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 Headquarters in Sacramento | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 7, 1915; 110 years ago (1915-08-07) |
| Preceding agency |
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| Jurisdiction | State of California |
| Headquarters | DMV Headquarters 2415 1st Avenue,Sacramento,CA 95818 38°33′26″N121°28′53″W / 38.55722°N 121.48139°W /38.55722; -121.48139 |
| Employees | 8,902[2] |
| Annual budget | $1.1 billion[3] |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | California State Transportation Agency |
| Website | dmv |
TheCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is thestate agency that registersmotor vehicles andboats and issuesdriver licenses in theU.S. state ofCalifornia. It regulatesnew car dealers (through the New Motor Vehicle Board), commercial cargo carriers, private driving schools, and private traffic schools. The DMV works with thesuperior courts of California to promptly record convictions against driver licenses, and initiates administrative proceedings before its ownadministrative law judges to suspend or revoke licenses when drivers accumulate excessive convictions (as measured by a point-based system).[4] It issuesCalifornia license plates anddriver's licenses. The DMV also issuesidentification cards to people who request one.
The DMV is part of theCalifornia State Transportation Agency. It is headquartered inSacramento and operates local offices in nearly every part of the state. As of December 2017[update], the DMV employed over 8,900 people—35% at headquarters and 65% at 172 field offices (and various other locations).[2] Also, as of December 2017[update], it maintained records for 30,112,927 persons, 33,993,857 driver licenses and/or identification cards (there is overlap as some persons can and do hold both documents), and 35,391,347 vehicles.[2] California has 26,957,875 licensed drivers.[2]
On July 23, 2019, GovernorGavin Newsom released areport by theCalifornia Government Operations Agency "DMV Reinvention Strike Team" detailing recommendations for improving DMV transparency, worker training and performance, speed of service, and overall consumer satisfaction. As part of the release of the report, Newsom announced the appointment of Steve Gordon as the director of the California DMV.[5]
In 1905, theCalifornia State Legislature enacted a law requiring every motor vehicle in California to be registered with theCalifornia Secretary of State.[6]: 140 In 1907, the 1905 act was amended to authorize the Secretary of State to "appoint a chief clerk and cashier of the motor vehicle department, in the office of the secretary of state, and one other clerk".[6]: 141
A 1913 act repealed the 1905 act and gave the duties of issuing driver's licenses and also issuing "registration blanks" to the Department of Engineering.[6]: 141 The department was to issue such blank forms for all automobiles and motorcycles, as well as their "owners, operators, and chauffeurs".[6]: 141 The department organized the Motor Vehicle Division to fulfill these duties.[6]: 141 Oddly, once filled out, the forms were not to be filed with the department, but with theCalifornia State Treasurer.[6]: 141
The Vehicle Act of 1915 repealed all prior acts and created the Motor Vehicle Department of California to assume the duties of issuing driver's licenses and registering all motor vehicles.[6]: 141 The new department was to be headed by a superintendent, who would be appointed by and would hold office at the pleasure of the governor.[6]: 141
A 1917 law authorized the superintendent to appoint "field deputies" or "inspectors" to enforce the Vehicle Act, who would have the powers vested by law in peace officers.[6]: 142 This law was later revised to clarify that these employees would be titled "traffic officers" and "inspectors".[6]: 142
In 1921, the Legislature created theCalifornia Department of Finance and transferred the powers and duties of the Motor Vehicle Department of California to a new Division of Motor Vehicles within the new department.[6]: 141 In 1929, the division was transferred to the California Department of Public Works.[6]: 141
In 1929, the Legislature enacted a law collectively designating the already-existing traffic officers and their superiors (such as inspectors and captains) as theCalifornia Highway Patrol.[6]: 142
The DMV assumed its modern and current form in 1931.[6]: 140 The Legislature enacted a law establishing the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and providing that it would be supervised by a director who was to be appointed by and would hold office at the pleasure of the governor.[6]: 140
Initially, the department had two divisions: the Division of Registration and the Division of Enforcement (also known as the California Highway Patrol).[6]: 140 In December 1931, the governor approved a reorganization plan presented by the director, which added a Division of Accounting and a Legal Division.[6]: 140 In August 1933, the Legal Division was abolished and a Division of Drivers' Licenses and Adjustments was created.[6]: 140 At that time, the work of the Legal Division was transferred by the Legislature to theAttorney General.[6]: 146 The words "and Adjustments" were dropped from the name of the Division of Drivers' Licenses and Adjustments in March 1936.[6]: 143
Today, the DMV maintains a cadre of approximately 200 armed sworn statelaw enforcement officers classifiedcriminalinvestigators for enforcement duties relating to vessel ormotor vehicle theft, vehicle or hull identification number and odometer fraud,chop shops, counterfeit or fraudulent DMV documents,disabled parking permit placard misuse,identity theft, unlicensed vehicle dealer ("curbstoner") and dismantler activity, out-of-statevehicle registration plate misuse to avoid California registration, internal employee investigations, etc.[citation needed]
The DMV began collecting a statewide Vehicle License Fee in 1936, in lieu of the personal property tax that individual cities and counties previously levied directly on motor vehicles regularly garaged within their borders (hence its nickname as the "in lieu tax").[7]
The nation's first modern "credit card style"driver's licenses were introduced by the California DMV in January 1991. The plastic-coated design featured innovations like digitized photos, color holograms, and magnetic information strips readable by law enforcement.[8]
In 2012, a bill introduced by California State AssemblymanMike Gatto required the DMV to establish the California Legacy License Plate Program.[9] This program allows California residents to order replicas of California license plates produced in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The original intent was for older cars to get new plates that matched the plate colors that the DMV issued for that car when it was new. Due to lack of applications, the program was opened to all cars. For a license plate style to enter production, it needed to receive 7,500 paid applications by the January 1, 2015, deadline.[10] Only the 1960s style plate (yellow lettering on black background) received the required number of orders. The DMV began production of the 1960s style plates atFolsom State Prison in Summer 2015.[11]
Since 2015, more than a millionillegal immigrants have been issued driver's licenses.[12][13]
The California Driver Handbook is a booklet published by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. It is also available on the web.[14] Formerly titled the 'Vehicle Code Summary', it has information relating to licenses, examinations, laws/rules of the road, road signs, seat belts, and health and safety issues. There are also several pages of advertisements. The 2021 version had 116 pages.[15]
California provides permits for testing and deploying autonomous vehicles on public roads.[16] The first manufacturer licensed to deploy autonomous cars without a safety driver by the California DMV was Nuro, on December 23, 2020. Two more manufacturers, Cruise and Waymo, were licensed on September 30, 2021.[17]
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