NC lawmakers approve bill to reduce number of required visits to the DMV
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Senate Bill 245 enables two online license renewals for non-REAL ID holders.
- The bill removes a DMV visit and 12-hour log requirement for teen drivers.
- Legislation aims to help people avoid long lines and wait times at DMV offices.
Lawmakers have sent a bill to Gov. Josh Stein that aims to reduce the number of visits people must make to a Division of Motor Vehicles driver’s license office.
Senate Bill 245 would allow residents to renew a driver’s license or state identification card two consecutive times online, as long as their credential is not a REAL ID.
Under current law, someone with a standard driver’s license must renew in person at a DMV office at least every 16 years. The new law would extend that to 24 years for people without a REAL ID. People with REAL IDs are still required by federal law to get a new photo every 16 years, which requires a trip to the office.
Under the bill, people who renewed their license online, then came into an office to get a REAL ID before that license expired, would be able to renew online.
The bill would also eliminate one of three visits that teens must make to the DMV to obtain their provisional license. State law now requires teens under 18 going through the graduated licensing process to first visit the DMV to receive a learner’s permit, then twice more for limited and full provisional licenses.
The bill eliminates the last visit, which is primarily to present a log showing the teen has completed 12 hours of driving under various circumstances. The bill would also eliminate the need to complete the 12-hour log.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill Monday evening, nearly two months after it passed the House with overwhelming support. Bill supporters said it could save residents an estimated 300,000 trips to the DMV each year.
The governor’s office issued a statement late Tuesday praising the bill.
“The governor is committed to improving DMV services for people across North Carolina and thanks the legislature for this partnership,” the statement said. “The bill will expand remote driver’s license services, helping people more easily take care of their business with the DMV.”
The bill is one of several steps the state is making to try to reduce the long lines and wait times at driver’s license offices. Statewide this summer, the DMV found customers waited to be served an average of 2 hours and 45 minutes once they checked in. At 29 offices, people waited more than three hours on average, and in Cary the average wait topped five hours.
Earlier this summer, the General Assembly allowed the DMV to hire 40 new license examiners for existing offices this year and 24 more for new offices in Brunswick, Cabarrus, Sampson and Wake counties. The agency will be able to add another 21 examiners to its existing offices next year, providing one for each computer terminal.
The staffing increases are the first authorized for the DMV in more than 20 years, even as the state’s population grew by more than 2.5 million people. The DMV says it filled the first 64 new positions within a month.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 10:13 AM with the headline "NC lawmakers approve bill to reduce number of required visits to the DMV."
