RALEIGH — A power outage today at the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters in Raleigh knocked out the computer systems used to conduct DMV business statewide.

DMV urged customers to call any DMV office before making a visit.

The outage occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at the DMV headquarters on New Bern Avenue. Repair work was expected to last through the night, according to the agency statement.

Some DMV customers will have no trouble conducting routine business at driver license and license tag offices, spokeswoman Marge Howell said. But the power outage will cause problems in cases where the local office employee needs to consult records on the central DMV database.

Automobile inspection stations are not affected, Howell said.