DMV Near Santa Cruz County To Reopen Thursday

SALINAS, CA — The California Department of Motor Vehicles will have reopened 71 offices as of Thursday.

The Capitola and Watsonville locations will remain closed, but the Salinas office at 260 E. Laurel Drive will reopen. Other locations surrounding Santa Cruz County, including the Gilroy and Los Gatos branches, will also remain closed.

Customers must make an appointment and limited services will be offered, though more services will be offered online, DMV said. DMV offices are reopening in phases after all offices were closed for cleaning March 27.

Customers must follow new protocol such as wearing face masks, stay six feet apart in line and wait outside. There will be fewer seats inside and wait times could be longer than normal. Some DMV offices will have handwashing stations, DMV said.

People with previously canceled appointments will be prioritized.

Employees will be provided disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, face masks, gloves and more.

People may schedule same-day appointments if they seek to apply for drivers licenses, reinstate suspended/revoked licenses, apply for a disabled parking placard, register a car impounded due to registration issues and more. See a full list of same-day services here.

Title transfers, partial year and complex vehicle registrations and more can be performed at DMV's Virtual Field Office.

Learn more about DMV's online services here.