North Carolina DMV offices face ongoing scrutiny from state legislators amid customer complaints and long lines that extend out of the building and down the sidewalk.

Video footage from Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake, shows over 30 people waiting in line down a sidewalk at the DMV office in Fuquay-Varina on the south side of Raleigh. As seen in the video, multiple people anticipated a lengthy wait and came prepared with folding chairs. Paré shared the video to social media over the weekend with a letter requesting DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin join her and other elected leaders for a site visit.

While Paré is not on the Transporation or Oversight Committees, she says this is something affecting the area she represents and so she’s trying to contribute to providing solutions. Representing southern Wake County, Paré said her constituents are driving long distances to find alternative DMV locations due to long wait times and the inability to schedule appointments online within a reasonable timeframe.

“Long wait times and inefficiency problems have created an enormous amount of frustration for my constituents,” the letter reads. “I had the opportunity to make an unannounced visit to the Fuquay-Varina DMV weeks ago, and it was clear that this location has an inadequate number of staff, despite a rapidly growing southern Wake population, and a workload that is increasingly becoming more uniquely complex.”

Marty Homan, a spokesperson at the NC Department of Transporation, told the Carolina Journal that Commissioner Goodwin plans to visit the Fuquay-Varina Driver License Office later this week with Paré. He anticipates the visit will underscore that the DMV needs more employees, particularly in Wake and Mecklenburg counties, to reflect the explosive growth in the state over the last 25 years.

According to NC DOT, the Fuquay-Varina office employs four full-time permanent employees with no vacancies, while Cary has nine full-time positions that are all filled. The North Carolina job opportunities webpage currently shows 21 permanent full-time positions related to the DMV.

Homan noted that North Carolina has grown by about 3 million new residents, but the number of staff and offices, particularly in metro areas, has not kept up with population growth. The Division holds about a 10% vacancy rate statewide, one of the lowest in state government. Permanent positions are easier to fill because of increased salaries and hiring and retention bonuses allocated by the General Assembly. However, temporary positions are more difficult to fill, with a vacancy rate of around 80%, because they often do the same job for less pay and without benefits.

Two of the three temp positions in Fuquay-Varina are vacant, while all four are vacant in Cary. To meet the demand, the Division has proposed converting many of the unfillable temp positions into permanent, full-time roles. The DMV asked for 40 additional full-time permanent positions this year in the expansion budget but did not receive any.

“People that live here have to drive a few hours away to go get an appointment somewhere else. So why are there openings in other places, and there’s not here? So to me, it needs to be a little bit more even,” Paré explained. “Maybe the funded position should be weighted more heavily to where the demand is. But that’s all speculation on my part. I’m just trying to gather information to make sure we solve the problem.”

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The most recent reviews online complain of waiting over five hours and being turned away due to closing. Efforts have been made to address ongoing concerns, including Saturday openings during the summer and appointment scheduling online. However, most offices across the state currently show as unavailable for an appointment booking. The few locations that are accepting appointments around urban areas are booking customers into late October.