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In the
United States of America,
Department of Motor Vehicles (or
DMV) is a commonly used name of the government agency of a
U.S. state which administers the registration of
automobiles (e.g., by issuing
Vehicle registration plate), and/or the licensing of drivers (e.g., by issuing
driver's licenses). In some states, these two functions are performed by separate state agencies. Usually, the DMV is considered a bureaucracy.
Terminology and organization
Driver licensing and vehicle registration in the United States is handled by the state government in all states but Hawaii, where counties perform DMV functions. Although the federal government could theoretically take over such functions through its ability to regulate interstate commerce, it has refrained from doing so.
Names
The phrase "DMV" is most commonly used to describe the agency (where it exists); however, diverse titles are used in different states:
{| class="wikitable"|-! State(s)! Agency Name|-|
California, Connecticut,
District of Columbia,
Nebraska,
New York, Nevada (recent),
South Carolina, VermontVermont's DMV is a subunit of the Vermont Agency of Transportation,
Virginia, [Indiana, Maine| Registry of Motor Vehicles|-| [Tennessee| Department of Public Safety|-| [Alabama,
Arizona,
New Mexico| Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Department of Public Safety|-| [Maryland| Office of Motor Vehicles|-| [Michigan|-| [Illinois, Vehicle Services Department and Driver Services Department|-| [Kentucky|-| [New Jersey is referred to as the "Commissioner," while the head of the MVC/MVS is referred to as the "Chief Administrator.")|-| [Georgia (U.S. state)| Department of Driver Services (Driver's Licenses) & Department of Revenue/local tax commissioners (vehicle registration/tags)|-| Nevada (historical)]| Department of Licensing. Additionally the DOL handles Boat,
Business, and
Professional Washington State list of licenses]| Department of Transportation|-| Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicles Services Division (DMV) Oregon DOT DMV|-| [Pennsylvania|-| [Texas| Motor Vehicle Division (vehicle registrations), Drivers License and Traffic Safety Division (driver licensing)|-| [Alaska, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Rhode Island,
Utah,
Wisconsin| Texas Department of Safety, Driver License Division|-| [Florida| Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles|}
Organization within the government
.Furthermore, there is much diversity in how the Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) is situated within the structure of a state's government.
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 county governments. In the
City and County of Honolulu, the functions are further delegated to an office of the Department of Finance.
In
Kentucky and Tennessee, the Transportation Cabinet and the Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Vehicle Serives Division respectively sets the policies and designs for licenses and vehicle registration, but the actual registration and licensing are handled by offices of the county governments.
In the
Washington, D.C., which is not part of any state, the DMV (formerly the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Services) is part of the city government.
In a few states, driver's licenses and vehicle registrations are handled by separate departments. For example, a separate department may administer vehicle inspection; for example, in
Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles handles both driver licensing and vehicle registration, while the state police and the Department of Environmental Quality administer safety inspection and emission inspection, respectively.
In others, the DMV is not a separate cabinet-level department, but instead is a division or bureau within a larger department. Examples of departments which perform DMV functions include the Department of Justice (
Montana), the Department of
Public Safety (Texas), the Department of Revenue (Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee), and the Department of Transportation (
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, and
Wisconsin). In New Hampshire, the Division of Motor Vehicles is a division of the Department of Safety. In
Vermont, the Department of Motor Vehicles is a subunit of the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Some states do not separate DMV functions into distinct organizational entities at all, but simply bundle them into a laundry list of 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 Michigan and Illinois, the Secretary of State's offices perform responsibilities which would be handled by the DMV in other states.
Jurisdiction and exceptions
Usually, all long-term residents of a state who wish to operate motor vehicles must possess a driver's license issued by their state DMV, and their vehicles must show license plates (and current registration tags or stickers) issued by that agency.
The main exceptions to this rule are vehicles registered by the
Federal government of the United States. The Office of Foreign Missions at the
U.S. Department of State has a Diplomatic Motor Vehicles program which issues driver's licenses to foreign diplomats and their dependents, registers their vehicles, and issues special "CONSUL" license plates. The
General Services Administration issues vehicle plates for the federal vehicle fleet (although federal employees who drive must hold driver's licenses issued by their home state).
