For the foreseeable future, Beaufort County residents will have to travel out of county or go online to have their vehicle registration and license plates renewed. According to a press release from the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, the license plate agency at 127 N. Market St. in Washington closed its doors permanently as of 5 p.m. on Friday.

Driver’s license services at the Beaufort County Department of Motor Vehicles, however, are not be affected by the closure. The DMV office, located at 1821 Carolina Ave. in Washington, will continue providing drivers’ licenses, identification cards, road tests and written tests as usual.

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles says that the current contractor, John T. Rawles Jr., did not wish to continue operating the agency, and the NCDMV has selected a new owner/operator to provide license plate and registration services for Beaufort County.

“The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is working with the (new) owner to facilitate reopening the agency as soon as possible,” the release states.

Previously, NCDMV Communications Officer John Brockwell estimated the license plate agency would reopen sometime in July.

In the meantime, Brockwell suggested that Beaufort County drivers use online services at www.ncdot.gov/DMV, where motorists can renew their driver’s license and registration, pay property taxes, change their address and order duplicate licenses.

For in person services, the NCDMV suggests the following locations in the vicinity of Beaufort County:

• Greenville, 2462 Stantonsburg Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 252-756-5099
• Williamston, 305 E. Main St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 252-789-4560
• Plymouth, 383 U.S. Highway 64 W., from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 5 p.m., 252-793-2063
• Farmville, 3672 N. Main St., from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m. Mondays – Thursdays, and from 8 a.m. to noon Fridays, 252-753-6726
• New Bern, 2505 Neuse Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 252-637-4524
• Tarboro, 201 Saint Andrew St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 252-641-6684
• Alliance, 13580 N.C. Highway 55 E., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 252-745-0695

Attempts to reach Brockwell for further details on the duration of the closure, the identity of the new contractor and the new location of the agency were not immediately returned Monday.