Need to renew a driver’s license? Clay County’s mobile driver’s license office has been suspended indefinitely, along with all North Carolina mobile driver’s license offices. Clay County residents who need a license will need to choose another option.
North Carolina Department of Transportation Communications spokesperson Steve Abbott explained. “Due to COVID-19, all mobile stops were canceled in March and they remain that way until further notice for the safety of our customers and staff,” Abbott said. “We also closed more than half of the license offices for health safety and staffing reasons. Many of the license offices still closed are the smaller locations that could not provide recommended distance parameters. We also had a lot of staff impacts from the virus, so there was no one available to staff many offices. In recent weeks, we started to re-open a number of them and we expect more in the coming weeks.”
Abbott did not have a timetable for when any of the offices would open, but he said DOT recommends customers visit DOT online to renew a license or to order a duplicate license.
“For some services, a license office is required,” Abbott added. “Offices open in your area are Andrews, Clyde and Asheville. To help alleviate lines and improve health safety situations, we also went to all appointments for license offices in March. It eliminates the probability of long lines at an office with people standing too close together.”
For information about making an appointment, visit: www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/driver-license-appointments. Those who do not have access to the internet may call (919) 715-7000 to make an office appointment. Abbott said anyone calling there will need to be patient. “That is the DMV call center, but as you can imagine these days it gets lots of calls, so it may take a few tries to get through,” he said. “There have been times in recent weeks that thousands of calls were coming in.”
Some good news is many drivers can wait to renew, even if their license indicates an upcoming expiration date. In early May, Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill which included a provision for a five-month extension on the expiration dates of about two dozen driver’s license and DMV credentials occurring on or after March 1 and prior to Saturday, Aug. 1.
This includes:
• Driver’s license.
• Learner’s permit and limited learner’s permits.
• Both limited and full provisional licenses.
• Commercial driver license and commercial learner's permit.
• Temporary driving certificate.
• Special identification card.
• Handicapped placard.
• Vehicle registration and temporary vehicle registration.
• Dealer license plate.
• Transporter plate.
• Loaner/Dealer plate.
• Vehicle inspection authorization, inspection station license and inspection mechanic license.
Several others are also listed in a DOT press release: www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases. In addition, the DMV may also waive penalties for late registration renewals during the extension period. Anyone who paid a renewal late fee in March or April will be reimbursed.
Abbott continued, “The limited number of local offices was one of the main reasons why many license and registration categories got a five-month extension. That expiration deadline extension helped alleviate a lot of concern for our customers. It gives concerned customers more time to wait and see if the health environment for going to an office has improved and it also gave us more time to get more offices open.”
Are you a new driver? Last week, Cooper signed House Bill 158: Covid-19 New Driver Response which allows the Division of Motor Vehicles to waive the requirement for drivers to pass a road test to get a Level 2 limited provisional license. Applicants must meet all other requirements to obtain the license. This subsection of the general statute will expire when the Division of Motor Vehicles resumes giving road tests for Level 2 limited provisional license applicants.
Driver’s education students enrolled in public school or licensed driver training school driver education between January and March 16 are considered to have completed all classroom instruction requirements for driver education, as long as the student completed 15 or more hours of classroom instruction prior to March 16. Any student who did not complete 15 hours of classroom instruction may be offered the opportunity to take and pass the Department of Public Instruction proficiency exam, to waive the required classroom instruction. Students enrolled in driver education in the 2020 spring semester are required to complete a minimum of six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction before being issued a North Carolina Driver