A new state law now in effect allows a two-year grace period for driver's licenses that expire starting July 1, 2025.

It’s just one of many changes at the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles [NCDMV] aimed at cutting down long lines. But at many offices, those lines are still as long as ever.

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NCDMV spokesman Marty Homan said the agency has made several operational changes, including longer opening hours, some Saturday hours, and a new check-in system at some offices that allows walk-in customers to wait for a text in their cars, rather than outdoors. It also allows offices to let walk-ins know in the morning whether they'll be able to be helped that day.

"That's really helping people while they while they wait, getting them out of the sun," Homan told WRAL News on Wednesday. "It's a big improvement."

But not every license branch has the new system yet, and some of those that do are still learning to use it.

Nash County teacher Julie Williams needed to renew her license on Wednesday. But the Tarboro DMV doesn't have the new check-in system yet, so she had to stand in line in the heat Tuesday. There was no shade.

"I stood out there all day, all morning, and the heat index, they said was 109 [Tuesday]," Williams said. "I feel bad for people [who] have health conditions that have to stand out there."

Even with the new system, B. L. Moore said the wait is still hours long. Moore was trying to update her license at the Avent Ferry DMV in Raleigh after getting married and changing her name. For four months, she's been unable to find any appointments.

"I've been standing in line for two and a half hours just to get a ticket to be told to wait in my vehicle?" Moore told WRAL News.

"They put the sign out at 9 a.m. that said they were finished taking people for the day. At 9 a.m.?! Finished taking people for the day?!" Moore said. "Something just needs to be done. Seems like a complete overhaul."

WRAL News showed Moore's comment to Homan.

"I definitely sympathize with this customer," Homan said. "Unfortunately, she's not alone. This is something we are hearing from people. And again, it goes back to the demand that I was talking about, we are seeing incredible demand right now."

Homan said they're working on more operational changes to streamline processes like graduated licensing and name changes. But they also need more staff.

Homan said the state has grown by about 2.5 million residents in the last 20 years, but the NCDMV has the same number of examiners now as it did then. He says they can't keep up with the rising demand for services—a fact state auditor Dave Boliek also made in a recent preliminary audit of the agency.

"We hear a lot from people, 'Why don't you just hire more people and open new offices?'" Homan said. "That's not something we can do on our own. That's something where the legislature needs to create those positions and we need to have the funding for those. And so that's under consideration now, and we're hopeful that that comes to fruition."

State DMV Commissioner Paul Tine asked state lawmakers for 85 additional examiner positions to expand the agency's capacity to handle the rapid growth. But that funding is in the state budget, which is currently hung up in an impasse between state House and Senate lawmakers.

State lawmakers left Raleigh in June without passing a spending plan. There's no word yet when they'll return to hammer out a compromise.