ZANESVILLE - Long lines and wait times have been reported across Ohio as Bureaus of Motor Vehicles opened this week for the first time since the middle of March. Some have reported more than two hours in line, but that hasn’t been the case in Muskingum County.
On Wednesday afternoon nearly 20 people waited out side the local office due to the social distancing guidelines. And the wait time was 16 minutes, according to the online check-in available on the BMV website. On Thursday, the wait time was closer to an hour.
Chris Balsley was one of those in line on Wednesday, as his is planning to visit family in Texas in July.
"I needed to get the ID ahead of time due to flying and other regulations," Balsley said. "This could have delayed my trip, but I'm glad to get it done so I can get everything I need together and go on vacation."
People who do have to go to the deputy registrar should expect to see employees wearing masks and gloves and enforcement of social distancing guidelines, said spokeswoman Lindsey Bohrer said.
The state advised the deputy registrars they are to clean work stations after every customer, and they are to fill their buildings to only half occupancy.
Those precautions extend the wait times, which is why the BMV is encouraging those who could wait or handle their transactions online to do so, Bohrer noted.
Vehicle registrations can be renewed online at oplates.com, and the BMV is offering online check-in on its website under the Save Yourself a Trip link.
“You don’t have to go run to those locations,” she said.
Many people did need the services only offered inside on Wednesday, like Tom Miller.
He is a foster care counselor and brought an 18-year-old foster child to the office for the driver's license written test.
Miller had to wait outside due to limited capacity in the testing station, but was willing to make that sacrifice to help the teenager.
"We came down and saw it was open. We thought we may have to wait, but we got in right away," Miller said. "We've been talking about getting a license for some time so it's good we were able to do this."
The Ohio BMV has extended several deadlines. Licenses, state identification cards and vehicle registrations that expired after March 9 have been granted an extension until 90 days after Ohio’s state of emergency ends or Dec. 1, whichever comes first.
The federal government also has extended the deadline to October 2021 for obtaining a Real ID, which will be required to board planes and enter federal facilities but also requires more documentation and more time to issue.
The Columbus Dispatch contributed to the story.
bhannahs@gannett.com
740-450-6763
Twitter, @brandonhannahs
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