A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to make changes to drivers license renewal periods.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑7(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Tests. – To demonstrate physical and mental ability, a person must pass an examination. The examination may include road tests, vision tests, oral tests, and, in the case of literate applicants, written tests, as the Division may require. The tests must ensure that an applicant recognizes the handicapped international symbol of access, as defined in G.S. 20‑37.5. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the Division may not require a person who applies to renew a license that has not expired to take a written test or a road test unless one or more of the following applies:
(1)	The person has been convicted of a traffic violation since the person's license was last issued.
(2)	The applicant suffers from a mental or physical condition that impairs the person's ability to drive a motor vehicle.
The Division shall require any person who is at least 85 years old to take a road test. The Division may not require a person who is at least 60 years old to parallel park a motor vehicle as part of a road test."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 20‑7(f) reads as rewritten:
"(f)	Duration and Renewal of Licenses. – Drivers licenses shall be issued and renewed pursuant to the provisions of this subsection:
(1)	Duration of license for persons under age 18. – A full provisional license issued to a person under the age of 18 expires on the person's twenty‑first birthday.
(2)	Duration of original license for persons at least 18 years of age or older. – A drivers license issued to a person at least 18 years old but less than 65 years old expires on the birthday of the licensee in the eighth year after issuance. A drivers license issued to a person at least 65 years old but less than 75 years old expires on the birthday of the licensee in the fifth year after issuance. A drivers license issued to a person at least 75 years old expires on the birthday of the licensee in the third year after issuance. A commercial drivers license that has a vehicles carrying passengers (P) and school bus (S) endorsement issued pursuant to G.S. 20‑37.16 shall expire on the birth date of the licensee three years after the date of issuance, if the licensee is certified to drive a school bus in North Carolina.
(2a)	Duration of renewed licenses. – A renewed drivers license that was issued by the Division to a person at least 18 years old but less than 65 years old expires eight years after the expiration date of the license that is renewed. A renewed drivers license that was issued by the Division to a person at least 65 years old but less than 75 years old expires five years after the expiration date of the license that is renewed. A renewed drivers license that was issued by the Division to a person at least 75 years old expires three years after the expiration date of the license that is renewed. 
(3)	Duration of license for certain other drivers. – The durations listed in subdivisions (1), (2) and (2a) of this subsection are valid unless the Division determines that a license of shorter duration should be issued when the applicant holds valid documentation issued by, or under the authority of, the United States government that demonstrates the applicant's legal presence of limited duration in the United States. In no event shall a license of limited duration expire later than the expiration of the authorization for the applicant's legal presence in the United States.
(3a)	When to renew. – A person may apply to the Division to renew a license during the 180‑day period before the license expires. The Division may not accept an application for renewal made before the 180‑day period begins.
(4)	Renewal by mail. – The Division may renew by mail a drivers license issued by the Division to a person who meets any of the following descriptions:
a.	Is serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States and is stationed outside this State.
b.	Is a resident of this State and has been residing outside the State for at least 30 continuous days.
When renewing a license by mail, the Division may waive the examination that would otherwise be required for the renewal and may impose any conditions it finds advisable. A license renewed by mail is a temporary license that expires 60 days after the person to whom it is issued returns to this State.
(5)	License to be sent by mail. – The Division shall issue to the applicant a temporary driving certificate valid for 20 days, unless the applicant is applying for renewal by mail under subdivision (4) of this subsection. The temporary driving certificate shall be valid for driving purposes only and shall not be valid for identification purposes. The Division shall produce the applicant's drivers license at a central location and send it to the applicant by first‑class mail at the residence address provided by the applicant, unless the applicant is ineligible for mail delivery by the United States Postal Service at the applicant's residence. If the United States Postal Service documents that it does not deliver to the residential address provided by the applicant, and the Division has verified the applicant's residential address by other means, the Division may mail the drivers license to the post office box provided by the applicant. Applicants whose only mailing address prior to July 1, 2008, was a post office box in this State may continue to receive their license at that post office box, provided the applicant's residential address has been verified by the Division."
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2009, and applies to licenses issued or renewed on or after that date.