Facing continued long wait times, NC ‘mini budget’ adds dozens of new DMV examiner positions

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The mini budget that’s now passed through the North Carolina House and Senate includes funding aimed to cut into wait times and other persistent challenges drivers are facing at the Division of Motor Vehicles.

“It’s just not acceptable for somebody to have to spend their entire day off going to a DMV,” said House Speaker Destin Hall.

The legislation includes funding to add dozens of new full-time driver license examiner positions — 40 over the course of 2025-26 fiscal year and an additional 21 next fiscal year.

“Certainly, it’s getting us towards getting a handle on it,” Hall explained.

A spokesperson for the DMV says the 61 positions included in this legislation are in line with what the agency requested, citing more empty workstations than full-time staff.

Challenges like these are a focal point in the State Auditor’s preliminary audit into the embattled agency, where he stressed the need to add new examiner positions to meet demand and reduce wait times.

“This is a problem that we can solve. There’s a lot of things we disagree on, but I don’t think we disagree on this,” Wake County Democratic Rep. Abe Jones said during Wednesday’s House proceedings.

The preliminary audit released in June also highlighted a staggering number of vacancies for temporary examiner positions, jobs the Auditor says are harder to fill. The report said 97 of the 142, or 68%, of the temporary positions were vacant when the report was published.

With those challenges, the State Auditor emphasized the importance of being able to convert temporary positions to more permanent roles.

Mini budget funding also includes funds to add four new DMV locations across the state, including another in the Triangle. New locations will be in Brunswick, Cabarrus, Sampson and Wake counties, with a new office in the Town of Fuquay-Varina.

After passing the mini budget, the House also voted on legislation to streamline the license renewal process.

Senate Bill 245 expands eligibility for remote renewals and gets rid of the log requirement for teens trying to get a provisional license.

“I do like the fact that we’re allowing technology to grow with DMV,” said Rep. Zack Hawkins from Durham.

Under this legislation, lawmakers say drivers who get their picture taken to get a REAL ID will get a new eight-year window before expiration. Non-REAL ID licenses would also be eligible to be renewed online consecutively.

“Those two things alone may prevent as many as 250,000 people going to our local DMV’s,” said Rep. A. Reece Pyrtle Jr. from Rockingham County.

The mini budget now heads to Governor Josh Stein’s desk.