California Department of Motor Vehicles

Whatever you’re visiting the DMV for, do your research and bring everything you need to get it done when you visit.
I drove out of the way to come to this location and I highly suggest everyone else does as well. I went in WITHOUT an appointment (there were none available) to register my car in CA for the first time, fully prepared with every document and even some that I didn’t end up needing. At 12pm on a Friday, my car was quickly inspected (Not for SMOG, you need that done serperately BEFORE you visit), my wait time inside was literally 5 minutes, then the kind employee processing my paperwork got me out of there in another 10.
Thank you to everyone at this DMV! The front desk ladies/​gents probably get 1,000,000 dumb questions a day but still remained friendly and informative. This place isn’t the drab monotoned, beige painted norm, and has a clean, organized feeling.
Go here!

I just wanted a temporary drivers license before I receive my actual one in mail.
This location directed me to a different DMV after I waited for 30+ minutes in line.
I don’t understand why one DMV cannot do something that a different location can do? I’ve wasted 30 minutes of my Friday morning and I need some explanation here. (Pretty pissed!) :(

If people are going to wait a while the staff walks away from their desk and veeeerry sloooooly walk araund, atleast the restrooms should be clean.

Do yourself a favor and make an appointment. You will thank yourself after, trust me. From the time I got my ticket to when my number was called, I waited about 5 – 10 minutes. At 9:30am the place was packed and the parking lot was over crowded. I ended up parking across the street at the Target center which was perfect because I needed to go there afterwards anyway. Ok, my experience at this location has always been pleasant. Maybe because I always make an appointment when I come here or maybe because the staff is actually nice. Janice helped me out today and she’s seriously a living angel. She was extremely patient and helpful with my long list of things that I needed to take care of. This is a registration branch only. So if you need to take care of anything else that is not related to registration, go to the branch on 803 Cole Ave. which is about a 5 minute drive.

This is the most efficient and helpful DMV location I’ve visited. Staff went way beyond the call of duty to help me get my car tags up to date. It’s divided into 2 sections: drivers license and registration which is very convenient. My total time spent was around 2 hours but that’s okay as they helped me achieve what I needed when the other dmv was telling me they couldn’t do it and that I would need to spend 10+ hours talking to Sacramento on the phone. Will certainly be back here.

Made appointment online for Monday 3:30. Was in and out in less than 10 mins. Emphasis on «less» than 10 mins. I didn’t read any reviews before making my appointment at this DMV. There was a very long line of people (30+) that did not have appointments, but only 3 people were in the line designated for people with appointments. My experience was a good one. But, I’m not going to «pat» the state of California for a good experience. I’m giving my review because you may want to; 1) consider this DMV office, if 2) you make an appointment.

Best dmv ever! No really, I have been here 3 times and the line is almost never long. They are quick and it’s an updated building. They also have the self serve registration which is so helpful. This dmv is a full service dmv. It’s helpful because you can why everything done at once.

I got my car registered here and it was a breeze. Super friendly staff who explained everything I had to do step by step since I was out of state. Made the appointment online and I was out of there within an hour.
Make sure to get your smog check first and fill in the paperwork though.
They also gave me the tools to put the plates on my car right there. Loved that they had a huge parking area. There’s a bigger lot behind the building which you won’t see at first upon entering. If you go around passed where the inspection sign is you can find it.
The buildings design is also very quirky and neat!

You don’t want to know how many visits it took for me to finally get my car registered. Despite the long process, I still give this place a four star. Staff has been very friendly and patient, despite the fact that I didn’t have a lot of my paperwork ready. Make an appointment online and you will barely have to wait! If you need to do a smog check, there is one just a block away.
After two years of delaying, my car is officially a california registered car!
One perk to this place that it is next to the famous pink’s hot dog.

Every time I come to this Dmv I usually only last 15−20min waiting for my number even without an appt… wow amazing!!! I love coming to this Dmv and recommend every one that needs to pay their tags to come around 9am best time to be in and out.

Staff is rude. This DMV has only one tv monitor announcing line numbers. I was called to the window opposite to the display. By the time i got to the window the rep skipped the line number…

I moved to Hollywood just for the DMV. Kidding, but the DMV really is amazing. Why do people love it so much? They’ve split it into two. One for registering, and the other for behind the wheel tests & DL renewal, etc. This makes things so much quicker! Not sure why they don’t do this in every city.
Do yourself a favor. Make an appointment. I’ve registered many motorcycles here & I’m usually out in 5 – 10 minutes.

