 Seal of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1907; 118 years ago (1907) |
| Preceding department |
|
| Jurisdiction | Ohio |
| Headquarters | Charles D. Shipley Building 1970 West Broad Street Columbus, Ohio |
| Department executive |
|
| Parent department | Ohio Department of Public Safety |
| Website | www |
TheOhio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (abbreviatedBMV) is an agency of theOhio Department of Public Safety that registersmotor vehicles and issueslicense plates anddriver's licenses in theU.S. state ofOhio. It is headquartered in the state capital,Columbus, and operates deputy registrar's offices and driver exam stations throughout the state. The agency is administered by theRegistrar of Motor Vehicles. As of 2019[update], there are 8,071,426 valid Ohio driver's licenses, 839,474 Ohio identification cards, and 13,285,303 registered vehicles in the state.[1]
On May 19, 1902,Cleveland became one of the first cities in the country to require motorists to display government-issued registration numbers on their vehicles.[2][3]
In 1906, the state attempted to take over auto registration under the Ward Automobile Law, but litigation delayed the program until thestate Supreme Court ruled in favor of the law. TheSecretary of State's Automobile Division was established in 1907.[4] The Ward Law went into effect on June 11, 1908, but the Automobile Division did not begin issuing plates for another 30 days due to a manufacturing defect.[5] The first state vehicle registration was issued to Cincinnati resident Thomas B. Paxton, Jr., for hisFranklin automobile.[6] Locally issued and owner-provided license plates were phased out by 1909 for automobiles,[3] but local plates continued to be used for motorcycles until 1914.[5]
In 1925, the Automobile Division was renamed the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and the Registrar of Motor Vehicles was retitled the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. In 1933, the Bureau was transferred to the newly createdOhio Department of Highways. In 1935, the Commissioner title was reverted to Registrar.[6] On May 19, 1953, Amended House Bill 243 created theOhio Department of Highway Safety and transferred the Bureau of Motor Vehicles andState Highway Patrol to the new department, effective October 2, 1953.[7] Deputy registrars werepolitical appointees until November 28, 1988, when a privaterequest for proposal process took effect.[6] The BMV's parent agency was renamed the Department of Public Safety in September 1992.
The division allows for special license plates to be purchased by individuals which indicate if either the driver or passenger of a particular vehicle has a communication disability, to decrease the chance of negative interactions with police.[8]
