North Carolina DMV Fees Are Going Up Nearly 20 Percent
Inflation comes for everything, it seems. North Carolina DMV fees are going up nearly 20 percent beginning in July.
The cost hikes are baked into state law.
According to a news release from the DMV, the department is required to adjust fees and rates every four years. By how much is where it gets a little tricky. State law bases the increases on the percentage change in the annual Consumer Price Index over the past four years. Since inflation has been so prominent in recent years, the new increase will be just over 19 percent for DMV fees.
For the average North Carolina DMV customer, the fee increases will affect things like driver licenses, learner’s permits and provisional licenses. A North Carolina driver license, which had been $5.50 for each year of the license, will now be $6.50 per year. Learner’s permits and provisional licenses will go up by $4. Duplicate license fees will increase by $2.75.
The new fee structure will become effective July 1.
3 Of The Nation's Best National Parks Are Within Driving Distance Of North Carolina
I spent a lot of my childhood traveling to different National Parks in both the US and Canada on summer vacations. And for the most part I can honestly say I did not appreciate it at the time. But now my world has started to come full circle and my friends are starting to choose to visit the places I went as a child. But what are the nation’s best National Parks? The travel experts at Conde Nast Traveler ranked the 25 best National Parks and 3 of them are within driving distance of North Carolina.
The Nation’s Top National Parks
And that is saying something considering many of the often thought of a “best” National Parks are out west. You immediately think of places like Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona), Yellowstone (Wyoming), Grand Teton (Wyoming), and Yosemite (California). On the east coast the first one that comes to my mind is Acadia National Park in Maine.
Each of those understandably made Conde Nast Traveler’s list. And while all those are fantastic places to visit (many would call them must see parts of America), they are costly if visiting from NC. While I guess theoretically you could drive, it would require a significant time investment, one many of us just don’t have to commit. Which is why it’s great news that 3 of those top 25 National Parks are within driving distance of the great state of North Carolina.
While none of them are in either of the Carolinas all three of these destinations are a reasonable drive. You’ll find each of those three below and learn a little more about them. Interested in reading the top 25? You can find that here via Conde Nast Traveler. Have you been? Perhaps 2024 is the year you’ll check one or more of these off your bucket list!