CHENANGO COUNTY — The Chenango County Department of Motor Vehicles, along with all DMV offices in New York State, will undergo a large-scale system upgrade Friday, February 13 through 17, that will require the offices to be closed and potentially alter business hours.

Chenango County Clerk Brian Wessels said in February, the New York State DMV is implementing the initial phase of a multi-year project to replace and modernize its aging technology systems.

To bring the first part of the new system online, the state is temporarily ceasing all DMV operations, including online transactions and their phone system. Due to this, the Norwich DMV location will be closed on that day.

The office will remain closed Monday, which is the Presidents’ Day holiday (February 16), and Tuesday (February 17), with a planned reopening on Wednesday, February 18 provided the service receives the go-ahead from State DMV leadership.

New York State is also updating the traffic laws for drivers with a major increase in the points drivers will receive for certain violations. The changes were adopted in 2024 and are planned to go into effect at the end of February.

Wessels said most of the changes are for offenses directly related to public safety.

“I do think these are good changes. If you keep in mind the public's safety on the roadways, on the county roads, and town roads, and state highways.”

“If people are aware that the point system has changed and they run a higher risk of losing or having a suspension or possibly a revocation of their license maybe they will operate their vehicles more in line with what the law is.” Wessels said. He explained most of the changes were aimed at curtailing really dangerous activity like cell phone use while driving, extending protections for pedestrians, construction workers, and school buses. He also noted the number of DWI's a driver was allowed to get before risking permanent suspension was being lowered from five to four convictions.

Wessels confirmed drivers will also have a lower point threshold limit, and will face increase penalties.

Passing a stopped school bus is changing from five to eight points. Excessive speeds in a construction zone will be eight points. Failure to yield to a pedestrian is increasing from three to five points. Using a cell phone while driving is increasing from five to six points. Speeding up to 10 mph over the limit is increasing from three to four points. Drivers will also receive points for offenses that were previously zero points, such as equipment violations, U-turns, and failing to move over for an emergency vehicle.

More information can be found at New York State DMV website: dmv.ny.gov/driver-license-points-and-penalties.

“The idea behind the changing of the point system is two-fold. One, it's trying to get New York's point system more in line with neighboring states, and the other is to keep our roads safe by keeping drivers who are sharing the road with the rest of us to think twice about violating some of these traffic laws,” said Wessels.

During the February 13 to 17 closure, the state DMV will migrate about 30 million records to the new system and complete the transition to bring the first phase of the upgrade online. Again, no DMV transactions will be able to be completed during this period, including through the state DMV website, and they will also not be answering their phones.

The state DMV’s implementation timeline calls for offices to be operational and open for customer transactions beginning Wednesday, February 18. The local DMV plans on opening the office at 8:30 a.m. on February 18. Any changes to that will be posted on the Chenango County website and the Brian Wessels for Chenango County Clerk Facebook page.

“In the short term, this shutdown is inconvenient for residents and users of the Norwich DMV. However, in the long run, this upgrade will significantly improve the overall DMV experience. I would appreciate everyone’s help in spreading the word about the office closure schedule so customers are aware and can avoid making an unnecessary trip to the DMV while the office is closed,” Wessels said.

New York State DMV has contracted with software company FAST Enterprises, LLC, which has implemented similar systems in more than 20 other states, to help NYS DMV modernize its technology platforms and service delivery in two major stages over the next two years. The new technology will replace and consolidate a significant portion of DMV’s legacy technology, some of which are over 50 years old.

The goal of this initiative is to make the DMV more secure, stable, and agile and to provide DMV customers with more efficient, secure, and convenient services.