As the summer peak season winds down, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles will be making some changes to office hours at several driver’s license offices across the state.
Saturday walk-in service hours at 16 offices, including the Asheville office, which began on May 21, will end at the close of business on Aug. 27.
The Franklin, Sylva, Bryson City, Andrews, and Brevard have also transitioned to closing during lunch hours from 11:15 to 1 p.m. each day. Most WNC DMV locations are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, however, the Bryson City office does not open until 10 a.m. on Tuesdays.
Office hours for all locations can be found on NCDMV’s office locations webpage.
“We have had a very busy summer at DMV offices across our great state,” said NCDMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. “Our staff continues to do its best to meet the needs of customers across our in the face of a severe labor shortage.”
Customers can visit MyNCDMV.gov any time day or night for services including driver license and ID renewals, to order license or ID card duplicates, to change address (within NC), renew vehicle registration & pay property taxes, order custom plates, and to complete a voter registration application.
“We continue encourage customers to skip the trip to the DMV and do their business online, if at all possible,” Commissioner Goodwin said. “If you must come into a driver license office for service, please make an appointment well in advance. And finally, make sure you bring all the needed documentation with you on appointment day.”
Commissioner Goodwin visited DMV offices in WNC earlier this year after being appointed to his new position. Despite his efforts to increase staffing and address backlog at WNC offices due to dozens of customer complaints, residents continue to struggle with access to DMV services. On any given day, a line can be seen outside of the Franklin DMV office with customers bringing their own lawn chairs to wait comfortably for the hours it takes to be seen.
Following the end of the COVID-19 State of Emergency on Aug. 15, road test waivers will be discontinued on Sept. 14.
The lone remaining modification to DMV processes because of COVID-19, most recently extended under House Bill 650, is the temporary reduction in the amount of time a teen driver must hold a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit.
Following the adoption of the Graduated Driver Licensing system in 1997, and until May 2021, a 16- or 17-year-old had to have their Level 1 permit for 12 months before they could advance to Level 2. That timeframe has been temporarily shortened to 6 months and will sunset at the end of the year.
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