(a) The commissioner may acquire, by lease or purchase, and install at offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles and at such other locations where operator's licenses are issued or renewed, such equipment as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

(b) The commissioner may provide for the renewal of any motor vehicle operator's license, commercial driver's license or identity card without personal appearance of the license or card holder, in circumstances where the holder is a member of the armed forces, is temporarily residing outside of this state for business or educational purposes, or in other circumstances where, in the judgment of the commissioner, such personal appearance would be impractical or pose a significant hardship. The commissioner shall decline to issue any such renewal without personal appearance if the commissioner is not satisfied as to the reasons why the applicant cannot personally appear, if the commissioner does not have the applicant's color photograph or digital image on file, if satisfactory evidence of the identity of the applicant has not been presented, or if the commissioner has reason to believe that the applicant is no longer a legal resident of this state.

(c) The commissioner may issue or renew any license, any instruction permit or an identity card issued or renewed pursuant to this title or section 1-1h by any method that the commissioner deems to be secure and efficient. If the commissioner determines that an applicant has met all conditions for such issuance or renewal, the commissioner may require that such license, instruction permit or identity card be produced at a centralized location and mailed to the applicant. The commissioner may issue a temporary license, instruction permit or identity card for use by the applicant for the period prior to the applicant's receipt of the permanent license, instruction permit or identity card. Such temporary license, instruction permit or identity card shall have an expiration date not later than thirty days after the date of issuance and shall remain valid until the earlier of such expiration date or the date the applicant receives such license, instruction permit or identity card.

(d) The commissioner may adopt regulations to provide for the renewal of the motor vehicle operator's license, commercial driver's license or identity card of any person not identified in subsection (b) of this section by mail or by electronic communication with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

(P.A. 76-263, S. 1, 9; P.A. 77-256, S. 2, 4; P.A. 84-197, S. 3; 84-429, S. 18; P.A. 85-613, S. 148, 154; P.A. 93-341, S. 33, 38; P.A. 03-171, S. 3; P.A. 07-167, S. 19; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 199.)

History: P.A. 77-256 amended Subsec. (a) to add proviso re renewal of licenses expiring in July, 1977; P.A. 84-197 inserted new language in Subsec. (b), requiring the commissioner to issue a distinctive license to persons less than 20 years of age and relettered the remaining Subsec.; P.A. 84-429 deleted obsolete provisions, rephrased provisions and made other technical changes; P.A. 85-613 amended Subsec. (b) to apply with respect to persons under 21 as of September 1, 1985, where previously applicable to persons under twenty as of January 1, 1985; P.A. 93-341 amended Subsec. (a) to allow for renewal sites other than motor vehicle department offices, amended Subsec. (b) to replace specification that the license be “distinctive” with requirement that the license indicate the date of the person's twenty-first birthday and made technical changes throughout section, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 03-171 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to delete references to motorcycle operator's license; P.A. 07-167 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re license picture, form and content, inserting “issued or” and replacing “this section” with “this chapter”, deleted former Subsec. (b) re license issued to person less than 21 years of age, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (b) and replaced former provisions thereof with provisions re renewal without personal appearance and added new Subsec. (c) re regulations for renewal by mail or electronic communication; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 added new Subsec. (c) re method of issuance or renewal and temporary licenses, permits and cards, designated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d) and made a technical change, effective June 30, 2015.