DMV to reopen Chapel Hill license plate office

The license plate office in Chapel Hill will reopen on Wednesday, more than a month after the state Division of Motor Vehicles shut it down because of possible violations of state law.

The license plate office was being operated by a private contractor when the DMV closed it on July 14. DMV did not provide details about the possible illegal activity but said an investigation by its License and Theft Bureau began with an anonymous tip.

The office will reopen in its former location at 1704-B East Franklin St. in the Gateway Commons Shopping Center. It will be run by DMV employees until the division can award a new contract. DMV will accept applications from potential contractors through Sept. 6.

The Chapel Hill license office was the first of two privately run offices in the Triangle that DMV closed this summer. Last Friday, the division announced that it had closed a license plate office on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh following audits by the state that found the contractor was not following standard operating procedures, resulting in accounting errors and other discrepancies. The Raleigh office reopened Monday with DMV employees.

Private contractors operate about 120 license plate offices in North Carolina, offering vehicle license, registration and title services.

The Chapel Hill office will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some services, such as property tax payments and registration renewals, also can be done online at www.MyNCDMV.com.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 5:53 PM with the headline "DMV to reopen Chapel Hill license plate office."