Clerk's office temporarily closes beginning January 1

A major step forward in modernizing the state’s vehicle information database is approaching as transportation officials migrate to a new, customer-centric system.

The Clay County Clerk’s office will temporarily pause in-person and online motor and vessel-related services in early January to accommodate the transition. The suspension of services starts Jan. 1, 2024, lasts between 4 to 10 business days and may cause longer wait times when services resume in January.

“The state will begin transferring the vehicle data from the current system that we’ve used since the 1980s into the new one beginning December 30th,” Clay County Clerk Beverly Craft said.

The new program has been in the works for quite sometime, according to Craft.

“They started this process a few years ago in segments, boats being one, because it is such a large task,” Craft said. “They will now implement the vehicle segment. Our staff has been involved in data cleansing and training, in-person and online, for several years in preparation for this changeover. We will be closed on December 21, 2023 for in-person training. The last working day in 2023 is December 29th, but the Ky Transportation Cabinet suggests taking care of any 2023 vehicle business prior to that date to avoid unforeseen issues. We will be closed for Christmas on the 25th and 26th. Any online renewals through drive.ky.gov need to be done by December 25th to allow us to get those processed prior to the 29th.”

A statewide break of services is necessary to allow for an optimal transfer of more than 350 million records. The move to KAVIS will not impact driver license issuance at Driver Licensing Regional Offices.

“The entire vehicle system will be down the first week of January 2024,” Craft said. “As of now, the plan is to add several counties per day, starting January 8th, to insure the system is working properly and fix any issues. Our scheduled date to go live is January 11, 2024, making our office closed for vehicle work for nearly two weeks. Our office will be open during this time for deed room business, election filing, delinquent property taxes etc. The governor will be extending due dates and waiving some late fees to help with this changeover. Call our office with any questions, 606-598-2544.”

Migration Schedule:

• Online vehicle registration renewal - Unavailable starting Dec. 28, 2023. Online renewal will be restored the week of Jan. 8, 2024. Visit drive.ky.gov for updates.

• County Clerk Offices - Motor vehicle and vessel-related services will be unavailable as early as Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. All offices will pause services starting Jan. 1, 2024, and gradually resume services the week of Jan. 8, 2024. Some offices will choose to close to the public during this time while others may be open to perform services not related to vehicles or boats. Check with your local county clerk office to learn their plans.