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The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is launching a new vehicle information database. All county clerk offices in Kentucky will temporarily stop in-person and online vehicle and vessel-related services starting Jan. 1, 2024, in order to implement the new system.

Online vehicle registration renewal will be unavailable starting Dec. 28, 2023. All county clerk offices will stop motor vehicle and boat services starting Jan. 1.

The suspension will last anywhere from four to 10 business days. Clerks will gradually resume services the week of Jan. 8, 2024.

The Lincoln County Clerk’s Office announced that it will be closed from Jan. 1 to 10.

The following services will be unavailable during the system migration: vehicle registration renewals, vehicle titling and transfers, disabled parking permit issuance, and license plate issuance.

The outage will not impact driver license issuance at Driver Licensing Regional Offices, which will still be open.

KYTC will provide an extension for any January 2024 IRP renewals until February 28, 2024. The expiration date and time is in effect until 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on March 1, 2024.

Extension is defined in the IRP Plan as follows: “Extension means a period of time from the expiration date or end of a grace period during which registrants may operate on expired credentials by reason of inability of the base jurisdiction to provide current credentials”.

Affected drivers must keep a copy of this memo in the vehicle to be provided to law enforcement if needed.

The move to a new system will improve efficiency and modernize Kentucky’s outdated system. The state will be integrating the new KAVIS (Kentucky Automated Vehicle Information System), eliminating its 40-year-old system, AVIS. The move will transfer more than 350 million records.

“This launch represents the culmination of years of behind-the-scenes work to modernize our robust system to better serve Kentuckians,” Department of Vehicle Regulation Commissioner Matt Cole said in a press release. “KAVIS will streamline processes, improve customer service and enhance overall efficiency.”

In 2011, HB 197 amended a state law that created a “plate to customer” concept, in place of the “plate to vehicle” concept. However, the changes were never implemented until now, due to limitations of the older AVIS system used in county clerk offices.

With the new “plate-to-customer” model starting in January, Kentucky drivers will keep their license plates when selling or trading a vehicle.

When a vehicle is transferred with an unexpired registration, the seller will need to remove and keep the plate that was on the vehicle. They can put that plate on any other vehicle they own, including a new vehicle they purchase.

The new KAVIS system will also introduce more than 20 new special license plates for Kentuckians to choose from.

More information about the system update can be found at drive.ky.gov and transportation.ky.gov.