Manatee County was established in 1855 and named after the manatee (sea cow) seen frequently in its waters. Manatee County is located in central-west Florida and borders the Gulf of Mexico south of Hillsborough County.
It has 150 miles of shoreline with beautiful clear beaches. It is 892 square miles and has a population of over 385,000. Some of its cities include Bradenton, College Plaza, Holmes Beach, Oneco, Longboat Key, Westgate, and Whitney Beach.
Shortcuts: DMV Offices, Manatee County Clerk of Court
Many government services provided at the county level are available from either the DMV Office or the Clerk of Court - also known as the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The DMV focuses on licenses and tags for anything that you drive including cars, boats, motorcycles, trucks, RVs and more.
Your Clerk of Court delivers an enormous amount of services. Examples include your civil and criminal courts, bail bonds, boating and fishing citations, traffic citations, marriage licenses, adoptions, jury service, parking, passports, and many more.
Your Manatee County DMV offices provide vehicle registration, drivers licenses, ID cards, tag and title services for cars, trucks, trailers, vessels and mobile homes.
You can also contact the DMV office for specialty tags, disability parking permits, and transferring a motor vehicle or boat/vessel title. Many of Manatee's Florida DMV services are available online or by phone to save you time.
If you are a new Florida resident, you are required to register your vehicle within ten days and get a Florida drivers license within 30 days. If you have an out-of-state drivers license and it has not expired beyond 30 days you can convert your license without taking a written or road test. If you need a drivers license for the first time you must complete a State of Florida authorized four-hour Drug and Alcohol (DATA) Course and Permit Test on road signs and road rules.
Before registering your vehicle, you must obtain Florida Auto Insurance and have verification of the VIN number. The auto insurance must be purchased from an insurance company licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Florida's minimum coverage is $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 property damage liability (PDL). If you have been involved in a crash, or been convicted of certain offenses, you may be required to purchase bodily injury liability coverage (BIL).
Most DMV offices are only open from Monday to Friday.
Typical office hours are from:
8:30 to 4:30pm or 5:00pm
But some counties have an office that opens earlier (7:15am) and stay open later (6:00pm)
Check the location you are going to visit for their schedule.
Not every DMV offices offers the same services. Example — some DMV offices do not offer driving tests (road test)
Check the location you are going to visit for their schedule.
