Motor vehicle business on hold for technology upgrades May 1-8

Archive for Thursday, April 19, 2012

April 19, 2012

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., Treasurer's Office will be closed to vehicle business May 1-8 while the state converts to a new system for titling and registering vehicles. The offices will be open for all other business.

The Kansas Department of Revenue is putting into place a new DMV system that replaces three aging mainframe systems used for driver licensing, motor vehicle titling and registration, and inventory management with a single, modern system that is easier to use, maintain and enhance.

The change will take place in two phases. Phase one involves launching the part of the system that affects vehicles. Phase two, which involves driver licensing and other state-issued identification cards and permits, will occur later, possibly as early as August.

Customers who need to renew a vehicle registration need to be aware that web-based applications that interact with the vehicle titling and registration system will also be offline during conversion.

Kansas Web-Tags will shut down at midnight April 26 and will not be back online until May 7. The website already warns customers that online renewals must be made at least 10 days prior to a registration's expiration date, the last day of the month, for the customer to be guaranteed a timely renewal.

Vehicle owners whose registrations expire in April, and who want to renew online, need to do so by midnight April 26. Otherwise, they are encouraged to renew in person at the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City Kansas Treasurer's Office to be sure their renewal is processed by end of day April 30.

Registration renewals due in May, which are printed to be compatible with the new system, will be mailed later than usual. Typically, registration renewals are mailed within the first two weeks of the month prior to their expiration. This cycle, May renewals will mail the fourth week of April. May registrations can't be renewed online until after May 7 or in person between May 1 and 8.