Fact Sheet: Governor Stein and NCDMV Work to Improve the DMV Experience

The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) is making steady progress to improve the DMV experience statewide so North Carolinians can get in, get out, and get on with their day.  

NCDMV is taking action. 

• Laid out the vision and path to transformation: NCDMV released its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, which is NCDMV’s roadmap to becoming an exceptional customer-service organization. 

• Changed the law to let customers skip visits to the office: The General Assembly passed and Governor Stein signed into law Senate Bill 245, which allows more than 400,000 North Carolinians annually to complete transactions online rather than having to visit a DMV office. 

• Put more staff on the job: The General Assembly passed and Governor Stein signed into law House Bill 125 in August 2025 and the 2026 Budget in July 2026, which each appropriated funding to the DMV for driver license examiner positions. This funding led to the creation of 64 additional examiner positions in August 2025, all of which were filled within a month, and the addition of another 58 positions in July 2026. NCDMV released a staffing plan that guides where staff and equipment are placed to bring service closer to where people live and put more district managers in the field to give staff the mentoring and support they need. 

• Gave customers the tools to show up to DMV office prepared: The NCDMV website has been refreshed to guide people to online transactions, offer quizzes to make sure people have the right documents, and share live wait times. NCDMV has also launched a document upload tool so customers don’t need to print insurance documents and proof-of-address materials they already have on their phones. 

• Improved in-office processes: The division upgraded every document scanner, removed an extra signature from the process, and cut down countless driver license examiner clicks that will save time during each customer’s visit. 

• Opened new offices: NCDMV opened new offices in Garland in December, in Leland in March, and on Fort Bragg in June with funding from House Bill 125. In addition, existing offices, like Charlotte East, are being relocated to serve local customers more effectively.  

• Made the wait more comfortable: A new sign-in system has been launched to share live wait times so that customers can better plan their visits. Customers can now also provide their phone number for alerts and leave the office while they wait, similar to getting on the waitlist for a restaurant. 

• Brought a new approach to contracting: The division entered into the state’s first outcomes-based IT contract to replace five legacy COBOL-based systems. The $84.8 million modernization contract ties payments to milestones and outcomes. 

NCDMV is seeing results.  

• Wait times are down: As of August 2026, the average DMV wait time is down to 23 minutes – an 86% decrease from a year prior. This means that many of the more than 2 million North Carolinians who have been to the DMV in the past year have gotten time back in their day. 

• Online transactions are up: Since October 2025, more than 380,000 people have completed new online transactions that they previously would have needed to do in person. That number represents 30% more transactions being completed online. 

• More teen drivers are getting extended privileges: Through August, about 45% more teen drivers are getting their “After 9” full provisional licenses – a privilege to drive after 9 p.m. that teens were skipping due to long waits. 

• Transaction times are speeding up: Follow-up time studies have shown that new scanners are saving 75 seconds per transaction. 

• Customers can find appointments sooner: About 4,100 appointments are available each day to be booked seven days out – allowing people to find ways to be served sooner than the previous waits of up to 90 days or more. On a daily basis, 1,000 more appointments are available than last year. 

NCDMV is looking forward.  

• Modernizing your credential: NCDMV is working with law enforcement and local businesses to develop a digital wallet, with mobile driver licenses becoming available for residents in early 2027. 

• Continuing to improve staffing: The 2026 Appropriations Act and House Bill 125 authorized an additional 68 new driver license examiner positions from July 2026 to July 2027, and recruiting is underway. 

• Modernizing the technology behind DMV services: NCDMV has started development on NCMAX – a cloud-based system that should be ready to replace the state’s outdated driver license system within two years. 

• Improving physical office locations: Since November 2025, NCDMV has opened 4 new driver license office locations. In the coming months, offices are on track to be opened in Fuquay-Varina, Cabarrus County, Wake Forest, and Tabor City and on Camp Lejeune. 

*This page was last updated on September 23, 2026