Pennington County Treasurer Janet Sayler said the treasurer's office will close for motor vehicle business Monday, June 30, to convert all records to a new state license plate system.

"What that means is, vehicle owners won't be able to title or register their vehicles on that day," Sayler said in a news release. "If they wait until the last day of the month, they will be without tags."

"I wouldn't even wait until the last week in June, because there will be so many people in to get their plates for the Fourth of July holiday," Sayler said.

People with last names beginning with K or L must register their vehicles by the end of June.

Sayler also suggested that people who must register their vehicles by the end of July (those with last names beginning with M and N) avoid coming in the first week of that month. They should either come in before June 29 or wait until after July 7 to title or register their vehicles, she said.

People needing to license their boats for the July 4 weekend must think ahead and register them before June 28, Sayler said.

On July 1, South Dakota will change from a system in which the license plate stays with the vehicle when it is sold to a system in which the plate stays with the owner.

Under the new system, if a vehicle is sold, the seller keeps the plates for use on the next vehicle he or she acquires as long as it is the same type of vehicle and the plates are not expired. People who buy a vehicle and don't sell or trade their old vehicle will get new plates.

To process transactions under the new system, county treasurers will be using a new computer system called Sdcars or South Dakota Customized Automated Registration System.

For more information on the new program, "Keep Your Plate-July '08" and the Sdcars system, go to Sdcars.org or call the treasurer's office at 394-2163.