In some states, besides conducting the written and hands-on driving tests that are a prerequisite to earning a driver's license, DMVs also regulate private driving schools and their instructors.
DMVs with the responsibility of registering automobiles also track detailed vehicle information such as odometer history in order to prevent automobile-related crimes such as
odometer fraud.
Driver's licenses and identification
In countries with no national identification card (like the United States), driver's licenses have often become the
de facto identification card for many purposes, and DMVs have effectively become the agency responsible for verifying identity in their respective states. See
Identity documents in the United States.
The DMV in popular culture
DMVs in general have a reputation for mediocre and sometimes rude customer service and long wait times. As a result, jokes about DMVs have become common (and even somewhat of a cliché) in American comedy, and DMVs are often the subject of
satire in Television programs and Films. Humor about long lines, unenthusiastic employees and departmental policies is common, as are
stereotype depictions of driving testers, usually portrayed as unsympathetic and callous. However, some DMV services are now available by mail or via the Internet, making some of this humor somewhat irrelevant to the actual operation of many departments.
The American rock band
Primus (band) released a song called DMV (song) on their 1993 album Pork Soda with lyrics such as "I've been to hell they spell it, they spell it DMV" and "If I had a choice, I'd screw a chimpanzee".
In the American cartoon
Megas XLR (aired on the
Cartoon Network), the main character, Coop, has his giant robot towed for parking in the wrong place, and is forced to go to the DMV when he finds out his license has expired. He is noted as saying, several times throughout the episode, "I
hate the DMV!"
In the TV series
The Simpsons,
Marge Simpson's sisters,
Patty and Selma Bouvier work at the DMV. The series pokes fun at waiting times with comments such as "Now we just have to laminate your drivers license, you will receive it in two to three weeks" or, "On some days, we don't let the line move at all. We call them 'weekdays'." The two sisters, despite being lazy and generally unenthusiastic seem to enjoy the suffering and displeasure of their customers.
In Driving Mr. Boondy of
Married... with Children,
Al Bundy has to go to the DMV. Apart from noticing that the common language in the DMV seems to be Spanish, he has to face his son's revenge, who found a job as driving tester there, for the very fact that he made him find himself a job. In later episodes, Bud kept that job and reported from various uncomfortable and bizarre events.
In the
Seinfeld episode "The Fusilli Jerry", the DMV gives Kramer someone else's license plates, which read "ASSMAN".
In the short play
DMV Tyrant by Christopher Durang, a man unsuccessfully attempts to renew his driver’s license, eventually concluding that moving out of New York will be a more effective solution than continuing negotiation with the DMV.
In a cell phone commercial a man being held against his will watches in agony as his captors use up his cell phone minutes as a means of torture. This process concludes with a call to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In a recent
Punk'd episode, Kutcher mathematically teamed up with DMV when they pranked
Sugar Ray Leonard.
Comedian
Dane Cook has referred to the DMV as "Satan's Asshole".
Paul Graham has commented that "You could probably write a book about how to succeed in business by doing everything in exactly the opposite way from the DMV."
In the TV series
That '70s Show, Fez (That '70s Show) (
Wilmer Valderrama) works at the DMV.
Equivalent agencies in other countries
External links
Official sites
- American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
- NOKR Emergency Contact Registry "Free Service"
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
References
In the
United States of America,
Department of Motor Vehicles (or
DMV) is a commonly used name of the government agency of a U.S. state which administers the registration of automobiles (e.g., by issuing Vehicle registration plate), and/or the licensing of drivers (e.g., by issuing driver's licenses). In some states, these two functions are performed by separate state agencies. Usually, the DMV is considered a
bureaucracy.
Terminology and organization
Driver licensing and vehicle registration in the United States is handled by the state government in all states but Hawaii, where counties perform DMV functions. Although the federal government could theoretically take over such functions through its ability to regulate
interstate commerce, it has refrained from doing so.
