NORTH CAROLINA — With a new bill signed into law, people looking to renew their driver’s license now can skip a trip to the DMV more than previously allowed.
READ MORE: Report shows Cape Fear DMV offices among most understaffed in state
Currently, North Carolina mandates motorists renew their license in person every 16 years at a Department of Motor Vehicles agency. It’s now expanded to every 24 years — basically allowing renewal online twice consecutively — with the passage of Senate Bill 245. People with a REAL ID must still go in person every 16 years, unless it’s someone with a current REAL ID license who had an in-person photo taken since their last renewal, then he or she could go for a second consecutive remote renewal.
Gov. Josh Stein signed the bill into law Tuesday. He noted in his veto message, the goal is to propel more people to utilize the online option and avoid DMV office lines.
“It will also strengthen the state’s ability to protect against cyber threats,” he said.
Aside from three excused absences of lawmakers, Senate Bill 245 passed unanimously in a bipartisan effort and it swept the House in a 109-7 vote. The lawmakers have estimated it could help conserve around 300,000 trips to the DMV annually.
DMVs across the state have been experiencing crowded agencies in recent years, with hard-to-access appointments that book up quickly everyday for three months out at a time. Adding to the problem has been attracting and retaining staff.
A recent report released by State Auditor Dave Boliek — conducted by economists at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro — found DMVs in the Cape Fear region were ranked among some of the worst in the state. For instance, the Shallotte office in Brunswick County is the second to last, with only two examiners working to service around 95,000 people in the area.
The Burgaw offices were found to have the second-longest wait times, moving from less than an hour of a wait in 2019 to more than two hours in recent months.
The DMV has said the state’s population escalation of about 2.5 million in the last 20 years has added to the strain, with workers experiencing burnout and making below $50,000. This has led to a decrease in staff in the last decade.
The General Assembly passed a stopgap budget to hire 40 more examiners next fiscal year and an additional 21 the following fiscal year to the tune of $4.2 million in recurring funding.
To help with long waits, lawmakers also passed in July an extension on when drivers must renew their expired licenses. It affects licenses issued between July 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2027, but doesn’t apply to suspended, revoked, or canceled licenses or a REAL ID that has been valid for eight or more years. Though, it doesn’t necessarily mean an expired identification will be accepted for other needs, such as traveling, renting a car or purchasing alcohol.
S.B. 245 also removes stipulations for teen drivers. Teenagers with a limited provisional license — typically 16- and 17-year-olds who can’t drive past 9 p.m. — were once required to turn over driving logs showing 12 hours of time to apply for a full provisional license. The log has been removed and remote approval is allowed for the provisional driver now rather than having to physically go into the DMV. To get a limited license, teenagers still have to log 60 driving hours.
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