the growing pains of replacing a 1970s outdated mainframe system, KAVIS was needed to introduce capabilities that are standard in most 21st century businesses, like improved reporting, intuitive interfaces and user guardrails,” said Department of Vehicle Regulations Commissioner Matt Cole. “Because of the many combinations of unique transactions the system performs, we may continue to identify and resolve new issues throughout the first year as we cycle through new renewal transaction types, like boat renewals due in April.”  

Time-Saving Tips for Kentuckians When Renewing Vehicle Registrations:

Renew your vehicle registration online at ky.gov.

Bring your ID, proof of insurance and renewal postcard.

Pay electric and hybrid vehicle ownership fees online at ky.gov. If paying in person at a county clerk’s office, you must pay when renewing your car registration and will need to bring your fee notification postcard.

KAVIS Implementation

The project to migrate to KAVIS kicked off in 2015, and six modules were gradually released, including boat titling and registration, a standardized point-of-sale system, disabled placard improvements, print-on-demand decals and new flat license plates. In January, the commonwealth fully launched KAVIS to now handle motor vehicle title and registration services. A short-term closure of county clerk offices started Jan. 1, 2024, and counties gradually began using the new system starting the week of Jan. 8.

As a mainframe legacy system, AVIS was difficult to support and lacked needed functionalities. Kentuckians, under KAVIS, can now keep their license plate if they sell or trade a car, and have more special license plate options to support their favorite organizations.