Names
The phrase "DMV" is most commonly used to describe the agency (where it exists); however, diverse titles are used in different states:
{| class="wikitable"|-! State(s)! Agency Name|-|
California,
Connecticut, District of Columbia, Nebraska, New York,
Nevada (recent), South Carolina, VermontVermont's DMV is a subunit of the
Vermont Agency of Transportation, Virginia, [Indiana,
Maine| Registry of Motor Vehicles|-| [Tennessee| Department of Public Safety|-| [Alabama,
Arizona, New Mexico| Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Department of Public Safety|-| [Maryland| Office of Motor Vehicles|-| [Michigan|-| [Illinois, Vehicle Services Department and Driver Services Department|-| [Kentucky|-| [New Jersey is referred to as the "Commissioner," while the head of the MVC/MVS is referred to as the "Chief Administrator.")|-| [Georgia (U.S. state)| Department of Driver Services (Driver's Licenses) & Department of Revenue/local tax commissioners (vehicle registration/tags)|-|
Nevada (historical)]| Department of Licensing. Additionally the DOL handles Boat,
Business, and
Professional Washington State list of licenses]| Department of Transportation|-| Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicles Services Division (DMV) Oregon DOT DMV|-| [Pennsylvania|-| [Texas| Motor Vehicle Division (vehicle registrations), Drivers License and Traffic Safety Division (driver licensing)|-| [Alaska, Colorado,
Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire,
North Carolina,
Rhode Island, Utah,
Wisconsin| Texas Department of Safety, Driver License Division|-| [Florida| Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles|}
Organization within the government
.Furthermore, there is much diversity in how the Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) is situated within the structure of a state's government.
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 county governments. In the
City and County of Honolulu, the functions are further delegated to an office of the Department of Finance.
In
Kentucky and Tennessee, the Transportation Cabinet and the Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Vehicle Serives Division respectively sets the policies and designs for licenses and vehicle registration, but the actual registration and licensing are handled by offices of the county governments.
In the
Washington, D.C., which is not part of any state, the DMV (formerly the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Services) is part of the city government.
In a few states, driver's licenses and vehicle registrations are handled by separate departments. For example, a separate department may administer vehicle inspection; for example, in Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles handles both driver licensing and vehicle registration, while the
state police and the Department of Environmental Quality administer safety inspection and emission inspection, respectively.
In others, the DMV is not a separate cabinet-level department, but instead is a division or bureau within a larger department. Examples of departments which perform DMV functions include the Department of Justice (Montana), the Department of Public Safety (
Texas), the Department of Revenue (Missouri,
Arkansas, and
Tennessee), and the Department of Transportation (Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, and Wisconsin). In
New Hampshire, the Division of Motor Vehicles is a division of the Department of Safety. In
Vermont, the Department of Motor Vehicles is a subunit of the
Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Some states do not separate DMV functions into distinct organizational entities at all, but simply bundle them into a laundry list of 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 Michigan and Illinois, the Secretary of State's offices perform responsibilities which would be handled by the DMV in other states.
Jurisdiction and exceptions
Usually, all long-term residents of a state who wish to operate motor vehicles must possess a driver's license issued by their state DMV, and their vehicles must show license plates (and current registration tags or stickers) issued by that agency.
The main exceptions to this rule are vehicles registered by the
Federal government of the United States. The Office of Foreign Missions at the
U.S. Department of State has a Diplomatic Motor Vehicles program which issues driver's licenses to foreign diplomats and their dependents, registers their vehicles, and issues special "CONSUL" license plates. The General Services Administration issues vehicle plates for the federal vehicle fleet (although federal employees who drive must hold driver's licenses issued by their home state).
In some states, besides conducting the written and hands-on driving tests that are a prerequisite to earning a driver's license, DMVs also regulate private driving schools and their instructors.
DMVs with the responsibility of registering automobiles also track detailed vehicle information such as odometer history in order to prevent automobile-related crimes such as
odometer fraud.
Driver's licenses and identification
In countries with no national
identification card (like the United States), driver's licenses have often become the
de facto identification card for many purposes, and DMVs have effectively become the agency responsible for verifying identity in their respective states. See Identity documents in the United States.
