BRUNSWICK COUNTY — The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles has plans to fast-track a new office opening in Brunswick County. A full-service, license-renewal facility will launch in the first quarter of 2026. It comes as the population surges, yet wait times have escalated and appointments are scarce in other DMVs in the region.
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The new office will be located in a temporary modular building at the existing North Carolina Department of Transportation Belville Bridge Yard, 25 Old River Road in Belville. The modular was purchased for approximately $470,000, contributing to a total estimated non-recurring capital cost of $710,458 for the temporary site.
A brick-and-mortar location is part of the DMV’s future plan. DMV communications director Marty Homan said the modular location could be in operation for a few years while a suitable location for a permanent facility is found.
“Since we’re purchasing it, we can move it to another place later once we identify a more long-term site in the Leland area,” he stated.
Homan added the DMV is primarily focused on getting the new location operational before investigating acquiring land for a stand-alone office.
The location was strategically chosen to serve an increased number of residents particularly in the adjacent town of Leland and northern Brunswick County. Leland is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in North Carolina, expanding from 13,527 residents in 2010 to an estimated 30,542 in 2023.
The Belville office will offer a mix of appointments and walk-ins. Homan said it will lead to increased service coverage, shorter lines and wait times for customers, which the DMV has been struggling with for the last several years.
Brunswick County is one of four areas identified by DMV Commissioner Paul Tine and the North Carolina General Assembly as needing more DMV license renewal locations (not to be confused with license plate agencies, which are privately owned and operated under the NCDMV).
Currently, there is only one license office in Brunswick County, located in Shallotte. The state auditor’s review, released this year, found it has a service area of about 95,000 people, but only two examiners working there. This makes it the second-worst staffed office in the state.
According to Homan, the Belville office is budgeted for six examiners and one senior examiner and will operate with nine service terminals.
“We know there’s a need there, we needed some legislative action to give us the additional employees and funding to open a new office,” he said. “Now that we have that, we’ll be able to provide that additional service.”
Funding for the new offices — also including Fuquay-Varina, the town of Garland in Sampson County, and Cabarrus County — was mandated by the mini-budget House Bill 125, which was passed in August 2025. The legislature failed to agree on a two-year state budget this year, requiring lawmakers to pass H.B. 125 to fund critical public service needs, including new DMV sites.
The DMV has been under scrutiny for several years as residents have faced average wait times of 1 hour and 15 minutes statewide. Average walk-in wait times from the past 28 days are about 3 hours for the Shallotte center.
Residents often look to renew their licenses elsewhere; however, the wait times are long in nearby offices, too — just over an hour for both Wilmington’s North and South locations. Despite the option to book appointments ahead of time, spots are extremely difficult to obtain, often filling instantaneously after new slots are released, forcing the majority of customers to rely on walk-in service.
The auditor’s report from August found the South Wilmington office, on Carolina Beach Road, ranks 11th in staffing, with six examiners for a 217,000 service population, equating to more than 36,000 people per examiner. It comes in ranked 54th for wait times, averaging 66 minutes.
The North Wilmington office, on 1 Station Road, fared better, with only 17,458 people per examiner. It ranks 63rd in the state for staffing. Average wait times are 1 hour and 10 minutes, ranking it 44th.
The Burgaw office has about 24,771 people per examiner in its service area. It falls as 32nd in the state for staffing according to the audit and sixth for wait times at an hour-and-a half average.
The DMV’s five-year goal is to reduce the statewide average walk-in wait time to just 15 minutes. So far, the agency has filled 64 newly created examiner positions across the state and implemented a text-notification check-in system so customers don’t have to wait for hours at the office. Of the six staffers for the new Brunswick location, one is currently working at Wilmington North, three from Wilmington South, one from Shallotte, and another from Whiteville. Both Wilmington offices are fully staffed while Shallotte has one vacancy.
Other actions also have been taken, in hopes of alleviating services needed at a physical DMV. For instance, Senate Bill 391 created a moratorium on Class C license expirations, allowing licenses to remain valid for in-state driving for up to two years beyond the printed date. Other legislative action includes Senate Bill 245, which expanded online renewals to allow eligible drivers a second consecutive remote renewal and eliminated the driving log requirement for teens seeking a provisional license.
An official opening date for the new Belville office has not been established, but the plan is to begin providing services by February 2026. Homan said existing utility connections at the NCDOT property, such as the dedicated circuit system, are already in place for the modular unit. Thus, it allows the agency to circumvent any delays with construction and set up new infrastructure, ensuring service can be delivered as soon as possible.
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