The Daviess County Clerk’s Office announced that most in-person auto renewals and transfers are now working properly following issues with the state’s new database. However, 1-2 hour wait times are still expected for the next several weeks, and the online renewal system was still down as of Sunday.
It was announced in December that County Clerk offices statewide would temporarily pause motor and vessel-related services in early January to accommodate the transition to the new database. State officials said a the time there may be longer wait times when services resumed.
The Daviess County Clerk’s Office Auto Department re-opened on January 11. On January 15, the local office announced the rollout of the new system “came with lots of ‘bugs’ and some significant issues,” saying the team in Frankfort was working around the clock to address those issues.
The Clerk’s Office provided the following update at approximately 11 a.m. on January 21:
After a stressful week for customers and staff alike, we are hopeful to see functionality improvements this week. Most renewals and transfers are working properly (See some exceptions below).
As of this post (Sunday 10:50am) the online renewal system is still down as Frankfort is performing some maintenance to correct issues that were discovered late last week. Hopefully, this will be operational early this week.
Historical vehicle transactions have been unavailable since the inception of the new system. This includes 2023 tax payments, 2024 renewals, and transfers.
We have not been unable to process any Rebuilt title approvals. (Salvage titles that have gone through the rebuilt process and are ready for titling)
Unfortunately, we still expect long lines and longer processing times for several weeks. Be advised the wait could be 1-2 hours. We still may have to close the line at 3:30 p.m. to process those customers already in line. We will only do this when necessary, so far it has been daily.
Reasons for longer processing times per customers:
The new Kavis system is moving to a customer-based program versus the old system where each vehicle had to be looked up and processed individually. This means that we are having to merge your vehicle history into your driver’s license verified account. With that brings some old data, tax segment issues, and improperly coded items that must be cleaned up and usually involves the Property Valuation Office. (PVA staff have been our lifeline). This process must be done for each customer, some are more difficult than others. Once this is done, Kavis will be the efficient system it was intended to be. Until then, the growing pains will be with us.
The Clerk’s Office is currently unable to complete renewals over the phone due to the high volume of in-person traffic. However, residents with January and February renewals can mail those in with their renewal notice, insurance card, and phone number. Renewals should be mailed to P.O. Box 609 Owensboro, KY 42302.
For updates regarding the online renewal system, check drive.ky.gov.
The Clerk’s Office message reads: “Again, thank you for your patience through this transition. Our staff is doing everything in their power to take care of your business.”
