There are 3 things in life that are certain… Death, taxes, and ridiculously long queues anytime you’re visiting the DMV. Of course, the folks working at the DMV are doing the best they can, but there’s only so much hardworking people can do with an archaic system and a stunning lack of resources. With that in mind, if you’re unfortunate enough to have to drop by your local DMV office anytime soon, what is the best time to go to the DMV?
Well, it’s hard to generalize every single DMV office here – in one short article – but with more than 7,000+ individual DMV locations cataloged in our database, check out our location finder tool to learn more about specific offices, including the best times to visit. Still, I’m going to do my best here to tell you what are the best (and worst) times to visit the DMV, not to mention what you could do to make a visit to the DMV a bit more bearable.
1) What Are The DMV’s Typical Office Hours?
Most DMV offices throughout the United States typically open between 8:00 and 9:00 AM and then close between 4:00 to 5:00 PM. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that these operating hours could vary wildly between states and specific DMV locations. For example, some DMV offices open earlier and close later than these general operating hour guidelines, mainly to help accommodate folks working 9-to-5.
So, be sure to check the specific opening or closing hours of your local DMV office or whichever location you’re planning to visit. You could do this either by calling them, or just Googling the DMV location’s name, and then checking Google Maps for their operating hours. Still, assuming that we’re going by the aforementioned, typical opening and closing hours for most DMVs, these are the respective worst and best times to visit:
Peak Hours To Avoid The DMV
- Opening Hours – The first hour after opening is usually very busy, flooded with folks who need to arrive early before their workday begins.
- Lunch Hours – A lot of people also tend to visit the DMV during their lunch breaks or near it, so make sure you avoid going to the DMV between 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
- Late Afternoon – Similarly, I know a lot of people who want to visit the DMV at the last minute, before they close, so 3:00 PM and later tend to be quite busy.
Best Times To Visit The DMV
- Mid-Morning – Specifically, around 10:00 to 11:00 AM, which is usually less crowded, as all the initial early-morning rush subsides, allowing for shorter wait times.
- Mid-Afternoon – This Goldilocks period between 2:00 to 3:00 PM is when the lunch break folks have dispersed, yet there’s still ample time before the DMV closes.
2) Which Days Of The Week Should You Avoid?
While we’re on the subject of time, I think it’s worth realizing that you also need to take into account specific days that you should avoid, too. If you’re planning to visit the DMV, the best days to go there – in addition to the aforementioned times and hours – are the mid-week days. This includes Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, as they generally tend to be less busy, so that means shorter queues and wait times for you, as well as a more efficient service.
Meanwhile, you really should avoid going to the DMVs on Mondays and Fridays, and here are some reasons why:
- Mondays – This is normally when most people are catching up on errands and tasks that they either missed or have postponed from the weekend. After all, most DMV offices don’t open on weekends, at least no more than half-days on Saturday. So, with a backlog of requests that are accumulated over the weekend, Mondays are typically the busiest days for most DMV offices.
- Fridays – On the flip side, Fridays are busy days for the DMV, too. This is because a lot of folks want to make sure that they’re able to complete all their DMV-related tasks and errands, just before the weekend hits. On top of that, the DMV office itself might have a healthy backlog of tasks that people have lined up to complete before the end of the workweek.
3) Which Time Of The Month Should You Avoid?
Just like how DMV offices are busier on some days of the week compared to other days, it can be handy to know that specific times of the month have a similar effect. TL;DR, if you want to visit the DMV, try to visit during the middle of the month, which tends to be less busy. Ideally, the second or third week is best, with fewer crowds, shorter wait times, and a far more rapid service from the DMV.
On the other hand, the beginning and the end of the month respectively are way busier for the DMV, and here’s why:
- Beginning Of The Month – There’s normally higher foot traffic during the start of the month. This is mostly from folks who need to get their renewals and registrations done, which they might’ve missed or not have completed in time at the end of the previous month.
- End Of The Month – On a similar note, the end of the month is when most people rush in to get their renewals, registrations, and any other DMV-related tasks or services done before they’re met with end-of-month deadlines. This last-minute rush will lead to longer queues.
While we’re on the subject of dates, take into consideration holidays or schooling schedules, as well. The busiest times of the year for the DMV are typically before long weekends or holidays, in addition to the back-to-school season. A massive influx of teenagers applying for their learner’s permits and driver’s licenses, especially, can lead to significantly increased wait times. You could get around this by visiting the DMV during school hours, though.
4) Tips For Planning A DMV Visit To Save Time
Now that we know the best and worst times to go to the DMV, there are some things you can do on top of that to help save time or skip the queue entirely:
- Most DMVs in each state allow you to perform specific services or complete tasks fully online. These include common errands like driver’s license renewals and vehicle registrations, not to mention paying fees or downloading specific forms, thus saving you a trip to the DMV.
- Similarly, most state DMVs feature an online appointment scheduling system, where you can book appointments ahead of time. By reserving a specific time for whatever you need to do, it can save you from having to queue up and wait in line. Speaking of, some DMV offices even have special apps or online tools that allow you to monitor their wait times in real-time.
- Or, if you need to visit the DMV in person, consider driving further away to visit a DMV office located in a less-populated areas. As you can imagine, DMVs in densely populated towns and cities, with their larger population, result in higher foot traffic. My advice is to consider checking out suburban or rural DMV offices instead, with their smaller local population.
- Moreover, before you drop by the DMV office, make sure you’ve prepared ahead of time. In other words, be sure that you’ve already gathered all the necessary documents, pre-fill any forms that you have to submit, and so on. Arriving at off-peak hours helps a lot, too.
- When you’re at the DMV, look around to see if they have self-service kiosks. These kiosks are made to handle simpler transactions, such as renewing your vehicle registration, renewing a license plate, or processing fee payments. These self-service kiosks could help you bypass the queues.