Essex staff will be relocated to more frequently used service centers, which will expand operations
Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be closing its Essex Licensing and Registration Service Center, located inside the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s building on Eastern Boulevard.
The Essex Regional Service Center will be open for appointments through Oct. 10, 2025.
Seven remaining DNR Licensing and Registration Service Centers will continue to make appointments for the public to obtain hunting or fishing licenses, register boats, or other services managed by the department.
DNR decided to close the Essex center due to a low volume of appointments compared to other locations. Unlike most of the DNR service centers that are open Monday through Friday, the Essex center only accepts appointments on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The employees who staffed the Essex Licensing and Registration Service Center will be transferred to other service centers. With the additional staff, DNR will add one new counter to both the Bel Air and Annapolis Service Centers to enable the public to make more appointments at those locations.
Maryland residents and visitors who want to purchase hunting or fishing licenses or renew boat registrations can do so on the new MD Outdoors website or mobile app, which provides a one-stop-shop for outdoor licensing needs.
DNR’s other service centers will remain open on their regular schedules. More information about those centers, listed below, can be found on the DNR website:
