Nashville, Tennessee --- The Department of Safety has opened a new Driver License Station at 530 Cherokee Boulevard in Chattanooga. The station is the seventh new driver license station to open in Tennessee in the past year to provide more convenient service to citizens across the state. The other stations are in Rutherford, Robertson, Fentress, Fayette, Obion and Shelby Counties.

Department of Safety Commissioner David Mitchell said, “This new station completes the expanded service authorized by the General Assembly in 2006 to make driver license services more convenient. Our long-term goal is to see that every Tennessean is no more than 30 minutes or 30 miles from a driver license station.”

The new Hamilton County station will be open Tuesday through Friday, from 7:00am-5:30pm and one hour later on the second Wednesday of each month. Five examiners and one supervisor will issue new licenses, renewals and reinstatements. New stations in Robertson, Obion and Shelby Counties opened in December. Stations in Rutherford, Fayette and Fentress Counties opened in November. Locations for the seven new driver license stations were selected based on regional growth and/or distance from an existing station.

Department of Safety officials expect the new Hamilton County facility on Cherokee Boulevard to be active for a year to 18 months, while a permanent facility is built. Once it is completed, it will house not only driver license services, but also the county office of the Highway Patrol. There were approximately 58,000 driver license customers served in Hamilton County last year.

Other full-service Driver License Stations in the Hamilton and surrounding counties are located at:

• 6502 Bonny Oaks Drive, Chattanooga:
  Open Monday – Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
• 301 James Asbury Drive NW, Cleveland (Bradley County):
  Open Tuesday – Friday 7:00am-5:30pm
• 4950 Main Street –Bldg D, Jasper (Marion County):
  Open Tuesday – Friday 7:00am-5:30pm

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tn.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.