Sabana Grande Motor Vehicle Office closing permanently

RIO RANCHO — The Rio Rancho Motor Vehicle Office on Sabana Grande Avenue is closing permanently Dec. 27.

According to a release from the city, the last day appointments can be scheduled for service online (rrnm.gov/mvd) or by phone (505-891-5014) will be Dec. 20.

“City of Rio Rancho local government has operated this office for many years on behalf of the state of New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department – New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) through a contract agreement to carry out the state’s motor vehicle functions,” a release states.

The closure is the result of insufficient revenue from service and contract fees to cover annual operating costs, declining use/transactions, staff retirements, increased online options for motor vehicle services and transactions, the availability of privately operated motor vehicle services offices in the area, and the availability of government-operated motor vehicle services offices located in close proximity to Rio Rancho.

The city also says there are plenty of MVD offices within reasonable driving distance and that a variety of motor vehicle services can be obtained by utilizing the New Mexico MVD website, mvd.newmexico.gov.

The state of New Mexico operates an MVD office at 9651 Eagle Ranch Road, which is located less than 2.5 miles from Rio Rancho’s city limits. In addition, New Mexico has a self-service MVD kiosk for registration and license plate sticker renewals at the Smith’s at 4800 McMahon Blvd., which is located approximately 1 mile from Rio Rancho’s city limits.

The town of Bernalillo operates an MVD office on behalf of the state of New Mexico at 829 S. Camino Del Pueblo, which is approximately 3 miles from Rio Rancho’s city limits.

The state of New Mexico also contracts with private operators to provide motor vehicle services. MVD Express has several locations, including a Rio Rancho site at 4000 Southern Blvd., with more information available at mvdexpress.com or by calling 505-294-1732. Other operators such as MVD Now (mvdnow.com or 505-341-2MVD) and Rapid MVD (rapidmvd.com or 505-899-8883) have locations in Albuquerque’s West Side and/or the town of Bernalillo.