Department of motor vehicles

A department of motor vehicles (DMV) is a government agency that administers motor vehicle registration and driver licensing. In countries with federal states such as in North America, these agencies are generally administered by subnational entities, while in unitary states such as many of those in Europe, DMVs are organized nationally by the central government.

Terminology and organization Driver licensing and vehicle registration in the United States are handled by the state government in all states but Hawaii, where the states' local governments perform DMV functions. In Canada, driver licensing and vehicle registration are handled at the provincial government level.

United States

The Uniform Vehicle Code prefers the name "Department of Motor Vehicles". Section 2-301(a) is as follows: "A department of the government of this State to be known as the 'department of motor vehicles' is hereby created". The acronym "DMV" is most commonly used to describe the agency (where it exists); however, diverse titles are used in different jurisdictions.

State /TerritoryAgency responsible forParent agency (and notes) driver licenses vehicle records Alabama Driver License Division Motor Vehicle Division The Driver License Division is a division of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, whereas the Motor Vehicle Division is a division of the Alabama Department of Revenue. Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the Alaska Department of Administration; previously under the Alaska Department of Public Safety and the Alaska Department of Revenue Arizona Motor Vehicle Division Division of the Arizona Department of Transportation Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicle Division of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. The Arkansas State Police is responsible for all driver testing. California Department of Motor Vehicles Department of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the Delaware Department of Transportation District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Georgia Department of Driver Services Motor Vehicle Division The Motor Vehicle Division is a division of the Georgia Department of Revenue. Hawaii Driver License Division Motor Vehicle Division both under the Honolulu Department of Customer Services, Driver License Division Hawaii Department of Motor Vehicle Now Maui County Motor Vehicle -Licensing Drivers License Division Motor Vehicles Division both under the Kauai County Department of Motor Vehicles Hawaii is the only U.S. state where no part of the state government performs DMV functions; it has completely delegated vehicle registration and driver licensing to local governments (i.e. the City and County of Honolulu; Hawai'i, Maui, and Kaua'i counties). Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the Idaho Transportation Department Illinois Driver Services DepartmentVehicle Services Department Departments of the Illinois Secretary of State Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Iowa Motor Vehicle Division Division of the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division and the Iowa Department of Transportation Kansas Division of Vehicles Division of the Kansas Department of Revenue Kentucky Division of Driver Licensing Motor Vehicle Licensing System Divisions of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The state's Circuit Court Clerks offices are responsible for the registration and issuance of drivers licenses while the County Clerks are responsible for vehicle registrations and titles. The Transportation Cabinet is responsible for establishing the policies and designs for licenses and vehicle registration. The Kentucky State Police Driver Testing Branch is responsible for driver testing. Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Division of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles Division of the Maine Secretary of State Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Division of the Maryland Department of Transportation Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation; transferred from the Executive Office of Transportation effective November 1, 2009 Michigan Michigan Secretary of StateMichigan is the only state to not have an Official Department of Motor Vehicles. Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Mississippi Department of Public SafetyMotor Vehicle Licensing Division Driver licensing is handled by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, while the Motor Vehicle Licensing Division is a division of the Mississippi Department of Revenue. Missouri Missouri Department of Revenue Montana Motor Vehicle Division Division of the Montana Department of Justice Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles Formerly the "Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety" New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the New Hampshire Department of Safety New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission New Jersey has differing titles for the high office holders in this part of the state government: the head of the New Jersey Department of Transportation is referred to as the "Commissioner," while the head of the MVC is referred to as the "Chief Administrator." New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division Division of the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. New York Department of Motor Vehicles North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation North Dakota Driver License DivisionMotor Vehicle Division Divisions of the North Dakota Department of Transportation Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles The Bureau of Motor Vehicles is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Titles are issued at the county level by the Clerk of Courts. Oklahoma Department of Public SafetyTax Commission Driver licensing is handled by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, while the Oklahoma Tax Commission handles vehicle registrations and titles. Vehicle registration services are semi-privatized in Oklahoma, with businesses providing registration services having been called "tag agencies" until 2023. Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation Pennsylvania Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the Rhode Island Department of Revenue South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles South Dakota Department of Public SafetyDepartment of Revenue Tennessee Driver License ServicesVehicle Services Division The Vehicle Services Division is a division of the Tennessee Department of Revenue; the Driver License Services division is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The state's county clerks are responsible for the registration and issuance of drivers licenses, vehicle registrations, and titles, while the Department of Revenue and Department of Safety are responsible for establishing the policies and designs for vehicle registration and licenses, respectively. Texas Driver License DivisionDepartment of Motor Vehicles Vehicle titles and registration were formerly provided by the Texas Department of Transportation, however these services were transferred to the new Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), effective November 1, 2009. The Driver License Division is a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Utah Driver License ServicesDivision of Motor Vehicles The Driver License Services division is a division of the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Division of Motor Vehicles is a division of the Utah State Tax Commission Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Subunit of the Vermont Agency of Transportation Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Washington Department of Licensing Also handles Boat, Business, and Professional licenses West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the West Virginia Department of Transportation Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles Division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Wyoming Driver Services Program Division of the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WyDot) American Samoa Department of Public Safety Guam Motor Vehicle DivisionDepartment of Revenue and Taxation Northern Mariana Islands Driver's License SectionBureau of Motor Vehicles The Driver's License Section division is a division of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which is a division of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety and vehicle registration and title is handled by the Department of Public Safety. Puerto Rico Driver Services Directorate The Driver Services Directorate is part of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (). Prior to 1975, it was known as the "Motor Vehicles Area" of the Department (Area de Vehículos de Motor in Spanish). United States Virgin Islands Motor Vehicle Bureau Division of the United States Virgin Islands Police Department

Organization within state government

The location of a department or division of motor vehicles within the structure of a state's government tends to vary widely.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state where no part of the statewide government performs DMV functions; it has completely delegated vehicle registration and driver licensing to its county governments.

In Kentucky, the Transportation Cabinet sets the policies and designs for licenses and vehicle registration; but the actual registration and licensing are handled by its county clerks' (vehicle registration) and Circuit Court clerks' (drivers licensing) offices. Likewise, in Tennessee, the Department of Revenue and the Driver License Services Division of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security establishes policies and designs for licenses and vehicle registration, but the actual registration and licensing are handled by its county clerks.

In the District of Columbia, which is not part of any state, the DMV (formerly the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Services) is part of the city government.

In Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles handles both driver licensing and vehicle registration, while the Virginia State Police and the Department of Environmental Quality administer safety inspection and emission inspection, respectively. The program is simply administered by the state; actual inspections are performed by specific authorized employees of privately owned gas stations and garages licensed by the state.

In some states, the DMV is not a separate cabinet-level department, but instead is a division or bureau within a larger department. Departments that perform DMV functions include the Department of Justice (Montana), the Department of Public Safety (Texas, Ohio), the Department of Revenue (Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado), and the Department of Transportation (Arizona, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin). In New Hampshire and Tennessee, the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Driver License Services Division, respectively, is a division of each state's Department of Safety (in Tennessee, Department of Safety and Homeland Security). In Vermont, the Department of Motor Vehicles is a subunit of the state Agency of Transportation.

Some states do not separate DMV functions into distinct organizational entities at all, but simply bundle them into responsibilities assigned to an existing government agency. For example, in the state of Washington, the Department of Licensing is responsible for driver's licenses and vehicle and boat registrations in addition to most other business and occupational licensing. In Maine, Michigan, and Illinois, the Secretary of State's offices perform responsibilities that would be handled by the DMV in other states.

Jurisdiction and exceptions