North Carolina has explicit laws that require drivers to renew their licenses every so often.
Drivers between the ages of 18 and 65 are required to renew their licenses every eight years, while drivers aged 66 and older are required to renew every five years, according to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV).
But with long lines and limited appointment availability at many NCDMV offices, it can be hard to schedule a time to renew before your license expires.
The state’s population has grown by about 2.4 million people since 2003, or about 29%, but NCDMV has been unable to keep up with demand, The News & Observer reported .
The General Assembly set a cap on the number of people who can work in DMV driver’s license offices at 568, but NCDMV says it needs 70 more than that to fully operate its 115 driver’s license offices statewide.
Last winter, the agency asked for permission to hire 40 more license examiners at a cost of $2.6 million for pay and benefits, but lawmakers didn’t provide any, because they didn’t authorize the increase or pass a new budget, The N&O reported.