BUCKHANNON – If you’ve got questions about the West Virginia DMV’s new vehicle registration renewal process, the Upshur County Assessor’s Office has answers.

Upshur County Assessor Dustin Zickefoose said his office and the sheriff’s tax office have been fielding questions about a recent change in how vehicle registration renewal reminders are mailed out.

Zickefoose said the new state of West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Registration Renewal reminder will no longer be distributed as it has been in the past. Instead of a full-sized letter containing a DMV registration renewal reminder with tear-off cards attached, Mountain State residents will simply receive a small postcard-sized reminder.

“People used to receive a full-sized letter in the mail with a DMV copy of your registration card – it says renewal on it – and you would take that renewal and your vehicle insurance card and go to the sheriff’s tax office and get your registration renewed for the decal on the back of your plate — all’s well. As long as your taxes are paid, you’ll get it,” he said.

The new reminder is a postcard that states that the vehicle owner’s registration is scheduled to expire within 60 days. Zickefoose said there’s been some confusion for people who own more than one motor vehicle about what renewal notice corresponds to which vehicle.

“Now, on the front of this postcard, it’s got your name and address and four numbers or letters, and it’s the last four digits of your license plate, so if you have multiple cars, that’s how you can determine which vehicle is up for renewal,” Zickefoose said. “We wanted to get the word out because a lot of people have more than one car and they come in and say, ‘What do I do? What needs to be renewed?’”

Zickefoose reassured residents that although the mailing may look different, the procedure for renewing vehicle registrations hasn’t changed.

“All we want to do is let people know that the process is still the same,” he said. “You come in here and get your tax receipt, you get assessed if you haven’t been assessed, you go to the tax office with your insurance card and your current registration, you walk out with a sticker, and you’re good to go.”

Upshur County Sheriff Mike Coffman said the postcard has a QR code that can be scanned and takes you directly to the ‘Registrations’ portion of the DMV’s website. From a laptop or desktop, citizens can renew their registration online under the ‘Online Services’ tab, or if they prefer, they can renew at a regional office or at the Upshur County Sheriff’s Tax Office.

If you plan to renew your vehicle registration at a regional office or the sheriff’s tax office, please bring your current registration card, proof of your personal property tax payment/receipt and proof of your vehicle insurance.

Questions? Call the sheriff’s tax office at 304-472-1180 or the assessor’s office at 304-472-4650.