DMV Office In Poway To Reopen Thursday

POWAY, CA — The DMV in Poway is among 46 field offices in the state set to reopen Thursday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced in a release.

The field offices, including the one in Poway, will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of Wednesday, when the office will open at 9 a.m.

While behind-the-wheel driving tests remain suspended, the field offices will offer services that cannot be completed online. Those include:

• Paying registration on a vehicle impounded because of registration-related issues
• Reinstating a suspended or revoked drivers license
• Processing commercial license transactions
• Applying for disabled parking placards (this can also be completed online)

• Applying for a reduced-fee or no-fee identification card
• Adding an ambulance certificate or firefighter endorsement to a driver license
• Verifying a transit training document to drive a transit bus
• Processing DMV Express customers for REAL ID transactions, time and space permitting

Customers with requests that can be addressed online might be directed to the DMV website, according to the department.

DMV field office employees will be maintaining physical distance while serving customers, the release states. Employees will also be using disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, face shields, gloves and soap and water.

Hand-washing stations will be provided for customers in select locations, the DMV said. Customers are required to wear a face mask or covering and maintain 6 feet of physical distance.

The number of people allowed in a field office will be limited, and customers will be permitted to wait outside or in their cars until their appointment time comes. Customers can choose to be sent a text message notifying them to come inside when their appointment comes.

The DMV said it has offered the following services to drivers during closures resulting from the new coronavirus:

• Extending driver license expirations to July 31 for most drivers
• Keeping commercial licenses, learner's permits, endorsements and certificates valid through June 30
• Extending ID card expirations after March 4 through to June 21
• Waiving late fees and penalties for registration and renewals between March 16 and May 31
• Waiving required in-person renewals for certain driver license holders
• Launching a DMV Virtual Field Office offering digital transactions
• Canceling behind-the-wheel driver tests
• Suspending extended office hours and Saturday service.