BENTON – The new time and cost-saving changes in Kentucky’s vehicle registration system are being implemented in county clerk offices across the Commonwealth and on Tuesday, the changes will be implemented in Marshall County. County Clerk Tim York says state personnel will begin the process at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning to hopefully complete the process before opening.
York maintains that while he is hopeful the transition is smooth and timely, local residents should note that delays could occur Tuesday morning as as result of this process. “They are going to be here early that morning to try to get it all transferred over before we open,” York said, “but you never know what issues we may run into so we just wanted to make the public aware.”
According to a release from the state, the new registration system is changing to “print on demand” decals for license plate renewals. Instead of clerk offices having to stock booklets of pre-printed decals, new decals will be printed at the time of registration.
“This process will save county clerk offices from having to keep pre-printed boxes of registration decals,” said Rodney Kuhl, commissioner of the Department of Vehicle Regulation in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). “Now that decals can be printed on demand, the system becomes more efficient and more cost-effective.”
For the public, the most noticeable change is that decals will no longer be color-coded by year. The new decals will have black lettering on a white background. The year and month of registration expiration will be in bold numbers, with the license plate number associated with the registered vehicle printed on the bottom. The decals are printed on the registration receipt with a special feature that allows them to be peeled off and applied to a license plate.
The registration receipt also is changing appearance. Gone is the traditional blue and white paper. Certificates now will be on 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch white paper. Although the look is different, information on the certificate is the same. The new decals and registration receipts are already in use in several counties, with full implementation in all 120 counties expected by the end of April.
Customers with the old registration decals will keep them until they expire. The change to print-on-demand decals and registrations is part of a comprehensive overhaul and eventual replacement of Kentucky’s 30-year-old vehicle registration system, known as AVIS (Automated Vehicle Information System).
The replacement system will bear a slightly different name – KAVIS (Kentucky Automatic Vehicle Information System). Once fully developed, KAVIS will combine titling and registration for boats as well as motor vehicles, creating a more efficient registration process for customers.