What this page says about Buffalo was read on October 21, 2026 from the state's own DMV office data, published by the New York State DMV on data.ny.gov, from dmv.ny.gov and from the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and those sources are linked beside each fact.
Buffalo DMV Office at 170 Pearl St., Rath Building, Buffalo, NY 14203: every day's hours, the transactions the state lists for it, who runs it, the notice it carries and the other offices in Erie County.
In this guide: Address and telephone, Hours at Buffalo, What Buffalo handles, Who runs Buffalo, Appointments and what you can do online, Other DMV offices in Erie County, Before you go to Buffalo, Questions about Buffalo
Address and telephone
Buffalo DMV office
170 Pearl St.
Rath Building
Buffalo, NY 14203
Telephone: (716) 858-7450
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles lists Buffalo at 170 Pearl St., Rath Building, Buffalo, NY 14203 in its own office table, which it published last on October 21, 2026 and which was read for this page the same day.
The state gives the map point for Buffalo as 42.8842, -78.87609, in its office locations data.
Hours at Buffalo
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Thursday | 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Friday | 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
The state publishes the Buffalo week as Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and those are the counter hours rather than the hours of the building around it.
Buffalo is shut at the weekend, so a Saturday errand means one of the 14 New York offices that does open on a Saturday.
The next closing the state names for Buffalo is Election Day, November 3, 2026.
What Buffalo handles
The state lists 8 transactions for Buffalo by name:
- Take a Car or Motorcycle Permit Test Allowed to be taken up to ONE hour before closing
- Take a CDL Test Permit Tests: Allowed to be taken up to TWO hours before closing
- Knowledge Test Oral CDL Oral Exams (Tape Recorder Only): 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM. Non-CDL Oral Exams: By Appointment. NO Escort Oral Exams given
- Enforcement 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
- Upgrade to Real ID or EDL 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM
- Dealer Motorcycle 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM
- Dealer Plates 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM
- Dealer Transporter 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM
A transaction that is not on that list is not done at 170 Pearl St., which is the point of the list: the state publishes it office by office rather than claiming every counter does everything.
As a county office, Buffalo works under section 205 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, which has the county clerk act as the agent of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles in registering vehicles, issuing non-driver identification cards and drivers' licenses on an inspector's certification, receiving certificate of title papers and handling motor vehicle enforcement transactions.
What the transactions on the Buffalo list actually require is set out guide by guide: New York permit test and road test guide, New York motorcycle license guide, New York commercial driver license guide and New York REAL ID and Enhanced license guide.
Who runs Buffalo
Buffalo is run by the county clerk as an agent of the state DMV.
That is why the hours above are set in Erie rather than in Albany, and why the clerk keeps 10.75 percent of the gross receipts from the motor vehicle work done at 170 Pearl St., the retention percentage written into section 205.
Erie County, where Buffalo sits, is one of the 51 New York counties whose clerk holds that agency, while the 11 the statute excepts by name, Albany, Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Onondaga, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester, have state run district offices instead.
Appointments and what you can do online
On its office locator the DMV says it "strongly encourage[s] making a reservation" at offices such as Buffalo, and that when waits are long only people holding one are let in. The same page says booking is "not available for all DMV office locations", so whether Buffalo takes a reservation is settled on that locator and not here.
Anything that can be finished online does not need Buffalo at all, and the New York online services guide sets out which transactions those are.
Other DMV offices in Erie County
Besides Buffalo, the state lists 6 other DMV listings in Erie County:
- Cheektowaga, 2122 George Urban Blvd, Depew, county office
- Erie County - Eastern Hills Mall, 4545 Transit Rd, Williamsville, county office
- Erie County Mobile, 2122 George Urban Blvd, Depew, mobile office
- Evans, 6853 Erie Rd, Derby, county office
- Tonawanda - Sheridan Plaza, 2309 Eggert Rd, Tonawanda, county office
- West Seneca - Southgate Plaza, 1088-B Union Rd, West Seneca, county office
Tonawanda - Sheridan Plaza and West Seneca - Southgate Plaza does open on a Saturday while Buffalo does not, which is worth knowing before you take a day off work.
Every one of the 142 New York listings, Buffalo among them, is on the New York DMV office list, and the public records for this county are on the Erie County page.
Before you go to Buffalo
Call (716) 858-7450 before setting out for 170 Pearl St. if your transaction is at all unusual, because the state files that number as the public line for Buffalo itself rather than as a statewide queue.
Take to Buffalo the documents the transaction needs rather than the ones you happen to have: what counts for a New York license or ID is listed in the REAL ID and Enhanced license guide, and what a registration needs is in the registration guide. A second trip to Buffalo costs more than the reading does.
What you pay is set statewide rather than at the Buffalo counter, and the current schedule is in the New York DMV fee guide.
Questions about Buffalo
Where is the Buffalo DMV office?
The state lists Buffalo at 170 Pearl St., Rath Building, Buffalo, NY 14203.
What are the hours at Buffalo?
The state publishes Buffalo as Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
What is the telephone number for Buffalo?
The state gives (716) 858-7450 for Buffalo.
Is Buffalo open on a Saturday?
No. The state lists Buffalo as closed on Saturday.
Who runs Buffalo?
Buffalo is run by the county clerk as an agent of the state DMV.
What can you do at Buffalo?
The state names 8 transactions for Buffalo, beginning with Take a Car or Motorcycle Permit Test Allowed to be taken up to ONE hour before closing.
How many other DMV offices are in Erie County besides Buffalo?
The state lists 6 others in Erie County besides Buffalo.