Oceanside DMV Office to Close for Repairs for Six Weeks in Mid-July

Sacramento-The Oceanside office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be temporarily closed for six weeks at the end of business on Thursday, July 15, 2004, for an extensive asbestos removal project, communications systems cabling, and for the installation of modular furniture to make the office run more efficiently when it's reopened for business on Monday, August 30, 2004.

DMV officials say the 23-year old office has never had any sort of renovation or major repairs since it opened in 1981. The office is located at 4005 Plaza Drive in Oceanside.

The Oceanside 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 Oceanside project were allocated two years ago.

The Oceanside office employs 36 full-time and 10 part-time employees who handle about 321,000 transactions each year. During the brief renovation project, 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 Oceanside DMV customers will be steered are:

Escondido; 725 North Escondido Blvd.; 14 miles away

Poway; 13301 Poway Road; 27 miles away

Temecula; 27851 Diaz Road; 30 miles away

San Clemente; 2727 Via Cascadita; 30 miles away

San Diego-Clairemont;4375 Derrick Drive; 33 miles away

In a continuing effort to shorten lines and wait times, the DMV wants customers to understand 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 means 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 verification and a credit card. (Note: A $4 convenience fee is charged for credit card service at this time.) The DMV Website may be accessed at www.dmv.ca.gov. Personalized license plates, boat registration, scheduling for DMV appointments, refund requests, and checking on driving school licensing can 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.