The state's only motor vehicle and drivers license office in Kansas City, Missouri, closed without warning last week, leaving residents confused and with few other options.
The Missouri License Office in the shopping mall at 1161 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. shuttered on Jan. 8, 2026. The next closest DMV is in North Kansas City, 7.5 miles away.
However, online maps still show the Kansas City office as remaining open, as of Wednesday afternoon. And a steady stream of people have shown up to the storefront only to find the office dark and the door locked.
“Oh, come on. Why couldn't they send out something in the mail telling people about this?” asked Cara Dawley, standing at the locked door on Wednesday morning.
Dawley was there to renew her husband’s drivers license.
Louis Escircua had dropped in to help his father get new tags.
“We went to the Google Map and it said it was open. So that’s why I thought it was open,” Escircua said.
A sheet of paper taped to the inside of the door directs people to alternate offices in North Kansas City, Raytown, Gladstone or Grandview.
Those DMV locations are:
- North Kansas City: 2421 Burlington DR, STE B, North Kansas City, MO 64116
- Raytown: 6138 Raytown Trafficway, Raytown, MO 64133
- Gladstone: 5943 N ANTIOCH RD, Gladstone, MO 641192019
- Grandview: 1102 MAIN ST, Grandview, MO 640302457
Other DMVs can be found in Lee's Summit, Liberty, Parkville, Blue Springs, Independence, Sugar Creek, Platte City, and Belton. You can find a full map of motor vehicle and driver's license offices on the Department of Revenue website.
The Missouri Department of Revenue oversees approximately 174 DMV offices in the state. However, all but one are run by private companies.
Kansas City has previously shown interest in establishing a city-operated license office, which officials say would allow them to shorten wait times and increase accessibility for residents. However, the decision to open another license location would be up to the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Department spokesman JoDonn Chaney could not immediately say why the midtown office had closed.
He said the state has chosen a new contractor, Paul J. Wrabec Co. Inc., to take over the DMV, but it’s not clear whether the company will keep it in the current location. Paul J. Wrabeck Co. Inc. also runs the DMV in Independence.
Chaney said the new license office is scheduled to open at or near Cleaver and Troost by the first week in February
