By Catharin Shepard • Editor • North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed into law this week a bill intended to ease the congestion at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices across the state.

Senate Bill 245 changed the state’s policy to allow drivers to renew their driver’s licenses online twice in a row as long as the license is not a REAL ID. Previously, the law required that drivers who renewed their licenses online one time would have to come in person to a DMV office to renew their license the next time it was due.

DMV offices across North Carolina have struggled with staffing and demand for appointments. Hoke County’s DMV was closed down for months in 2024 into early 2025, due to staffing issues. Long lines and wait times have caused trouble for youth getting their first permit, as well as drivers trying to renew their license.

People with the REAL ID are still required to get a new photo every 16 years.

Additionally, the bill removed one of the requirements for youth under 18 years old who are working toward getting their provisional license. Typically, teenagers have to make three trips to the DMV during the process. Now, they will only have to make two trips: the first to receive a learner’s permit, and then again for the provisional license, according to the bill. The bill removed the third trip, which was to present a log of hours that the teen has spent driving.

The NC Legislature website provided the following clarification of the bill’s changes:

•Allow remote renewal of a driver’s license if the license holder’s last transaction was in person and included a new photograph, even if the renewal prior to the in-person transaction was done remotely. The intervening in-person transaction with photograph would be considered the equivalent of an in-person renewal for purposes of meeting federal REAL ID requirements.

•Allow a second consecutive remote renewal of a driver’s license if the license being renewed is not a REAL ID or if it is a REAL ID but is being converted to a non-REAL ID license in order to renew. (Section 3 would repeal a provision enacted earlier this year to allow this for active-duty military members since this would incorporate the same language and broaden its application.)

•Eliminate the requirement that a Level 2 limited provisional license holder submit a driving log in order to apply for a Level 3 full provisional license and allow remote issuance of the Level 3 full provisional license.

SB 245 was originally filed in the state Senate in March of this year. It passed votes in both the state Senate and the state House of Representatives before going to the governor’s desk for his signature.

“This law will enable more people to renew their driver’s license online, helping them avoid lines at DMV offices. It will also strengthen the state’s ability to protect against cyber threats,” Stein said this week in a statement.

The bill was titled “An act to authorize additional remote renewals of drivers licenses, to eliminate the driving log requirement and authorize remote issuance for full provisional licenses, to make a technical correction related to possession of embalming fluid, and to make various appropriations.”

State Sen. Buck Newton, Sen. Michael Lazzara and Sen. Bob Brinson were the primary sponsors for the bill. Hoke’s state Sen. Danny Britt additionally signed on as a sponsor.