California Department of Motor Vehicles

California Department of Motor Vehicles
Logo

Headquarters in Sacramento
Agency overview
FormedAugust 7, 1915; 109 years ago (1915-08-07)
Preceding agency
  • Engineering Department[1]
JurisdictionState of California
HeadquartersDMV Headquarters
2415 1st Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95818
38°33′26″N 121°28′53″W / 38.55722°N 121.48139°W / 38.55722; -121.48139
Employees8,902[2]
Annual budget$1.1 billion[3]
Agency executive
  • Steve Gordon, Director
Parent agencyCalifornia State Transportation Agency
Websitedmv.ca.gov

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the state agency that registers motor vehicles and boats and issues driver licenses in the U.S. state of California. It regulates new car dealers (through the New Motor Vehicle Board), commercial cargo carriers, private driving schools, and private traffic schools. The DMV works with the superior courts of California to promptly record convictions against driver licenses, and initiates administrative proceedings before its own administrative law judges to suspend or revoke licenses when drivers accumulate excessive convictions (as measured by a point-based system).[4] It issues California license plates and driver's licenses. The DMV also issues identification cards to people who request one.

The DMV is part of the California State Transportation Agency. It is headquartered in Sacramento and operates local offices in nearly every part of the state. As of December 2017, 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, 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, Governor Gavin Newsom released a report by the California 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]

  1. ^ "DMV History". California Department of Motor Vehicles. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "State of California Department of Motor Vehicles Statistics for Publication January through December 2017" (PDF). Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "The 2017-2018 Budget". Legislative Analyst Office. State of California. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "How to Determine How Many Points Are on Your License". simmrinlawgroup.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Governor Newsom Releases DMV Strike Team Report, Announces New Leadership". California Governor. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.