Department of Motor Vehicles

The Davis DMV recently implemented a much-needed computer system for tracking waiting clients. Before, all the windows dealt with every customer request, and when you'd go in, you'd just take a paper number from the wheel and sit and wait for HOURS until they call you. NOW when you walk in they have a nifty scrolling marquee which not only tells your current wait time, but also the current wait time at other DMV's nearby (West Sacramento, et cetera). Then you go to a triage-like window where they ask you what your business is, and then give you a printed-out number for the corresponding window. Lastly, your number and window is announced over the loudspeaker, so if you go outside for some reason, you won't miss your place in line. A good idea is to check the Davis Office's wait time through the website before you head out there.

It is still highly recommended that you make an appointment for any business you might have with the DMV, which can be done over the phone or through the incredibly easy-to-use website (above).

You can pay your fees with an ATM/Debit Card.

Interesting Quirks

Tile Mural by Tony Berlant entitled Davis '88

• If you are an out of state student attending college in California
• Age 22 or less - you can retain your driver's license and plates from home
• Age 23 and older you must obtain California Plates (Reference PDF Document, page 2, section 7005 - definition Non-Resident Student Exemption from Registration. You must surrender out of state plates unless you ask for Interstate Registration where you can keep your out of state plates especially if you are still a resident from outside California and return during breaks (Reference from PDF Document, page 17, section 7130)
• Pickup Truck Registration
• Unless a permanent camper shell is installed, your truck is considered a commercial vehicle subject to weight fees. Heavy trucks that weigh greater than 5000 lbs are subject to heavy fees.
• Other references include the California Highway Patrol

2005-09-15 19:09:59   A birth certificate or valid passport is REQUIRED to get a CA driver's license. If for some reason the name on this does not match the name on your previous state's DL, (like for example you got married at some point between the day you were born and now and you changed your name) you will need a CERTIFIED (not simply a photocopy) copy of your marriage license. Not that there's anything on the DMV website or any signs in the office informing you. —BlancheNonken

• Well it's buried a bit, but that info is online: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffdl05.htm#true —Jevan
• You can get these at the Yolo County Clerk-Recorder's Office, a painless while-you-wait printout process. They're also necessary for changing your name at Social Security, and proof of SS name change is also required for new-name DL issuance. —JT, formerly JB

2005-11-21 12:10:52   I had to registered my pick up which requires weight certification (WTF California) after a lot of digging, the only place is Sierra Sod for $8 at 27991 Mace Boulevard —OnsonLuong

2006-05-16 16:46:17   When my wife and I moved to California from Wisconsin, she was not able to get a license with her married name on it because we didn't have an official marriage certificate with. She did, however, have an official Wisconsin license with her married name on it, but that was not good enough. Rules are rules, but things like this always make the DMV unpleasant. —AdamSchneider

2008-05-15 15:26:52   This is the best DMV in America. It seems less crowded and usually a short wait—even without an appt. —CurlyGirl26

• Please tell me that this is sarcasm at its finest! Of all of the DMV offices that I have been to (about 10) this is one of the worst. Just the other day, I had to transfer a vehicle from my brother to me. I had the form filled out and checked the wait time for non-appointments on the website. It said three minutes. I went right over and got my tag, B 43. As they gave me the tag, they were calling B 42. Now, I don't know how they prioritize their queue, but they called some A's and B's, quite a few H's and J's. It was 39 minutes later when they called B 43. I swear they have the slowest workers too. I sat there as two of the agents chatted with each other for a few minutes before calling the next patrons. Now, I would understand if this was a one-time thing, but the Davis DMV always seems to be this way. At least every time a family member or co-worker goes there. I have not heard a single first-hand good experience. I guess YMMV. —DavidGrundler
• 2008-05-16 06:36:20   I'd have to say it was better (circa 2002ish) than the Sacramento DMV I went to (in Citrus Heights? Off Madison, if I recall correctly) and better than most Florida DMVs. About the same as North Carolina and Pennsylvania college town DMVs. I will say that of the two visits I made to the Davis DMV, one was amazingly fast, easy and courteous (switching out of state DL). The other was courteous, but there was a large number of people and it certainly wasn't fast (transferring in an out of state vehicle). I wish I could remember the day/time of day I went, but it was likely some shade of morning on a weekday. —JabberWokky

