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New residents need new licenses, tags

As if moving to a new town isn't enough work, there are things new residents need to accomplish before they can relax and say they are finished.
If you are a university student who can continue to claim your hometown as your permanent address, you don't need to change your driver's license address, register to vote or get a new tag for your car.
Other newcomers do need to deal with these things.
- Your driver's license address needs to be updated within 10 days of your move. You can do this at the Driver's License Examination Office, 1222 Canterbury. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Whenever you change your address or change your name, you need to register to vote before the next election. A signature and legal residency are required to register to vote in Ellis County.
You can register to vote at the Ellis County Clerk's office in the courthouse, 1204 Fort. Other locations you can register to vote are the Hays City Clerk, Ellis City Clerk, Victoria City Clerk, Forsythe Library at Fort Hays State University, Hays Public Library, Ellis Public Library, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Living Independently in Northwest Kansas office, the Department of Health and Environment and the Ellis County Health Department.
- If you have moved from another state, you need to register your car within 90 days. Fax or take your title to the Ellis County Treasurer's office at the courthouse, where they will certify the title. Then the car needs to be inspected at the Kansas Highway Patrol office, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 Alternate and Interstate 70. After the inspection, take the title, the inspection report and proof of insurance to the county treasurer's office, where a new tag and title will be issued.
If you have moved from another Kansas county, you can wait until your curent tag expires before registering the car in Ellis County.
University student who maintain residency elsewhere are not required to change the registration of their vehicles.
- If you own a dog or cat in Hays, or a dog in Victoria or Ellis, your pet needs to be registered. To register your pet, go to the city clerk's office, 1507 Main in Hays, 1005 Fourth in Victoria, or 815 Jefferson in Ellis. Fees vary by city and by whether the animal is neutered.
Besides registering your new address, your car and your pet, and registering yourself so you can vote, there are other things a new resident would want to know.
It is standard procedure in Hays for police to ask drivers to submit to a preliminary breath test if they are involved in an injury accident. A citation is issued to any driver who refuses to take the test, and refusal to take the preliminary test does not stop the officer from conducting an investigation for driving under the influence if the officer suspects alcohol use.
Hays has an expanding Neighborhood Watch program. For information, contact either Tim Dreiling or Brent Lehner at the Hays Police Department, 625-1030.
Fireworks are banned in Hays and Ellis County but legal for use on July 4 only in the cities of Ellis and Victoria if authorities determine weather conditions ensure safety.
Hays restricts water use, and allowing water to run off or drain from private property onto public property, such as sidewalks and streets, is prohibited.
Hays has a noise ordinance prohibiting electronically amplified sound audible 25 feet away from the source. It also prohibits sound created by repair or adjustment of motor vehicles, non-licensed or non-vehicular gasoline engines and electric tools and loud and continuing activities that create sound audible 25 feet away between the hours of 10 p.m and 7 a.m.
Ellis County is served by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio transmitter. For $40 and up, residents can buy a weather radio at retail outlets and program it to pick up weather reports and severe weather alerts for Ellis County.
Subscribers of Eagle Cable in Hays, Ellis and Russell can rent a Safety Alert Monitor that provides weather radio information through their television cable and emits an alarm, followed by information, when a warning is issued.