Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security Now Offering Driver Reinstatement Services in Hamilton County

NASHVILLE--- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons today announced the Driver Services Division is now offering driver license reinstatement services in Hamilton County at its Bonny Oaks Driver Services Center. The department closed its Chattanooga Driver License Reinstatement Center on November 15 to make more efficient use of its resources in southeastern Tennessee. After discussions with various community leaders, however, the department searched for another reinstatement option for citizens in southeastern Tennessee. 

“Given the relatively low volume of transactions, we still believe closing the reinstatement center and restructuring driver services in Hamilton County was the right thing to do from an efficiency standpoint,” Gibbons stated. “But we also heard the concerns of community leaders and were determined to come up with a solution that would best serve the needs of southeast Tennessee.”

The Bonny Oaks Driver Services Center, located at 6502 Bonny Oaks Drive in Chattanooga, offers full service driver services, including issuing original driver licenses and identification cards, issuing renewal and duplicate licenses and cards, offering driver tests, and processing handgun carry permit applications. Citizens who need reinstatement services, which generally take longer to compete, will have a separate entrance at the center. Also, there will be separate staff dedicated to completing these more complicated reinstatement transactions.

The department decided to close the Hamilton County Driver License Reinstatement Center due to the low number of transactions there.  Through the end of September, employees had completed a total of 4,426 transactions this year. That is compared to the 27,828 transactions completed at the Bonny Oaks Driver Services Center and 18,397 transactions completed at the Red Bank Driver Services Center during the same time period. Additionally, the department spent more than $73,000 annually in lease and operating expenses to run the center.

Citizens who need driving privileges reinstated may continue to go online (https://apps.tn.gov/tndlr/) to pay reinstatement fees. Citizens may then email (My.DL@tn.gov) or fax (615-253-2093) the confirmation paperwork to the department. Once confirmed, the citizen may visit any driver service center to have his or her license reissued.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to ensure that our state is a safe, secure place in which to live, work and travel; enforce the law with integrity; and provide customer-focused services professionally and efficiently.