What this page says about Saranac Lake 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.
Saranac Lake DMV Office at 39 Main St, Saranac Lake, NY 12983: every day's hours, the transactions the state lists for it, who runs it, the notice it carries and the other offices in Franklin County.
In this guide: Address and telephone, Hours at Saranac Lake, What Saranac Lake handles, Who runs Saranac Lake, Appointments and what you can do online, Other DMV offices in Franklin County, Before you go to Saranac Lake, Questions about Saranac Lake
Address and telephone
Saranac Lake DMV office
39 Main St
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
Telephone: (518) 891-1748
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles lists Saranac Lake at 39 Main St, Saranac Lake, NY 12983 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 Saranac Lake as 44.32536, -74.13178, in its office locations data.
Hours at Saranac Lake
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM |
| Thursday | Closed |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
The state publishes the Saranac Lake week as Tuesday and Wednesday 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and those are the counter hours rather than the hours of the building around it.
Saranac Lake 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 Saranac Lake is Veterans' Day, November 11, 2026.
What Saranac Lake handles
The state lists 8 transactions for Saranac Lake by name:
- Knowledge Test Written Permit & Escort Vehicle tests: 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
- Take a CDL Test 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Enforcement 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
- Upgrade to Real ID or EDL 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
- Exchange Out-of-State License 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
- Dealer Motorcycle 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Dealer Plates 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Dealer Transporter 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
A transaction that is not on that list is not done at 39 Main 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, Saranac Lake 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 Saranac Lake list actually require is set out guide by guide: New York permit test and road test guide, New York commercial driver license guide, New York REAL ID and Enhanced license guide, New York guide for drivers moving in and New York motorcycle license guide.
Who runs Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake is run by the county clerk as an agent of the state DMV.
That is why the hours above are set in Franklin rather than in Albany, and why the clerk keeps 10.75 percent of the gross receipts from the motor vehicle work done at 39 Main St, the retention percentage written into section 205.
Franklin County, where Saranac Lake 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 Saranac Lake, 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 Saranac Lake takes a reservation is settled on that locator and not here.
Anything that can be finished online does not need Saranac Lake at all, and the New York online services guide sets out which transactions those are.
Other DMV offices in Franklin County
Besides Saranac Lake, the state lists 1 other DMV listing in Franklin County:
- Malone, 355 West Main St, Malone, county office
Every one of the 142 New York listings, Saranac Lake among them, is on the New York DMV office list, and the public records for this county are on the Franklin County page.
Before you go to Saranac Lake
Call (518) 891-1748 before setting out for 39 Main St if your transaction is at all unusual, because the state files that number as the public line for Saranac Lake itself rather than as a statewide queue.
Take to Saranac Lake 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 Saranac Lake costs more than the reading does.
What you pay is set statewide rather than at the Saranac Lake counter, and the current schedule is in the New York DMV fee guide.
Questions about Saranac Lake
Where is the Saranac Lake DMV office?
The state lists Saranac Lake at 39 Main St, Saranac Lake, NY 12983.
What are the hours at Saranac Lake?
The state publishes Saranac Lake as Tuesday and Wednesday 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
What is the telephone number for Saranac Lake?
The state gives (518) 891-1748 for Saranac Lake.
Is Saranac Lake open on a Saturday?
No. The state lists Saranac Lake as closed on Saturday.
Who runs Saranac Lake?
Saranac Lake is run by the county clerk as an agent of the state DMV.
What can you do at Saranac Lake?
The state names 8 transactions for Saranac Lake, beginning with Knowledge Test Written Permit & Escort Vehicle tests: 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM.
How many other DMV offices are in Franklin County besides Saranac Lake?
The state lists 1 others in Franklin County besides Saranac Lake.