Tulare DMV Office to Close for Two Weeks for Renovations

Sacramento-The Tulare office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be temporarily closed for two weeks starting Monday, May 16 for renovations to improve access for disabled customers, modernize the public facilities, paint the interior, install new flooring and much more. The easiest way to accommodate this work is to close the facility for a brief time. The office will reopen for business on Tuesday, May 31, 2005.

DMV officials say the 16-year old office has never had any sort of major repairs since it opened in 1989. The facility is located at 274 East Cross Avenue in Tulare.

The Tulare facility is one of several offices slated for maintenance, repairs and/or renovation work during 2005. DMV usually closes about a dozen offices each year for varying lengths of time to make infrastructure repairs or for equipment installation.

The Tulare office employs 9 full-time and 2 part-time employees who handle more than 86,000 transactions each year. During the brief renovation project, technicians will be loaned to nearby DMV offices to help handle customers diverted because of the renovation project.

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 projects such as this one. The offices where Tulare DMV customers will be steered are:

Visalia, 1711 East Main Street, 13 miles away;

Hanford, 701 West Hanford, 20 miles away; and

Porterville, 329 East Olive, 26 miles away.

In a continuing effort to shorten lines and wait times, the DMV wants customers to understand there are a number of service 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 driver license and vehicle registration renewals. All that’s needed is DMV paperwork that is sent in the mail several weeks in advance of payment deadlines, personal identification information and a credit card. (Note: The $4 “convenience” fee charged for credit card usage was discontinued almost a year ago.)

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 using our new voice-activated phone system at 1-800-921-1117 or the Internet. Customers can use the new phone system to renew and pay for their vehicle registrations as well. Both the Internet and interactive phone options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.