The Pike County Probate Office has added a new option for renewing car tags for 2014.

In 2014, Pike County citizens can renew their car tags through an online option at www.pikeprobate.com. Pike County Probate Judge Wes Allen said his team at the Probate Office is excited about the new option and wants to get the word out to the public. “We kicked off the online renewal option in October, but we didn’t publicize it very much,” Allen said. “You could call it a soft opening. We’re winding down the year as far as tag renewals go because in December there are no renewals. We’re making a push in the upcoming year to publicize the online option. We wanted to give the people another option for how they renewed their car tags. We feel like the online option is another great option for people.”

Though Judge Allen said the Probate Office is pushing the new online option, customers who prefer any of the old methods of renewing their car tags still have those options available to them. “We still have the three old options to renew the car tag,” Allen said. “The first option is to come down to the courthouse and renew your tag at our office. The second option is to renew at our satellite office in Brundidge. That office is open on the third Tuesday of every month except December. And the third option is to renew the tag through mail. The customer mails in his or her information, and we process the payment and send a renewal sticker.”

The online renewal option works in the same was as the mail-in option. “Renewing online is the fourth option,” Allen said. “It’s a new way we’re conducting business. It works just like the mail-in option. When it is time to renew, the office sends out a card in the mail that has an individualized pin number. When you go to the website and choose to renew online, you will be prompted to enter your information. Once you get to the transaction screen, you will have to enter your pin number. From there, we process the payment and mail the 2015 renewal sticker a few days after that.”

While some customers may be concerned that their renewal sticker may become lost in the mail, Allen said that has never been a problem. “It normally takes anywhere from three to five days for the renewal sticker to arrive after the payment has been posted,” Allen said. “We have never had anybody who has called and said they failed to receive their renewal sticker in the mail.”

Allen said the new online renewal program is just a part of the process his office is undertaking to make government work better for the people. “We want to make government work,” Allen said. “Our goal is to make it easy on people. If you want to come down to renew your tag, come down to the courthouse. We have a great staff of ladies working down here who would be happy to take care of you. They do a great job with customers. If you want to renew online or by mail because that is more convenient for you and saves time, then do that. It is our hope that this on-line tag renewal option will make it easier for the taxpayers to conduct business with their probate office.”

The online renewal option is available through www.pikeprobate.com. Judge Wes Allen invites everyone to follow him on Facebook and Twitter @JudgeWesAllen for the latest news from the Probate Office.