COVID-19 Update – June 24

DMV Now Open for Limited In-Person Services by Appointment

Governor Lamont has announced a limited reopening of the Connecticut DMV beginning this week. Some services are available in-person, by appointment only.

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Ladies & Gentlemen, while this is good news for some who have been waiting in silence for over three months, I believe it’s critical that you understand what this will mean to most of us.

Fact: DMV has been closed for 3.5 months. It was backlogged when it closed. The capacity of that which is now reopening is a small fraction of its normal operations. I will show the math and historical precedent in a follow-up, but I estimate for every 5-day week DMV is open under this “plan” it will back-up another 4.5 days, on top of the current four-month backlog.

Conclusion: It’s going to get worse before it gets better, probably at a magnitude greater than DMV’s 2015 meltdown when a new system failed at the same time DMV was hit by a crush of new “drive-only” license applications. Please try to be patient. Technologically, little has changed in the 5 years since – and you have every right to be furious – but for your own well-being, please know that folks like me are trying to break through the protective walls and come out with a DMV that serves you better.

I’ll be issuing a more detailed statement shortly to express my outrage and propose solutions to begin conversations about how we might improve the handling of your basic needs. It’s beyond time to expect an experience that is user-friendly, efficient and responsive. This is not new. I’ve been calling for this for years. It’s also not unique to DMV. Just take a look at the Department of Labor for more of the same. There, people needing to put food on their tables are met with unanswered phones, ignored emails and a website that lacks timely updates and user-friendliness. Do you spot a pattern?

Where’s Governor Lamont on this and other shortcomings within our state government? Does he accept this status quo? Where’s the urgency? Why are these critical “quality of life” failures not considered important enough to be included in an upcoming Special Legislative Session agenda? You deserve better than silence.

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• Licenses and Non-Driver ID Cards (new and renewal)
• Out-of-State Transfers
• CDL Upgrade – HAMDEN OFFICE ONLY

All DMV in-person services now require an appointment. To schedule an appointment, click here.

Select services are also accessible online.

Drop-off services are available for select services (limited hours) at the DMV’s Danbury, New Britain, Norwich and Old Saybrook locations.

Learner’s Permit Knowledge Testing is being done by appointment only at the DMV’s Cheshire (Wednesday – Friday) and Wethersfield (Tuesday – Friday) locations. All appointments will be confirmed or canceled by email. Be sure to check your email prior to heading to the DMV.

Extensions provided for renewals of driver’s licenses, non-driver ID cards, vehicle registrations, emissions testing and other credentials, expiring between March 10 and July 31. For details, visit CTDMV.info

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently announced they would extend previously-enacted 90-day extensions to a total of 180 days; Extensions apply to those DMV credentials with expiration dates between March 10, 2020 and June 30, 2020.

Late fees related to eligible expired credentials will also be waived during the extension.

Deadlines have been extended for:

• Licenses, permits and identity cards
• Boat registrations
• Emissions testing and retesting:
• Permanent disability placard
• Business licenses
• Flashing light permits
• School bus proficiency tests

Free COVID-19 Testing

Although the state has seen an encouraging drop in case rates and hospitalizations in recent weeks, we must continue to stay guarded as cases rise in other parts of the country.

Over the last three months, the state has drastically increased its capacity to test patients experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Testing is available free of charge at many locations throughout the state. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please contact your primary care physician or, if you don’t have one, call the state’s Coronavirus Hotline at 2-1-1.

To locate COVID-19 test centers, please visit the United Way’s testing map by clicking here.

The state has also created a comprehensive COVID-19 Knowledge Base with details on testing, business reopening guidance, and much more.

New Tri-State Area Travel Advisory

Earlier today, Governor Lamont issued a joint travel advisory with our neighboring states of New York and New Jersey. It requires travelers arriving from states with significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period.

This self-quarantine, which is effective tonight at 11:59 p.m., applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or any state reporting a 10 percent positivity rate, or higher, over a 7-day rolling average.

As of today, the list of states with high rates of infection includes:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• Florida
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Washington

The list will be available on the state’s coronavirus website and updated on an ongoing basis.