NC DMV opens new driver’s license office, with 3 more coming, including 1 in Wake
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NC DMV opened first of four offices to meet growing demand for licenses.
- Garland office opens with two terminals and one examiner to serve local demand.
- Wake, Cabarrus and Brunswick counties will also have new DMV offices.
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles opened the first of four new offices on Monday, as the state tries to keep up with growing demand for driver’s licenses and IDs.
The office in the Sampson County town of Garland is the smallest of the four. It has two computer terminals and one driver’s license examiner initially, which the DMV says should meet the needs of customers in the area.
The other three offices will be much larger, serving fast-growing areas of Wake, Cabarrus and Brunswick counties. The Brunswick office, across the river from Wilmington, is expected to open in February, but the DMV has not set opening dates for the other two.
The DMV hopes to eventually acquire land or a building for permanent offices in the three counties. But in the meantime, it is seeking short-term leases or other arrangements to try to open the offices in the coming year.
Here’s what we know about each one:
- Wake: The office will replace a smaller one in Fuquay-Varina and have 14 computer terminals and 16 driver’s license examiners. Wake County Public Schools has offered short-term use of space on the former Fuquay-Varina Middle School campus, and the DMV is also exploring leases of private property.
- Cabarrus: The DMV hopes to open the office in Odell Township, in the northwest part of the county. The agency has sought offers from private property owners and is exploring building a temporary office on N.C. Department of Transportation property off N.C. 49.
- Brunswick: The DMV expects to open a temporary office in a modular building at the NCDOT Belville bridge maintenance yard on Old River Road near Leland in February. It will have nine computer terminals and seven driver’s license examiners.
Lawmakers decided Garland needed a DMV office
The General Assembly provided money to open and staff the new DMV offices this summer. The agency had requested the three larger offices, though instead of Fuquay-Varina it had sought to expand an office in Durham. The plans for a larger Fuquay-Varina office have been in the works for some time.
The agency had not asked for a new office in Sampson County, but lawmakers included that in the bill anyway.
The Garland office is at 35 South Ingold Ave., across from the Piggly Wiggly and two blocks from another institution that brings people to town, Southern Smoke BBQ.
The building is owned by the town, which meant the DMV could sign a lease without having to advertise and seek bids from others. That helped speed up the process, DMV officials say.
The agency signed a three-year lease in October for $36,255 a year. The office will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 12:12 PM.
