North Carolina DMV Faces Staff Crisis as Wait Times Soar

The North Carolina DMV is struggling to handle a growing population with only 568 employees, a number that hasn't grown even as 2.4 million more people have moved to the state since 2003.

In Charlotte, people wait in lines that wind through buildings, sometimes with up to 70 customers waiting. Locals now wait months just to get appointments, with big cities like Charlotte and Raleigh getting hit the worst.

"The lines aren't long — the wait times aren't long — because we don't have awesome employees. It's because we don't have enough employees.," said DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin to Governing in September 2024.

Worker shortages forced two small-town offices to shut down. Since 2003, they've only opened three new driver's license offices, even as millions moved to the state. NCDOT leaders want money for more hiring, but they're stuck waiting for state lawmakers to approve it.

To help cut down wait times, 16 locations are now open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. This temporary fix helped 17,000 people get their paperwork done over the summer.

Starting in early 2025, offices in Raleigh East, Hillsborough, Morehead City, Newton, and Hendersonville began opening at 7 a.m. But workers know these band-aid solutions won't solve the real issue.

New federal rules now require updated photos every 16 years for online renewals, pushing more people to visit already crowded offices in person. A partnership with Arizona will bring cloud-based technology to help North Carolinians set up accounts and do more tasks online, but it'll take about five years to fully implement.

Workers suggest checking for openings after midnight when the system updates. They also recommend trying different locations and keeping an eye out for cancellations. After looking for three months, Linda Probst could only find appointments two counties away. She had to make two separate trips to an office to finally get her license renewed.

Looking forward, the DMV plans to ask lawmakers for more money. They're considering longer weekday hours and more Saturday service to handle the growing crowds.