1Hours

Day	Hours
Monday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday	9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (opens one hour late)
Thursday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday	8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday	Closed

Hours per the official DMV office page. State holidays can change hours — confirm on dmv.ca.gov before you go.

2Services at this office

• Licensing Services (driver licenses, ID cards, REAL ID)
• Testing (knowledge/written tests — note: not offered after 4:30 PM statewide)
• Title Transfers
• Registration
• Plates, Permits, & Placards
• Replace Lost/Stolen/Damaged (plates, registration, title)
• Records
• Request miscellaneous original documents
• Self Service Terminals — this office has a self-serve kiosk (quick registration services, no appointment)

Drive tests: the office lists generic “Testing.” Whether behind-the-wheel drive-test slots are currently offered here is only visible inside the official scheduler’s appointment-type step — check there rather than driving over on a guess.

Payments accepted: Cash, Check, Credit Card, Debit Card, Digital Wallet, Money order.

3Booking an appointment here

1. Go to the official DMV appointment scheduler.
2. Choose your appointment type (field-office visit vs. behind-the-wheel drive test).
3. Search by ZIP (94117) or “San Francisco” and pick this office.
4. Booking is free — the DMV never charges to make an appointment.
5. Prefer phone? Call 1-800-777-0133 (automated 24/7; live reps Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM).

Booking difficulty — honest notes: San Francisco’s main office is busy — if Fell Street shows no availability, try Chula Vista or El Cajon in the same scheduler search. Also confirm whether your task needs a visit: renewals and many records requests get no counter service.

For the full walkthrough — which type to pick, what to do when nothing’s available — see our California DMV appointment guide.

4Nearby DMV offices

• San Francisco (Normal Street) — 3960 Normal Street, San Francisco, CA 92103
• Chula Vista — 30 N Glover Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910 (kiosk available)
• El Cajon — 1450 Graves Avenue, El Cajon, CA 92021 (kiosk available)

Across the bay, we also have a full guide to the Oakland DMV office.

Also in the Bay Area: our full guide to the Santa Clara DMV office.

5Frequently asked questions

*(All facts below are NEW data beyond the basic address/hours. Sources cited per fact; unverifiable items marked.)*

Google Reviews Analysis — Real User Themes

Google rating context: aggregated driver-ed pages show the SF office at ~3.2 stars across ~1,575 reviews (nextdoordriving.com). Themes from recent reviews (xtreet.com DMV-services review feed):

• Appointments change everything. An October 2023 review (Max Mühlberg) notes a check-in employee told him the office “gets slower around 4pm” — arriving earlier beats the afternoon rush. An August 2023 reviewer (Thuy Ngan Le) was “in and out in an hour” *with* an appointment, completed fees of $41, and specifically praised doing the driver knowledge test online through the DMV’s virtual test center before showing up. A June 2023 reviewer (Laura) needed 80 minutes even *with* an appointment to swap an out-of-state license — so budget generously.
• Staff are consistently called friendly and patient — standout mentions include “Linda” praised by name as “super helpful & very kind” (Terry K., Jan 2023), and multiple reviewers describing workers as “extremely friendly and helpful” and “well organized and efficient” despite crowds (Neil D., Nov 2022).
• Loud and chaotic, but swift. Reviewers warn it is noisy inside — “sometimes it was hard to understand another person talking” (Thuy Ngan Le, Aug 2023). But multiple reviewers note the actual transaction time is fast once called.
• Early walk-ins can work, but it’s a gamble. A 2018 review (Julianne O.) reports arriving at 6:50 AM on a Tuesday with no appointment and being out by 9:30 after a renewal *plus* the knowledge exam — with the explicit advice not to arrive much after 7 AM and to consider 6:30 AM. Treat this as dated anecdote, not a guarantee.
• REAL ID tip from reviewers: bring ALL original documents; one reviewer stresses searching the REAL ID document checklist beforehand because staff turn away incomplete applications (xtreet.com review feed, Aug 2023).
• Bathrooms were fine (per June 2023 review) — trivial, but the kind of detail that shows reviews skew positive on basics.

Drive Test Routes & Tips — Fell Street Specifics

• The test runs on city streets around the office. A first-hand account on Hacker News (comment by “throwup238”) describes the SF DMV test as “a loop around Fell and Oak St (both one way streets with no opposing traffic)… I passed because I didn’t kill anyone in the span of eight blocks.” That’s ~eight blocks of one-way residential/commercial streets — a relatively simple loop, but surrounded by real SF driving hazards: Muni buses, cyclists, double-parked cars, and pedestrians from the Panhandle. *(Route not published by DMV — routes rotate; treat the loop as illustrative.)*
• Appointments required for drive tests; walk-ins are NOT accepted (stateregstoday.com, citing DMV policy).
• Hill reality check: The office sits just east of the Golden Gate Park Panhandle (California Dept. of General Services RFI, Jan 2023), and the immediate test streets (Fell/Oak) are flat one-ways — but Masonic Ave, Divisadero, and the surrounding NOPA blocks include real hills. Practice: hill starts, curb-wheel parking (wheels toward the curb facing downhill, away facing uphill), and controlled downhill speed before your appointment. A TripAdvisor SF driving thread reminds drivers to “curb” wheels on steep slopes and watch for aggressive bicyclists and bus-only lanes — all relevant to the test area.
• Pre-drive checklist is strict: locate parking brake, seat belts, doors, headlights, wipers, defroster, hazards, and hand signals before the drive begins (legalclarity.org, citing DMV). A broken parking brake = rescheduled test.
• Test-day logistics from California examiners’ guidance: arrive early, bring permit, registration, proof of insurance, and a licensed driver (who must show their license); phone fully OFF (a tap to silence it can count as cell use — an automatic fail); radio off (pididu.com California license-exam guide).

