STATEWIDE – Starting January 1, 2024, when you sell or trade a vehicle, you will keep your license plate.
Magoffin County Court Clerk Renee Arnett-Shepherd shared the following information from the Kentucky County Clerk’s Association:
Are you planning to sell or trade your car? Now, when you sell or trade your vehicle, you will KEEP your license plate.
Kentucky is changing the way it handles plates. Starting in January the State will operate in the “Plate -to – Customer” format. In this new format, when you sell or trade your vehicle, YOU KEEP THE LICENSE PLATE WITH THE REGISTRATION DECAL YOU PAID FOR AT RENEWAL TIME. This change allows you the option to use the full 12 months of your paid registration.
If you buy another vehicle, the plate you remove from your sold or traded vehicle can be put on the newly purchased vehicle, BUT ONLY AFTER YOU TRANSFER THE PLATE TO THE NEWLY PURCHASED VEHICLE AT YOUR COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE.
Please remember your plate must be transferred to the new, or used vehicle that you purchase, before you drive with that plate.
Also important to note, county clerks’ offices statewide will be closed later this month, with the Magoffin County Court Clerk’s Office last day of business set for December 29, and reopen on January 9 for motor vehicle licensing. Statewide, the motor vehicle services are being migrated to a new system. In-person and online motor and vessel-related services will be temporarily paused in early January to accommodate the transition.
The following services will be unavailable during the migration: vehicle and boat registration renewals, vehicle and boat titling and transfers, disabled parking permit issuance and license plate issuance. Vehicle owners due to renew in December are encouraged to do so early before holiday closures.
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.
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.
