With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
Sorry, DMV Wait Line Lovers. Many Services Are Moving Online
The DMV changes start on Monday, June 3.
(
Justin Sullivan
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
If you like spending time in DMV lines, we’ve got some bad news for you. A new change is coming that will make those trips a thing of the past.
What’s happening? Starting June 3, the California DMV will only process certain services online or at a self-serve kiosk. If you need to renew your registration or get an updated ID — sorry. You won’t get to hang out with strangers for hours in those hard DMV chairs.
What services are changing? Vehicle registration renewals that are not past the due date, as well as driver’s license renewals that do not require an in-person visit. You’ll have to go online to also handle vehicle registration and driver records requests, as well as replacing a lost or stolen ID or driver’s license. Some of the services have already been allowed online, but the change means you won’t have the in-person option anymore.
Support for LAist comes from
What’s still being done in person? There are some transactions that require an in-office visit, like finalizing a REAL ID application. (Which needs to be done by May next year, by the way). But many transactions that require you to come in can be started online — so that could help save you time.
Why is this happening? The DMV has been moving services online as part of a digital focus. The department has more than doubled online services offered between 2019 and 2024, and it expects 200,000 less office visits a month with this change. With more than 90% of services now done online, Californians may have to find another exhausting errand to bond over.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence.
Best of LAist