Renovations at Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hauppauge completed

The newly renovated Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hauppauge will offer customers easier access to services and reduced wait times, New York State DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

“It has a refreshed color scheme, new signage and navigational aids for customers who are coming not only from Hauppauge, but also from all of western Suffolk County,” Schroeder said.

He said the larger space will allow customers easier access to DMV services.

“After COVID, we have seen that customers come in and out of DMV offices within like 15 minutes,” he said in an interview with Newsday. “If it's a complicated transaction, it may take a little bit longer.”

The Hauppauge DMV, at 250 Veterans Memorial Hwy., had offered reduced appointment times since late January.

The Transportation Security Administration announced in late April that May 7 would be the last day New Yorkers can board a domestic flight without a REAL ID, which can be a federally compliant driver's license, learner's permit or non-driver ID issued by the DMV. Only state IDs bearing a flag or a star, or a valid passport, are accepted for flying within the United States.

Schroeder said that after the TSA’s announcement, New York DMV offices were hit with a surge of customers applying to get a REAL ID.

“It has sort of tapered out a little bit, and so we expect by fall that the wait time would be back to around 15 minutes or so,” Schroeder said.

A DMV spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email asking for the cost of the Hauppauge office's renovations. 

State Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Smithtown) thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul for committing to improving New York DMV offices. 

“Every single day, [DMV employees] deal with the public, and we're here to serve the public,” Fitzpatrick said. “DMV does an outstanding job in doing that … the DMV is probably the one department where most people deal with their state government.”

Hochul announced a plan last April to modernize outdated DMV technology in New York State.

“Computer and system outages that have caused delays and long lines in DMV offices will become a thing of the past with the introduction of modern applications and proven successful solutions,” a news release on Hochul's plan said.

Jason Slote, 29, of Shoreham, who was at the Hauppauge office Thursday to get a REAL ID, said the DMV offices closer to his home were booked up for the next month and a half.

“I'm really glad they opened this [location] up,” Slote said. “Where I live is closer to Riverhead, and all the spots, all the reservations for REAL ID were taken up literally across Suffolk County. I was so lucky to get this one two weeks ago.”

Gabriella Lherisson, 20, of Central Islip, said she needed her REAL ID to visit family in Florida. She said the Hauppauge DMV is much better after the renovations.

Lherisson said the requirement to get a REAL ID is a little annoying. 

Peyton Logue-Boyd, 17, of Babylon, went to the DMV to change her junior license to a senior license. She said she booked her appointment at the Hauppauge DMV over a month ago, and that after the renovations, it looks cleaner.

“I haven't been to any other DMVs, but it looks like it's running a little bit more smoothly today” than it had been before the renovations, Logue-Boyd said.