By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
The grace period for expired drivers licenses and motor vehicle registrations, issued due to the coronavirus pandemic, is coming to an end, Gov. Andy Beshear announced.
A previously issued official order temporarily granted a 90-day extension for select driver and motor vehicle documentation which expired while local and state government issuance offices were closed due to COVID-19.
Beginning Monday, Kentucky driver’s licenses, permits and IDs that expire on or after that date will no longer receive a 90-day renewal date extension and cardholders will be responsible for renewing their credential with their local circuit court clerk office in order for it to be considered valid.
Cards with an expiration date between March 18 and July 6, 2020 are still under the March emergency order that automatically provides a 90-day extension to the card’s printed expiration date.
Through September 30, anyone whose operator’s license, permit or identification card has expired, will expire, was lost or stolen, may continue to apply through a remote application process with the circuit court clerk in his or her county of residence, based on each clerk’s preferred method, such as mail-in form or drop-off form.
The applicant must not require any testing when requesting a card renewal or replacement.
The grace period for all vehicle and vessel registrations or disabled parking placards administered by county clerks or the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will continue with no penalties charged through close of business on October 6. If a vehicle or vessel owner with expired registration does not renew by this date, they will be subject to late fees.
As a reminder, Kentuckians may renew registrations for vehicles, trailers and campers online at drive.ky.gov or by mail. Boats may be renewed in-person at county clerk offices or through the mail. Disabled parking placards must be renewed in-person.
County clerk offices serve as the application and issuance site for motor vehicle services. Kentuckians are encouraged to contact their local county clerk to learn when each office will resume in-person service.
For REAL ID documents, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has Regional Driver Licensing Offices open in Frankfort, Morehead, Madisonville and Lexington, to offer select in-person services for residents of any Kentucky county. Applicants may visit realidky.com to learn more about the services offered to schedule an appointment online.
Walk-ins are welcome during office hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The four Regional Driver Licensing Offices are the only locations that offer REAL ID-compliant licenses, permits and ID cards.