I live in Central LA. For those of you who do, you’ll know how bad the DMV is over there. I drive 20 minutes to this one every time, and it’s well worth it. 20 minutes to and fro, plus an additional waiting and processing time that usually amounts to a total of no more than another 20 minutes, depending on what I’m doing, and I’m out. Total time expenditure: one hour. The Central LA DMV? Three hours or more. Every. Single. Time.
My car was originally bought in Canada. When I brought it here for its first registration in the USA, it took a bit more than 30 minutes instead of the usual 20, but that’s because it was the first time. Registration application, vehicle inspection and verification, and issuance of new papers. All smooth and organized. Smog check was a separate 20 minutes, but that’s another review.
Today, I went in for registration renewal. For whatever reason, I never got my original registration card in the mail, nor did I get a registration renewal card. Not only did they issue me replacement without fuss, the lady who helped me even waived my late fees because they got my address wrong the first time (which was why I didn’t receive my papers in the first place). This whole process took around 15 minutes total.
Staff is helpful, friendly, efficient, and even own up to their mistakes. Sufficient parking. Location is kind of inconvenient (in my opinion), but that doesn’t even matter. Clean environment. Best DMV (in the USA) that I’ve been to.

I never thought I would be writing a review of the DMV, much less a 5-​star review. Being used to long lines, unhelpful employees, and the general feelings of walking through glue trying to get anything accomplished, this DMV is a wonderfully refreshing experience.
WAIT TIMES
I arrived about 20 minutes before they opened. I was without an appointment. This was a Thursday morning and the appointment line was 4 people long and the non-​appointment line was about 15. Compared to lines at the license DMV down the street or at DMVs in other states, this short of a line is almost unheard of. I was out within 20 minutes form the time they opened.
ATMOSPHERE
The DMV has its own parking lot so there is no stress looking for a space. I’m used to brightly-​lit, sterile DMVs that feel not unlike waiting rooms to hell. However, this location has a very warm, cozy feeling. There are exposed brick walls, cool colored and interestingly architected walls that make it feel more like something in the Arts District than a government facility.
SERVICE
Even when I did not have the correct form filled out, the employee I spoke with was very helpful in helping me get the registration stickers I hadn’t received in the mail and even helped me with things I hadn’t mentioned I had planned to do online like changing my address.
The only reason I came here was because I went through a nightmare trying to renew my registration online. The DMV never sent me the stickers and phone calls only led to me being told that I had to wait 8 weeks before they could send replacements. I would be motivated to go in person to complete more tasks like registration renewal in the future.

The best DMV ever! Staff are so nice and polite. It is CLEAN, woww!
I really do appreciate their great service!

Friendly service and super quick, too! I was in and out, but the best part was learning that you no longer need to make an appointment for most DMV services. There is a machine where you can scan your notices and pay with debit card, cash or check!!! No line, no appointment, nothing!
I guess this service has been available for a couple of years, but it had been a while since I visited a DMV office. So it’s news to me. Great news!!!

5 stars because I was in and out in like 10 minutes. And that is because I made an appointment. I came Thursday at 8am and the line was very very short. Didn’t matter to me due to having an appointment.
My time was at 8:30am but since I arrived at 8, I got my ticket and barely sat down before my number was called. The employee was nice and efficient. I left at 8:10am.
I was a very happy customer :)

Everyone dreads visiting the DMV, but surprisingly I’ve had positive experiences at this particular DMV every time I visit cuz of their quick customer service that never keeps me waiting long! Even WITHOUT an appointment!
LOCATION & PARKING
Located in West Hollywood near Target. Convenient, accessible parking since they have their own personal, gated parking lot.
SERVICE
The only reason I come here is to renew my car registration. The Check-​In process was well organized because they had two separate lines, one for Appointments and Non-​Appointments. I didn’t have an appointment on my second visit so I was expecting to wait for hours.
Although the Non-​Appointment line looked long, it moved fairly quickly cuz I only waited 20 minutes. Once I checked in, the employee gave me a ticket with a number, told me to sit in the waiting area, and wait until my number is called. There is also a TV that displays which upcoming numbers will be called. I waited another 20 minutes until my number was called. Paying for registration literally took less than 5 minutes! And contrary to popular belief, the DMV employee wasn’t grumpy or have attitude, but was actually friendly and pleasant!
My entire visit was less than an hour and I left happily with my new registration tag. Definitely come to the West Hollywood DMV for renewing car registrations! Cuz the DMV on Cole does NOT do Registration Renewals.

Just walked in without any appointments.
I been waiting in a line more then 10 mins to get a ticket. Still waiting to be serve.
So good so far

Line was long but moved fast! Everybody was very nice and helpful. easy peasy lemon squeezy! I tried to make an appointment ahead of time but the soonest available was a week away so I had to walk in.
would have given them 5 stars if they had given me my ticket when I first got up to the counter instead of having me fill their my form first then come back. Or or if they had just made it obvious that I had to fill out the form first then I wouldn’t have minded at all.

As far as DMV offices go, this location is convenient if you don’t need a driving test but just have random paperwork (registration issues, ordering a new ID, etc.). Things go faster in WeHo (heyoo!) than at the Hollywood or Santa Monica locations, which DO handle the full plethora of DMV services.
The parking lot is a bit crowded if you show up after lunchtime, but if you’re early (say, 10am on a Monday), you’ll be in and out in half an hour, even without an appointment.
Having said that, it’s better to have an appointment.
The workers here are pleasant enough and there’s usually a fruit or candy peddler outside who sells cigarettes and lottery tickets.
You didn’t hear it from me.