Office-Specific Services

Per dmv.ca.gov and third-party service listings, the Fell Street office offers:

• Self-service kiosk available (“DMV Field Office Kiosk Available” — dmv.ca.gov, verified on multiple official location pages). Kiosks handle registration services and driver/vehicle records requests without waiting in line.
• Licensing services, testing (written + road), title transfers, registration, plates/permits/placards, replace lost/stolen/damaged, records, miscellaneous original documents (xtreet.com; countyoffice.org adds “License Road Test” and “Alternate Testing”).
• Disabled services: a Tripadvisor destination expert (2011 post — dated) reported a special line/window for individuals with disabilities and temporary placard issuance at 1377 Fell. Countyoffice.org (2024) lists five disabled parking stalls on the south end of the building facing Oak Street. Unverifiable without fresh confirmation: whether a dedicated disability window still exists — mark for phone verification at 800-777-0133.
• Drive tests performed at this office — confirmed in the DGS “DMV Fell Street” background brief (Jan 2023).
• NOT verified: commercial (CDL) skills testing — SF is a standard field office; CDL road tests in the Bay Area are handled at designated CDL offices. Do not claim CDL skills tests happen here.

Parking & Arrival Advice — The SF Reality

• The office has its own free lot — a rarity in SF. The June 2023 reviewer explicitly wrote “Plenty of parking too if you have to drive there.” The state’s own facility brief requires the site to provide “110 spaces, minimum… without cost to the public” (DGS RFI, Jan 2023). The building is two stories but aging — the DGS brief calls the facility “old and needing replacement” though still essential (Jan 2023; status of any rebuild unverified as of research date).
• Street parking is hard. Stateregstoday’s SF DMV guide warns of “limited street parking… difficult to find a spot” and points to the UCSF Medical Center Parking Garage “a few blocks away.” Coordinate math: 1600 Divisadero (UCSF Mount Zion) sits ~0.69 miles northeast of the DMV — a ~14-minute walk, so treat “a few blocks” as optimistic. Read all meter signs; Fell and Oak are metered one-ways with posted time restrictions.
• Best arrival times: mid-week (Tue–Thu) beats Mon/Fri; arrive at opening (8 AM, 9 AM Wednesdays) or before; the 4 PM slowdown is confirmed by a check-in employee (Oct 2023 review). Get in Line virtual queue runs Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 9 AM–4 PM and Wed 10 AM–4 PM (legalclarity.org, citing DMV) — note it does NOT cover drive tests or first-time REAL ID applications.
• Landmarks: The office geocodes to San Francisco’s “Panhandle” district — the Panhandle (Fell & Baker corner) is ~0.2 miles west. Hayes Valley’s shops/restaurants begin ~0.5 miles south; USF’s campus is nearby on Fulton. Useful for “wait nearby” guidance.

Transit Details

• 43 Masonic — the closest. An SFMTA evaluation report confirms the 43 Masonic runs a southbound transit lane on Masonic Ave “from Fell Street to Oak Street” — i.e., it serves the Fell & Masonic intersection at the DMV’s doorstep (sfmta.com TETL report).
• 5/5R Fulton runs along Fulton Street on the Panhandle’s south side (one block south of Fell); the de Young museum’s transit page lists the 5 + 5R Fulton as serving the Golden Gate Park/Panhandle area (famsf.org). A NOPA rental listing (zumper.com) puts the 21 Hayes ~1 block, 43 Masonic ~2 blocks, and 5/5R Fulton ~2 blocks from the Fell corridor — consistent with the DMV’s position.
• 24 Divisadero runs north–south on Divisadero; Fell & Divisadero is ~0.27 miles east of the DMV (coordinate calculation) — roughly a 5–6 minute walk.
• N Judah (Metro): stateregstoday’s guide claims the nearest Muni Metro station is Duboce Ave at ~10 minutes’ walk; coordinate math puts Duboce station ~0.62 miles southeast — closer to a 12–13 minute walk. Flag the slight discrepancy.
• BART: none nearby — BART does not serve the Panhandle corridor. Nearest BART (Civic Center) requires a Muni transfer.
• Bottom line for visitors: the DMV’s official pages and reviews alike agree that public transit is the recommended way to get here (stateregstoday.com); the office lot is the fallback for drivers.

Sources

• xtreet.com/dmv-services/ca-dmv/san-francisco-ca/ (reviews: Oct 2023–Jun 2020)
• news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49630173 (drive-test loop first-hand account)
• dmv.ca.gov official location pages (kiosk availability at 1377 Fell St)
• dgs.ca.gov — “Request for Interest – DMV Fell Street” PDF (Jan 2023): location east of Panhandle, drive tests, 110-space free parking requirement, aging facility
• countyoffice.org San Francisco DMV page (disabled stalls, services, hours)
• stateregstoday.com SF DMV guide (drive-test appointments, parking, transit)
• sfmta.com TETL evaluation report (43 Masonic on Masonic Ave at Fell)
• famsf.org de Young transit page (5/5R Fulton near Panhandle)
• zumper.com NOPA listings (relative bus-stop distances)
• legalclarity.org (Get in Line hours; behind-the-wheel pre-drive checklist)
• pididu.com (CA license exam test-day guide)
• nextdoordriving.com (rating 3.2 / ~1,575 reviews, cited as aggregator data)
• Geocode + haversine distances computed 2026-10-18 from verified coordinates (SF DMV 37.77352, -122.44052)

Marked unverifiable: dedicated disability window (current status); CDL skills tests at this office; any rebuild/replacement timeline for the Fell Street facility; exact current drive-test route (DMV does not publish routes).

Official office page: dmv.ca.gov/portal/field-office/san-diego-clairemont/

Last verified against dmv.ca.gov: October 2026