As COVID threat recedes, NC DMV warns of ‘highest-ever level of demand’ this summer
Summer is typically the busiest time of year for the NC Division of Motor Vehicles, and that may be especially true this year as the COVID-19 pandemic eases.
The DMV expects demand at its driver's license offices to pick up this summer, as students hoping to obtain licenses before school are joined by those who have stopped obtaining or renewing licenses because of the pandemic.
"Many waited to schedule services in person until it was safe to do so, which could lead to a summer with our highest level of demand," DMV Commissioner Torey Jessup said in a written statement Monday.
The demand comes as the DMV is short of staff, with the agency having a vacancy rate of 17%.
Jessup urged people to do their business online or, if possible, wait until after Labor Day, when demand has traditionally calmed down.
Real Identity Demand
Before the pandemic, long lines were common at DMV offices in the summer, especially in urban areas such as the Triangle. Some of that demand was due to people demanding a license that qualifies as a real ID, a form of identification that would help people gain access to domestic flights instead of a passport.
But this spring, the federal government discontinued new ID requirements, which include real ID, until May 2023, reducing demand for them now.
At the same time, the DMV still requires people to make appointments at most driving license offices in the state, a measure taken during the pandemic to prevent overcrowding. This should avoid people showing and making only one line.
Instead, the challenge of entering the DMV turns to online or over the phone. The DMV makes appointments for their driving license offices up to 45 days in advance. Spokesman Steve Abbott said new appointments become available Thursday through Monday mornings, including weekends, at www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/online/ or by calling 919-715-7000.
"Online is the fastest way to do it," Abbott said, although there's a $3 fee. "If you go through the phone, those people are going into the same system, so you can cut that extra step."
Eight DMV offices begin accepting walk-ins from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, including the North Raleigh office on Spring Forest Road. The others are Greenville, Fayetteville West, Greensboro East, Winston-Salem South, Charlotte North, Monroe and Asheville.
"You probably want to get there early, because there will often be lines," Abbott said.
Teen Drivers Backlog
Eight other offices are open on Saturday mornings, but only to handle road tests for teens seeking a Level 3 provisional license. Abbott said the DMV is working through the backlog of thousands of teen drivers who need to be road tested, and once it's on hold, those offices, including Durham South, will continue to run on Saturday mornings as well. will open again.
As the coronavirus spread through North Carolina in March 2020, the DMV closed more than half of its offices and stopped offering most types of road tests.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper this spring allows the DMV to waive the road test requirement until September. 30 or 30 days after Cooper lifted the state of coronavirus emergency, whichever comes first.
Meanwhile, almost all DMV driver's license offices have reopened. To find one, visit www.ncdot.gov/dmv/offices-services/locate-dmv-office/.