While you can't do anything about someone who gets at the front of the line completely unprepared and holds up the whole world, you get get through this place fast if you come prepared. The staff are knowledgeable, friendly and fast. If you come at off hours, there may not even be a line. There is pay parking in the rear and almost always available. You can even take a Metro bus to the heart of Ballard since it is right on the main street. They have two or three windows going at once so it goes pretty quickly for a license plate/tabs line. Also for boats, they do it all here (but not driving licenses, go to the State DOL for that). There are other shops close if you have additional shopping.