2008-05-16 08:27:58   When I was married I went to the Social Security Office in West Sac and the DMV the same day and was able to get a license with my name on it. I did not have to show a marriage license, just my paperwork that said I had applied for a new SS card with my new name. I agree though that the appointment thing is a joke. I do that everytime and still have to wait. —MyaBrn

2008-09-24 16:35:16   I checked the DMV website before going to the Davis office and the wait said 12 minutes without an appointment. I got there and waited 15 minutes and was out of there in another 5 minutes. A very painless experience! —DrWang

2008-12-02 14:35:31   I needed to renew my license and I was 10 days away from moving to a permanent residence at a house in Woodland, but had already moved out of a Davis apartment (essentially homeless on my parents couch in the Bay Area). I asked if I could put my new address on my license, but have the new license mailed to an alternate (my parent's) address while I waited for my house to close escrow in the next 10 days (we could not receive mail there yet). I was told no, the license has be mailed to the address on the license. So, I had to get a license with my parent's address in Livermore, then immediately fill out one of those brown change of address cards to carry around with me until 2013. So annoying! Sometimes I wonder if these things are really rules, or if people just get a kick out of messing with you. —AmLin

2009-11-25 14:42:32   I have been to the Davis DMV several times and not once has it been a pleasant visit. On my last visit I went to change my name on my driver's license as I had just gotten married. I had already been to the social security office and changed my name there without a problem. I had my original marriage certificate and after the first person looked at it and said okay here's a number and I waited for 53 minutes the next person told me that they wouldn't accept my ORIGINAL marriage certificate (from Montana) as the seal wasn't in the proper place. There was a seal and a signature but it was on the top half of the certificate not two inches lower (where she felt it should be!!). This occurred after they told me I needed a letter from Ford Credit saying that I could register my leased vehicle in California (since I leased it in Montana) and after I couldn't get my drivers license because of problems they had with my birth certificate. The workers are so slow and very very few are pleasant to be around. —jeesp

2010-08-11 11:52:53   The staff here really do not know anything about the CA DMV rules and regulations. When I moved here 2 years ago from out of state I passed the written test, but did not pass the vision test. Later I learned, by looking up the information at the CA DMV, that that vision test showed I actually did meet the minimum requirements, so I don't know why they failed me. I went to an optometrist to get the required examination and the doctor clearly wrote in a letter explaining my condition and that glasses would actually worsen my vision and acuity, and then the doctor further cited CA DMV vision requirements and stated that I more than met them. The lady I handed the form to would not grant me a CA license, refused to let me speak to another agent or supervisor, and would not explain why she was refusing to grant me a license. The DMV has a booklet of visual conditions and their policies regarding licensing requirements, but I guess this suddenly didn't apply? Finally she told me I would have to taken an HOUR LONG drive test to prove I could see well enough to drive. (For the record, I have 20/60 vision in one eye, but normal in the other. DMV requirements are that you see 20/40 or better in at least one eye or you need to wear glasses. So, not sure what her issue was!) I made the drive test appointment, but at the Woodland DMV. When I showed up with all the required paperwork they read it over, including the doctor's statement, and had a chat with the guy about why I was there. He checked with his supervisor, and they both told me that I did NOT need a driving test and granted me a CA license right away. Such a headache, though! —DanaMace

2010-10-12 20:47:21   Both the Davis and Woodland DMV offices are apparently closed now? I can't find any official listings for them being closed (temporarily or for good) on any news website, Google, anything, and they aren't officially listed as closed on the front page of DMV, but both individual office pages have a CLOSED stamp on them. —JenniferRutherford

By closed, they mean that they're not open right now at 8:47 PM. —WilliamLewis

The DMV page is a little confusing. The parts in red show you the current status of each office: which Fridays they are closed, and whether or not they are open at this moment. They are open for business during the hours shown on that page (Mon., Tues., Thurs., Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM). Neither the Davis nor Woodland office have been closed temporarily or permanently. —DonShor

