The Laguna Hills Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office permanently closed on Oct. 18 after 37 years of service.
The closure was first announced in an August DMV news release, projecting the original closure to be on Oct. 11 due to the office’s inability to “meet the current needs of the DMV.” The statement claims that 90% of DMV transactions can now be completed online and highlighted the department’s recent digitization efforts.
As of June, the DMV began requiring a number of services — including the replacement of stolen identification cards, early vehicle registration renewals and requests for driver’s license records — to be conducted online or at DMV kiosks in the community. The initiative aimed to reduce customer wait times.
“The state is increasing government efficiency and continuing to deliver critical services for Californians,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press release. “As part of these efforts, we are making more resources available at peoples’ fingertips and offering a faster and easier online experience at the DMV.”
The three remaining DMV offices in Orange County are the Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and San Clemente offices — 13, 15 and 18 miles away from the Laguna Hills DMV respectively.
The Mission Viejo Planning and Transportation Commission previously approved a conditional use permit to build a new DMV office in the city, as reported by the Voice of OC. Mission Viejo Mayor Trish Kelley and Councilmember Cynthia Vazquez filed an appeal against the action, which was ultimately approved by the City Council in August.
The appeal cited the new office’s plan to conduct driver performance evaluations on the first floor of the parking structure at the Kaleidoscope retail complex, with customer parking moving from the first floor to the third floor.
The Laguna Woods Village, a 55-and-older active living community home to 18,500 residents, actively opposed the office’s closure. The Laguna Hills DMV office was located 1.4 miles away from the village.
“As you can imagine how the general public would react to the closing of any heavily utilized local service amenity, the decision by the California DMV to close the Laguna Hills branch is most unfortunate, especially given the unique nature of a good portion of local residents,” media and communications manager Ellyce Rothrock wrote in an email to New University.
For UCI students, the Laguna Hills DMV was about 20 minutes away. The nearest remaining office is the Costa Mesa office that is about 15 minutes away.
Services that require in-person visits to a DMV office include an application for a REAL ID, a driver’s license renewal for those who are 70 years old or older and a change to one’s name and/or gender identity.
After May 7, 2025, a non-REAL ID driver’s license will no longer be accepted as a means of identification for U.S. domestic flights, according to the Department of Homeland Security. A California-issued REAL ID will display a grizzly bear with a star in the top right corner, while a non-REAL ID will display the statement “Federal Limits Apply.”
Rep. Young Kim, from California’s 40th congressional district, which includes Laguna Hills, wrote an open letter in September to DMV Director Steve Gordon, requesting that the closure of the Laguna Hills DMV be reconsidered.
“Its closure will redirect 855,000 South Orange County residents to San Clemente, a smaller facility 18 miles away with less parking availability, and pose unnecessary restrictions on constituents who require in-person services,” Kim stated in the letter.
Alyse Billiard is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at abilliar@uci.edu.
Edited by Karen Wang and Xinyu Zhang.