The New York DMV Is Shutting Down For 5 Days This February—Here’s What To Know

A trip to the DMV is rarely a fun one, and this February it’s about to get even worse–or essentially non existent, which may actually be a win–for New Yorkers. The New York State DMV has announced a statewide shutdown for a massive, multi-million dollar technology overhaul. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming closure and how it affects NYC drivers. When is the DMV shutting down? ------------------------------ The shutdown is scheduled to take place over the long Presidents Day weekend. Mark your calendars for these specific dates: * Shutdown begins: Friday, February 13, 2026, at 2 pm * Shutdown ends: Wednesday, February 18 During this window, all physical DMV offices across New York State will be closed. Additionally, online transactions and phone services will be completely unavailable. Why the sudden closure? ----------------------- The DMV is migrating roughly 30 million records to a new, $200 million state-of-the-art system. According to DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder, some of the current technology dates back nearly 60 years. The goal is to: * Reduce wait times by consolidating multiple outdated systems into one platform * Expand online services, allowing New Yorkers to skip the trip to the office entirely for more types of transactions * Modernize security and stability to prevent system outages What you should do now ---------------------- If you have a license, permit, or registration expiring in mid-February, the DMV is urging you to act now. * Renew Early: use the official DMV website to complete available online transactions before the February 13 deadline * Check Your Appointments: if you have a road test or in-person appointment scheduled between Feb 13-17, keep an eye on your email or the DMV website, as these will likely be rescheduled * Expect Post-Shutdown Delays: once offices reopen on Wednesday, February 18, expect a surge in crowds. Some local offices are moving to appointment-only or resident-only service for the first few days following the upgrade to help staff get up to speed Source: https://secretnyc.co/new-york-dmv-shutting-down-february-2026/