The DMV in popular culture
DMVs in general have a reputation for mediocre and sometimes rude
customer service and long wait times. As a result, jokes about DMVs have become common (and even somewhat of a
cliché) in American comedy, and DMVs are often the subject of
satire in Television programs and
Films. Humor about long lines, unenthusiastic employees and departmental policies is common, as are
stereotype depictions of driving testers, usually portrayed as unsympathetic and callous. However, some DMV services are now available by mail or via the Internet, making some of this humor somewhat irrelevant to the actual operation of many departments.
The American rock band Primus (band) released a song called DMV (song) on their 1993 album
Pork Soda with lyrics such as "I've been to hell they spell it, they spell it DMV" and "If I had a choice, I'd screw a chimpanzee".
In the American cartoon
Megas XLR (aired on the
Cartoon Network), the main character, Coop, has his giant robot towed for parking in the wrong place, and is forced to go to the DMV when he finds out his license has expired. He is noted as saying, several times throughout the episode, "I
hate the DMV!"
In the TV series
The Simpsons, Marge Simpson's sisters,
Patty and Selma Bouvier work at the DMV. The series pokes fun at waiting times with comments such as "Now we just have to laminate your drivers license, you will receive it in two to three weeks" or, "On some days, we don't let the line move at all. We call them 'weekdays'." The two sisters, despite being lazy and generally unenthusiastic seem to enjoy the suffering and displeasure of their customers.
In Driving Mr. Boondy of
Married... with Children,
Al Bundy has to go to the DMV. Apart from noticing that the common language in the DMV seems to be Spanish, he has to face his son's revenge, who found a job as driving tester there, for the very fact that he made him find himself a job. In later episodes, Bud kept that job and reported from various uncomfortable and bizarre events.
In the
Seinfeld episode "The Fusilli Jerry", the DMV gives Kramer someone else's license plates, which read "ASSMAN".
In the short play
DMV Tyrant by
Christopher Durang, a man unsuccessfully attempts to renew his driver’s license, eventually concluding that moving out of New York will be a more effective solution than continuing negotiation with the DMV.
In a cell phone commercial a man being held against his will watches in agony as his captors use up his cell phone minutes as a means of torture. This process concludes with a call to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In a recent
Punk'd episode, Kutcher mathematically teamed up with DMV when they pranked Sugar Ray Leonard.
Comedian
Dane Cook has referred to the DMV as "Satan's Asshole".
Paul Graham has commented that "You could probably write a book about how to succeed in business by doing everything in exactly the opposite way from the DMV."
In the TV series
That '70s Show, Fez (That '70s Show) (Wilmer Valderrama) works at the DMV.
Equivalent agencies in other countries
External links
Official sites
- American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
- NOKR Emergency Contact Registry "Free Service"
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
References
California Department of Motor Vehicles
California DMV Home Page is available for customers to check out publications, download forms, brochures, FAQs, Vehicle Information, Boats, Vessel, and Field Office Hours.
Free VIN Check - Vehicle History Report - Vin Number Check - DMV ...
Free VIN Check - Vehicle History Report - Vin Number Check - Motor Vehicles, Department of Motor Vehicles, MotorVehicles, Used Car History, Used Car Value, Used Car Price, New Car ...
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
Renew vehicle registration, renew driver's license, create and purchase license plates, replace driver's license, purchase an identification card, request DMV record, download ...
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles - NYS DMV - NYSDMV ...
Provides information on driver license, vehicle registration, vehicle inspection and repair. Download forms.
Department of Motor Vehicles
Sample driver's test, drivers' manuals, vehicle recalls, employment information, tax questions, emissions, licenses and customized registration plates.
SC Department of Motor Vehicles
Provides vehicle licensing, titling, and registration information as well as forms and contact information.
DMV Department of Motor Vehicles Guide - 4DMV.Com
DMV Department of Motor Vehicles Guide - 4DMV.Com. Nationwide DMV information. Drivers License, Vehicle Registration, DMV Forms, Locations, Vehicle History, and Recalls.
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles Official Site - www.dmvnv.com
Official State of Nevada DMV site offering information, forms and online services.
NCDOT Division of Motor Vehicles
Provides vehicle licensing, titling, and registration information, forms, driver records, driver study guide, service locations and offices, and commercial trucking information.
District of Columbia: Department of Motor Vehicles
Provides information on driver's licenses, auto registrations and auto inspections.
