MN Reopens 7 DVS Exam Stations; 0 In Mendota Heights Area

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reopened seven of its Driver and Vehicle Services exam stations this month after shutting down almost 80 locations at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last spring.

Exam stations that reopened in November include those in Gaylord, New Ulm, St. Peter, Thief River Falls, Glencoe, Red Wing and Hutchinson, but none in the Mendota Heights area.

Mendota Heights residents can visit South Metro Exam Station for knowledge tests, reinstatements, road tests and license renewals and updates and visit Inver Grove Heights' DPS location for license duplication, reinstatement, renewal, real ID, standard ID and more.

Residents can renew, replace and update their driver’s licenses at the Dakota County Administration Center in Hastings, but that location does not offer knowledge or road tests, nor can it reinstate suspended or revoked licenses.

The Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services division consolidated exam locations in March 2020 after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic due to staffing and safety issues, with just 15 staying open to provide services, officials said in a release.

Minnesota lawmakers approved funding this year to help the state reopen 67 exam stations, but most remain closed.

Officials said they are working to hire enough employees to staff 93 exam stations, with 43 set to reopen by the end of December. The remaining 50 are due to reopen by the end of January.

Click here to find available appointments for knowledge and road tests.