Vallejo DMV Office to Close for Repairs at End of June

Sacramento-The Vallejo field office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be temporarily shuttered for three weeks after the close of business on Thursday, June 24, 2004, for extensive flooring repairs and for the installation of modular furniture to make the office run more efficiently. The office will re-open for business on Monday, July 19, 2004.

DMV officials say the 21-year old office has never had any sort of renovation or major repairs since it opened in 1983. The office is located at 200 Couch Street in Vallejo.

The Vallejo office is one of several offices slated for maintenance and renovation work before the end of 2004. DMV usually closes about a dozen offices each year for varying lengths of time to make infrastructure repairs or for equipment installation. Funds for the Vallejo project were budgeted by DMV in the 2002/2003 fiscal year.

The Vallejo Field Office employs 19 fulltime and 5 part-time employees who handle about 132,000 transactions each year. During the brief renovation project, Vallejo technicians will be loaned to nearby DMV offices to help handle customers diverted because of the repair work.

DMV officials say they carefully monitor the workload of surrounding offices on a day-by-day basis and move technicians to where they are most needed when an office is closed because of renovation projects such as this one.

The offices where Vallejo DMV customers will be steered are:

Napa; 2550 Napa Valley-Corporate Drive; 10 miles away

Fairfield; 445 Pacific Avenue; 17 miles away

Vacaville; 621 Orange Drive; 27 miles away

El Cerrito; 6400 Manila Avenue; 17 miles away

Concord; 2070 Diamond Boulevard; 16 miles away

In a continuing effort to shorten lines and wait times, the DMV wants customers to understand that there are a number of options currently available to them, which if properly utilized, can dramatically reduce the number of transactions handled in any field office on a face to face basis. That, in turn, results in shorter lines and wait-times. For example, most routine services the DMV provides can be done by mail. Instructions for mailing license or registration renewals are included with the notifications sent out by the Department. Customers can use checks or money orders to renew by mail.

The Internet is also useful for handling many transactions, including vehicle registration renewals. All that's needed is insurance information and a credit card. The DMV Internet Website may be accessed at www.dmv.ca.gov. Personalized license plates, boat registration, scheduling for DMV appointments, refund requests, and even checking on driver school licensing may also be handled electronically.

But if a face-to-face transaction is necessary, appointments are always encouraged---either by phone at 800-777-0133 or, again, over the Internet. Both options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.