COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State officials have re-opened E-Check stations in Northeast Ohio after they were closed for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The E-Check stations, which most drivers in Cuyahoga County and the six surrounding counties are required to visit every two years in order to renew their vehicle registrations, had been closed since March 19. The stations re-opened on Tuesday, according to the Ohio EPA.
So what if your E-Check was due during the time the stations were closed?
Due to the pandemic, officials issued a six-month extension on E-Check requirements to all motorists whose vehicle renewal was due from February through July. That extension remains in place.
However, that means drivers still will need to get their E-Check, even if they’ve already renewed their registrations during the period the stations were closed, according to Heidi Griesmer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. For example, someone who renewed their registration on May 1 without getting a required E-Check now has until Nov. 1 to get one.
Since the state usually uses vehicle registration requirements to enforce E-Checks, it now will have the challenge of making sure people are aware of what they have to do.
“If you renew your registration every year, it wouldn’t be flagged until you go next year,” Griesmer said. “But for multi-year registrations, that’s a situation where the BMV will send something out.”
Similar to E-Check stations, state BMV offices also re-opened this week after most were closed for months due to the coronavirus. The state similarly issued a grace period to people whose driver’s licenses expired while Ohio BMVs were closed. Ohio driver’s licenses that otherwise would have expired are valid for another 90 days after the current state of emergency ends, or until Dec. 1, whichever comes first.
Envirotest Systems, the vendor that runs the E-Check stations for the state, is taking extra precautions to limit spreading COVID-19, including only allowing one employee to work per lane and requiring all employees to wear gloves, face masks, face shields and safety glasses.
State officials recommend drivers wear a mask or face covering while visiting.
The state also offers self-service kiosks.
More information about the state E-Check program, including station addresses and locations with estimated shorter wait times, can be found at http://www.ohioecheck.info.
The current E-Check program dates back to the 1990s as part of Ohio’s response to tougher federal emissions standards.
The Republican-controlled Ohio House in February passed a resolution urging the elimination of E-Check requirements. But the program remains in place, since control of the program lies with the federal government.
Read recent coverage from cleveland.com:
Long lines greet Ohioans at newly re-opening BMVs
Ohioans will have a grace period to renew their driver’s licenses after coronavirus emergency ends
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine orders 181 BMV locations closed on Wednesday in response to coronavirus
Ohio lawmakers want feds to end mandatory E-Checks in Greater Cleveland