DENVER — Starting Wednesday, 10 Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices will reopen for the first time since March, but by appointment only.
Since the DMV first made this announcement, 9NEWS has gotten messages from viewers who have said they’ve had a hard time getting through to the agency. Scheduling in-person appointments can only be done over the phone.
“We encourage [people] to either wait in the queue or to call back (but not to hang up and call back repeatedly),” DMV spokesperson Julie Brooks wrote in an email to 9NEWS. “It is the only way to prioritize these customers who have to be seen in the office.
“Otherwise, we see our appointments generally filled with customers who can actually use our online services.”
Brooks recommends that DMV customers go to mydmv.colorado.gov before calling 303-205-5613 to schedule an appointment. She conceded that high call volumes have caused technical difficulties.
“Yesterday, the high call volume across all of our phone lines caused some technical issues which were resolved in the morning,” Brooks wrote. “Volume has remained high but manageable today.”
She said the DMV has expanded appointment times due to a backlog, and that some offices are seeing customers in the evenings and weekends.
The offices that are opening are: Boulder, Canon City, Durango, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Greeley, Lakewood, Lamar, Littleton and Salida.
This is part of a phased reopening, the DMV said, and the division will not be serving walk-in customers. People who enter the facilities will be required to wear a face mask.
Customers will also be given temperature screenings and be asked to answer a COVID-19 questionnaire. Anyone experiencing symptoms of the virus will not be allowed in the offices.
During this period in the reopening, the DMV will not conduct services like driver’s tests. Soon-to-be drivers are instead asked to contact a third-party driving school.
Here are the services the DMV said require in-person appointments:
- Initial issuance of driver licenses, identification cards and instruction permits
- Some driver license or identification card renewal customers who are ineligible to renew online
- Instruction permit holders who need to take the written test
- Instruction permit holders who are ready to upgrade to a driver license
- Coloradans needing CO-RCSA services (please call 303-205-2335 for CO-RCSA services)
- Coloradans seeking a state-issued driver license or ID card for the first time, including those transferring a credential from another state or country (first-time applicants are encouraged to start the process on myDMV.Colorado.gov to shorten the duration of the visit)
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Local stories from 9NEWS