November 19, 2010
10-304

Customers advised to avoid long lines before and after closure

The Oregon DMV headquarters and local offices will be closed Friday, November 26, the day after Thanksgiving.

The closure is the eighth of 10 statewide mandatory unpaid "furlough" days for employees scheduled through June 2011.

Customer waiting times tend to be longer on the days before and after DMV office closures, and this statewide furlough is in combination with the closure for a national holiday. DMV urges customers do try to do business by mail or online, if possible, or plan their visits to DMV before Wednesday or after Monday, November 29.

"DMV has had longer lines the day before the first statewide furlough days and the following business day," said DMV Field Services Manager Stephanie Miles. "We often see longer lines around holidays too. So we recommend that customers check to see if they can do their DMV business online or by mail, or to plan their visit at least a couple days before or after closures."

Online services include most passenger vehicle registration renewals, changes of address, and notice of vehicle sale. To access DMV's online services go to: www.OregonDMV.com/online.

DMV offices will reopen on their regularly scheduled days and times after the furlough day. For a complete list of DMV offices and their business hours, go to http://www.oregondmv.com/.

Under Oregon's cost-saving furlough plan, state employees must take 10 to 14 unpaid days off – depending on their salary level – during the 2009-11 state budgetary period. Ten of those days are mandatory statewide closures for offices that do not provide emergency services or require round-the-clock staffing. State employees who are required to take additional unpaid furlough days are scheduling them in much the same way they schedule vacation days.

DMV is one of the state agencies required to observe the mandatory closures, which are all scheduled for Fridays. Here are the upcoming statewide closure dates:

• November 26, 2010 (day after Thanksgiving)
• March 18, 2011
• May 20, 2011