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Gov. Andy Beshear gave an update Thursday on the rollout of the new Kentucky Automated Vehicle Information System (KAVIS), which will be go online in early January to replace the current outdated system known as AVIS, for car and boat licensing services.

“The change of systems means many common vehicle services will be temporarily unavailable as they switch systems,” Beshear said. “This will mainly affect anyone who plans to sell, buy, or renew a vehicle in Kentucky.”

On Jan. 1, 2024, county clerk offices will not be able to process vehicle and boat registrations, transfer titles or issue license plates and disabled placards.  Online vehicle registration will also be unavailable.

“The good news is, the following week, batches of county clerks will resume services each day,” Beshear said. “The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet expects the entire state to be back up and running by the end of that week. In January, you can check with your county clerk to see when they plan to resume services, since it will vary by county.”

The change will not impact driver license issuance, as they will continue at Driver Licensing Regional Offices across the state, he said.

“Users of the system will enjoy several efficiency improvements once it is put into place,” Beshear said, “and we are thankful for the input of the clerks on how we modernize this system.”

The governor said parts of the new system have already been implemented over the past eight years, a little at a time.

“Previous phases have included a standardized point of sale system, a new flat place license system, and disabled placard improvements.  The upcoming rollout is to try to finalize what has been going on for eight years, and we don’t want to go on another four to six years.”

He added, “One benefit Kentuckians can look forward to as a result of the change, is that they can choose from more than 20 new specialty license plate designs that promote some of their favorite nonprofits.”

More information on the change is at drive.ky.gov/Vehicles/Pages/Vehicle-Registration-Renewals.aspx.