2010-12-23 12:29:32   I had to go to the DMV this week for a driver's license renewal. This is definitely a good week to go — lots of spaces in the parking lot and not much waiting time. One oddity, though — I had made an "appointment" online, and told the person so when I checked in. I was given a slip of paper with my number on it (like at a deli counter), and the slip said "Driver's License Renewal Appointment" (or something like that). But the person never actually checked to see if I had an appointment, or what time my appointment was, and it did not appear to me that I was seen an earlier than I would have been if I hadn't made an appointment. Now, as I said, I didn't wait all that long as it was, and maybe things would have been different if the DMV had been more crowded. But still, my "appointment" seemed very much like a non-appointment. —CovertProfessor

2011-01-26 22:34:22   Getting a CA driver's license? Prepare for the long haul. 3 months... to the day. Alcohol... nope. Official government photo ID... nope. Call to see what's up... nope. Thanks California! In the state that I previously resided in, it took less than 5 minutes for the machine to print a license out. Even when accounting for the ratio of the two populations, it took California more than 4,000 times longer to produce a license. People consistently apply for and get an international photo ID, also known as a passport, in much less time than this. And to top it all off, the new "improved" licenses look and feel flimsy as can be. It has the structural integrity of about a phone card. I think I'm going to get one of those nice plastic baseball card holders for it so it doesn't break. —LeeDarb

This is a valuable comment. It would be much better to get a duplicate driver's license on the spot. —BruceHansen

2012-02-06 13:55:39   I will never go to this DMV again. Staff is very unpleasant. There should be a law against had hair do's affecting there quality of work! I will gladly travel to other cities to take care of my DMV matters because Davis DMV had a poor, poor communications system and it is evident that these folks do not like there jobs! —Stoneface

I have to say, of all the times I've been here, this particular DMV has been pretty pleasant. Yeah, the wait can be a little long sometimes, but it's the DMV. Showing up early in the morning really, really helps. Like, really. The communications system is also extremely easy. Like take a number and wait easy. Simple as that. —CecilioPadilla

2012-02-10 17:04:20   I always make an appointment online before I go and I am never there for more than 45 minutes. Employees could perk up a bit. —LoriOrf

2014-07-31 17:37:38   The DMW here is easily the best one I have been to in CA. No, they don't serve you coffee and give you pastries, but the service is generally pretty fast, especially if you have an appointment. I had a question, if anyone sees this: upon moving, if you complete a change of address request online with the DMV, have you done all that is required by law? State law says that you need to update the DMV upon 10 days of moving. I did this, but I won't get a new physical DL that has my new address. Is this ok? I just don't want to get pulled over and get in trouble if my DL has my old address, even if I did the right thing and updated online. Any thoughts? Thanks, Eric —EricJensen

2015-04-02 19:16:41   Just waited 3 hours at Davis DMV on a Thursday afternoon - granted I didn't have an appointment. I would have made an appointment, but the first available was too far out and having just purchased a used car I only had a 10-day window. —SKBrown

2015-10-30 12:48:37   The DMV is terrible. Wait is not bad. But, they've (1) put down the wrong VIN # for my car (2) didn't change the VIN # after I got a VIN check (3) said I had to get the title to get a VIN change which means I had to ask the Oregon DMV for it (4) Said the VIN had been changed after I gave them the title (5) canceled my registration after saying that I had the wrong VIN (they still haven't changed it). —GradStudent1

2016-04-29 15:50:36   4/29/16 STEPHANIE POPE at the DAVIS DMV is a "POSITION USING........" She is not about customer service and talks crazy as he'll to people. I ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN WOODLAND DMV PRINTED MY LIC WRONG. MY NAME IS RIGHT IN THE SYSTEM AND WRONG ON THE LIC. SHE SAID I NEED TO COME BACK WITH A BIRTH CERTIFICATE. I was advised since it was right in the system I didn't meet so. When the License lady was getting ready to correct my license SHE INTERRUPTED AND SAID I ALREADY TALK TO HER WHAT IS SHE TRYN TO DO. The young lady advised her AGAIN MY INFO IS RIGHT IN THE AYSTEM AND WRONG ON MY LICENSE. SHE TOOK MY PAPERWORK AND LICENSE AND HAS MY ASS JUST STANDING HERE.!!!! —Satisfied2bme