The closure is part of a state wide system upgrade

If you've got DMV business on your to-do list, mark your calendar: all New York State Department of Motor Vehicles offices, phone lines, AND online services will be unavailable next month for a major technology overhaul.

When Services Are Unavailable:

Starting at 2 PM on Friday, February 13, all DMV offices will close and phone and online services will also be unavailable while the state upgrades its systems, according to the NYS DMV website. Offices will reopen and online services will resume on Wednesday, February 18.

What This Means:

No in-person visits. No phone calls. No online renewals. Nothing will be available during this time. According to Spectrum Local News, the DMV will be migrating approximately 30 million records to a new system during the closure.

Why the Closure?

According to DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder in a statement on the DMV website, the agency is replacing hundreds of software applications, some of which date back to the days of Nelson Rockefeller. The Rochester Business Journal reports this is the first phase of a multi-year, $20.4 million project to replace and modernize the DMV's aging technology - some systems are more than 50 years old.

Plan Ahead:

If you need to renew a license, register a vehicle, or handle ANY DMV business, take care of it before 2 PM on February 13 or wait until February 18. Expect longer wait times and heavy crowds once offices reopen as everyone catches up on delayed transactions.

Visit dmv.ny.gov to see what you can handle online before the closure.