When a State DMV Isn’t Actually a ‘DMV’

In the alphabet soup of state government acronyms, the “DMV” is usually a place where you go to for matters involving driver’s licenses and vehicle registration. It’s oftentimes not a very fun excursion. Those three letters, which typically stand for the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Division of Motor Vehicles, can prompt anxiety about waiting in line and bureaucratic red tape.

But sometimes, a state’s DMV isn’t actually the DMV.

About half of the U.S. states have something else. It might be the BMV or the RMV or the MVA. In many states, totally separate agencies handle driver’s licensing and vehicle registration. In one state, those responsibilities, usually handled by the state, are farmed out to local jurisdictions.

Route Fifty perused the websites of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to figure out which agency is responsible for the most basic of DMV services: driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Here’s what we found ...

Alabama: The Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Division oversees vehicle registration while driver’s licenses are managed through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Alaska: Driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations are managed by the Division of Motor Vehicles, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Administration.

Arizona: Driver’s licenses and registration are overseen by Motor Vehicle Services, part of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Arkansas: Vehicle registration is overseen by the Department of Finance and Administration’s Office of Motor Vehicles while the department’s Office of Driver Services manages driver’s licenses.

California: The Department of Motor Vehicles, part of the California State Transportation Agency, oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Colorado: The Division of Motor Vehicles, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Revenue, manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Connecticut: The Department of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Delaware: The Division of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

District of Columbia: The Department of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Florida: The Department of  Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Georgia: The Department of Driver Services handles driver’s licenses while the Motor Vehicles Division of the Department of Revenue handles vehicle registration.

Hawaii: There is no state-level DMV-type of agency. Local jurisdictions, like the Department of Customer Services in the City and County of Honolulu, handle driver’s licensing and vehicle registration.

Idaho: The Division of Motor Vehicles is part of Idaho Department of Transportation and oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Illinois: The Illinois Secretary of State’s office oversees the Driver Services Department, which handles driver’s licenses, and the Vehicle Services Department, which handles other duties like vehicle registration.

Indiana: The Bureau of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Iowa: The Motor Vehicle Division within the Iowa Department of Transportation handles both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Kansas: The Division of Vehicles within the Department of Revenue oversees driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Kentucky: The Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing under Kentucky’s Transportation Cabinet. County clerks are responsible for vehicle registration and renewals.

Louisiana: The Office of Motor Vehicles within the Department of Public Safety & Corrections manages both vehicle registration and driver’s licenses.

Maine: The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which handles driver’s licenses and vehicle registration, is part of the Maine Secretary of State’s office.

Maryland: The Motor Vehicle Administration is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation and oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles is part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Michigan: The Office of the Secretary of State handles driver’s licenses along with vehicle registration.

Minnesota: The Driver and Vehicle Services Division is part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Mississippi: The Department of Public Safety manages driver’s licenses. Local tax collectors’ offices oversee vehicle registration.

Missouri: The Department of Revenue manages driver’s licensing and vehicle registration.

Montana: The Motor Vehicles Division, part of the Montana Department of Justice, oversees driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Nebraska: The Department of Motor Vehicles handles driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Nevada: The Department of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

New Hampshire: The Division of Motor Vehicles is part of the New Hampshire Department of Safety and manages driver’s licenses through its Bureau of Driver Licensing and registration through its Bureau of Registration.

New Jersey: The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

New Mexico: The Motor Vehicle Division of the New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department manages driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

New York: The Department of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

North Carolina: The Division of Motor Vehicles, which oversees both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration, is part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

North Dakota: The state’s Department of Transportation manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Ohio: The Bureau of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and registration.

Oklahoma: The Department of Public Safety oversees driver’s licenses while the Oklahoma Tax Commission handles vehicle registration.

Oregon: The Department of Motor Vehicles, which handles driver’s licenses and vehicle registration, is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Driver and Vehicle Services manages both driver’s licenses and registration.

Rhode Island: The Division of Motor Vehicles, which is part of the state’s Department of Revenue, manages both driver’s licenses and renewals.

South Carolina: The Department of Motor Vehicles oversees both driver’s licenses and registration.

South Dakota: The Division of Motor Vehicles, part of the Department of Revenue, oversees both driver’s licenses and registration.

Tennessee: The Driver Services Division is part of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security manages driver’s licenses while the Department of Revenue oversees vehicle registration. County clerks provide licensing and registration services on behalf of the state.

Texas: The Department of Motor Vehicles manages vehicle registration while the Department of Public Safety manages driver’s licenses.

Utah: The Utah State Tax Commission’s Division of Motor Vehicles manages vehicle registration. The Utah Department of Public Safety’s Driver License Division oversees driver’s licenses.

Vermont: The Vermont Agency of Transportation’s Department of Motor Vehicles manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Virginia: The Department of Motor Vehicles manages both driver’s licensing and vehicle registration.

Washington: The Department of Licensing manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

West Virginia: The Division of Motor Vehicles, part of the West Virginia Department of Transportation, manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Wisconsin: The Division of Motor Vehicles, part of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, manages both driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.

Wyoming: The Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Driver Services Program manages driver’s licenses. Vehicle registrations are issued through county treasurer offices.

(Top photo by DutchScenery / Shutterstock.com)