Today, Governor Tate Reeves announced his Safe Return guidelines for permanent drivers license stations across the state to reopen on Monday, June 8.
Working with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) and state health officials to ensure the safety and well-being of Mississippians at these stations, Governor Reeves is implementing social distancing procedures to help them operate safely and efficiently during the pandemic.
“Let’s be honest, they were a mess before. The pent-up demand created by the pandemic is only going to make existing problems worse. We think we’ve got a plan in place to make it run as safely and smoothly as possible, but there is a lot of structural work we’ve got to do for a real fix,” said Governor Tate Reeves.
Governor Reeves announced the guidelines with Commissioner Sean Tindell at his press briefing today, which you can view on our Facebook page here.
“Mississippians have been greatly inconvenienced throughout the time our driver license stations have been closed and we appreciate their patience through this transition moving forward. We are working diligently to safely reopen while protecting our employees and the customers we serve,” said Commissioner Sean Tindell.
Tindell said that most services will still be offered, just in a limited way to protect people. He said their goal is to avoid having thousands of people waiting in line at the DMV on Monday.
To ensure social distancing protocols, people will be allowed to visit the stations on the day of the week that corresponds with the first letter of their last name. Walk-ins are welcome to visit on “Walk-In Wednesdays.” Here is the daily schedule for visits per last names:
- Monday: A-E
- Tuesday: F-L
- Wednesday: “Walk-in Wednesday”
- Thursday: M-S
- Friday: T-Z
Governor Reeves strongly encourages that people wear face coverings, such as cloth masks, when they are inside the stations.
“You’ll still be able to do renewals, duplicates and address changes online. Those services will not be available at the drivers license stations for now. People will still have to go online and do those services. The reason for that is you can do it online and that’s 80% of the traffic at the drivers license stations, and again we are trying to keep everyone from showing up all at once,” said Tindell.
Services available are also limited to reduce the number of people visiting the stations to help limit transmission. The following services will be available at permanent driver license stations:
- CDL Transactions
- Out of State Transfers
- New Credentials
- New Identification Card Credentials
- Security Guard Permits (Wednesdays only)
- Sex Offender Registration
- Permit tests for students
- Reinstatements
- Non-U.S. Citizens
- Ignition-Interlock Restricted Licenses
Providing a technology alternative to minimize person-to-person contact, Mississippians can access services such as renewal and duplicate driver licenses, ID cards, and address changes on the DPS website at driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov
All road tests for non-commercial drivers are waived until further notice to help reduce the risk of transmission. Minors must submit an affidavit completed by parent or guardian certifying 50 hours of supervised driving time, which are available on the DPS website.
You can view the complete listing of all permanent drivers license stations and additional information regarding the reopenings at dps.ms.gov.
Sarah Ulmer
