SELF SERVICE KIOSKS: Renewing vehicle registration will get easier

FROM PAGE 1

At first the kiosks will be used for renewing tabs and ordering duplicate license plates for passenger class vehicles.

According to Jon Lenarz, Anoka County License and Passport Services director, the state is considering 10 to 15 locations for kiosks.

Anoka County will install kiosks at Cub Foods locations on Northdale Boulevard in Coon Rapids and Northtown Drive in Blaine, and the store on Silver Lake Road in St. Anthony. The Cub Foods store in Fridley will have a kiosk, managed by Hennepin County due to its proximity to their deputy registrar office.

“It’s an opportunity for people to have further access to services in locations they are more apt to be more often… and at hours outside of our typical deputy registrar offices,” Lenarz said. “This gives the customer the ability to go to one of these kiosks and get it printed out right then.”

Currently, according to Lenarz, motorists can renew their tabs online or via the

CONTRIBUTED mail. In most cases it takes seven to 14 days to receive, and if there is a problem or delivery issue, they must visit a deputy registrar office.

“I think it will be a benefit for citizens,” said City of Roseville License Center Manager Pam Ryan Senden. “If they are shopping and realize their tabs are expired and it’s a Sunday and no offices are open, they can just walk right in and get them printed.”

Phil Freeman, License and Service Center division manager for Washington County, says the kiosks will streamline the process.

“This innovative addition is set to have a positive and transformative impact on our community,” Freeman said. “The kiosk will bring about improvements with a more streamlined and efficient renewal process. As for motorists and drivers, the kiosk will bring added convenience and ease. This improvement is expected to contribute to smoother traffic flow and happier drivers throughout the state.”

Other nearby kiosks will include the Maplewood West Cub on Rice Street, managed by the city of Roseville’s deputy registrar and the Cub Foods in Oakdale on10th Street in Washington County.

Both Senden and Lenarz agree wait times at deputy registrar offices will decrease, because staff are free to do other types of transactions.

Find a kiosk: https://dvsnow. mn.gov/map

IF YOU GO:

If you don’t have your renewal notice to scan, you can still get your tabs at the kiosk.

What you need:

• Your address.

• License plate number.

• Insurance provider’s name, policy number and expiration date.

• The county name in which the vehicle is kept.

• Either the account ID number from your renewal notice or your house/ building number.

• The last three characters of the vehicle’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

A potential negative impact are fewer transactions at deputy registrar offices. However, deputy registrars will keep a percentage of the filing fees collected at kiosks.

The counties will benefit when motorists choose to use the kiosks instead of the online or mail-in option, according to Lenarz.

Senden added, “My hope is there isn’t a negative impact on any offices and it is just a positive for customers.”

There is no timeline for when the kiosks will be installed. Once installed, the state may add and expand kiosk capabilities.

Managing Editor Shannon Granholm can be reached at 651-407-1227 or citizennews@ presspubs.com.