Washington State Department of Licensing
Agency overview
FormedApril 1, 1921 (April 1, 1921)
Preceding agencies
  • Motor Vehicle License Division
  • Department of Motor Vehicles
JurisdictionState of Washington
Headquarters405 Black Lake Boulevard SW
Olympia, Washington, U.S.
47°02′39″N 122°55′38″W / 47.04417°N 122.92722°W / 47.04417; -122.92722
Employees1,484 (2022)
Annual budget$443 million (2022)
Agency executive
  • Marcus Glasper, Director
Websitedol.wa.gov

The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) is a department of the Washington state government that administers vehicle and vessel registration and issues driver's licenses. It also regulates licensing for certain professions, including architects, cosmetologists, geologists, private investigators, real estate brokers, and security guards.[1] The agency also maintains a database of firearms transactions and ownership that is used by law enforcement in the state.[2]

History

The first body to regulate motor vehicle registration and driver licensing in Washington was the Motor Vehicle License Division, which was created by the Washington State Legislature in March 1905 and originally part of the Office of the Secretary of State.[3][4] It was created five years after the first automobiles arrived in the state;[5] the 1905 law required vehicle owners to pay a $2 fee and create their own license plates or paint numbers on the front and rear of the vehicle.[3] The licenses were assigned in numerical order beginning with the first, which newspaper publisher Sam Perkins of Tacoma received on May 2, 1905.[6][7] A total of 763 vehicle licenses were assigned in the first year.[8] The state's first standardized license plates, which were colored blue with white letters, were issued in 1916 for 70,032 total vehicles.[8]

The Department of Licenses was established on April 1, 1921, as one of several new state departments created to "promote efficiency, order and economy". It was tasked with the licensing of various professions, including accountants, architects, barbers, dentists, embalmers, nurses, optometrists, and pharmacists, and succeeded boards dedicated solely to those professions.[9] The new department also handled the licensing of drivers of motor vehicles, which took effect August 1.[10][11] Driver licenses were issued to persons at least 15 years old and only required two signatures and ten days of experience; a $1 fee was collected to fund the Highway Patrol, later renamed the State Patrol.[12] An updated licensing law came into effect in August 1937, requiring drivers to pass a written exam of 25 questions overseen by the State Patrol; existing drivers were given two years to take the exam.[13][14]

Proposals by legislators to reorganize the Department of Licenses and create a department of motor vehicles similar to other states were made in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[15][16] The department replaced its file cabinets for record-keeping in the early 1960s as part of a minor reorganization.[17] Outgoing governor Albert Rosellini and new governor Daniel Evans both endorsed a plan to create the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which was approved by the state legislature in March 1965.[18][19] The new DMV began operations on July 1, 1965, with 750 employees after absorbing 105 license examiners who previously worked for the State Patrol.[17] It was organized into five bureaus (motor vehicles, driver services, administration, information systems, and professional licensing) and eleven divisions with approximately 100 locations across the state.[20][21]

The DMV was renamed to the Department of Licensing (DOL) on July 1, 1977, to reflect the agency's roles beyond regulation of vehicles and motorists;[22] the change was suggested by Rossalind Y. Woodhouse, who had been appointed in January to lead the department by Governor Dixy Lee Ray and was the first African American woman to hold a high state office in Washington.[23] The following year, the state legislature passed a bill that reassigned some business licenses from the Department of Commerce to the DOL; it was the first part of a larger consolidation plan that would move more licensing functions from other departments.[24] The DOL also took over hearings for traffic and motorist infractions that were previously handled by county superior courts.[25] The licensing enforcement for healthcare professions were later moved to the new Department of Health in 1989.[26]

The DOL adopted new policies in the late 1980s and early 1990s to focus on customer service, seeking to emulate the "Nordstrom approach" and improve their image; among these were switching to a longer, four-year renewal cycle for driver's licenses, reciprocal agreements for out-of-state licenses to skip road tests, and technology upgrades. Some of the agency's 62 offices were also renovated to replace aging rotary dial telephones, add upholstered seating, and install televisions that played music and videos of scenery.[27][28] The license examiners also replaced their green uniforms, which were styled similar to a police officer's outfit, for a "softened" look.[28] The DOL headquarters in Olympia were renovated between 1992 and 1996, during which $522,300 in computers and other equipment were reported missing.[29]

In June 2023, the DOL began issuing temporary license plates for new vehicles to replace the former paper permit system that had been in use.[30]

Statistics

As of 2022, the agency has 1,484 full-time employees and an annual budget of $443 million. It collected $3.07 billion in revenue during fiscal year 2022.[31] As of 2022, the DOL has issued 5.98 million driver's licenses and 800,000 identification cards and learner's permits; approximately 8.05 million vehicles were registered with the DOL. The agency also licensed over 226,000 people in certain professions and issued over 31,500 business licenses.[31]

Organization

Marcus Glasper was appointed as the director of the DOL by governor Jay Inslee in 2023; he was previously the director of Washington's Lottery.[32] The department is under the supervision of the Secretary of Transportation.[33]

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Paul (February 8, 2022). "Professions, businesses affected by potential data breach range from cosmetologists to court reporters". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ Cornfield, Jerry (December 18, 2016). "State's gun database has a 2-year backlog of transactions". The Everett Herald. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Benfield, Brad (December 17, 2009). "DOL History File — 1905". Licensing Express. Washington State Department of Licensing. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ Washington State Legislature (March 11, 1905). "Chapter 154: Regulating Use of Automobiles, Motor Cycles, etc." (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1905. Washington State Legislature. pp. 293–296. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ Berger, Knute (October 8, 2013). "Auto Reverie: The daze of Seattle's first cars". Crosscut.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Progress of Horseless Carriage Brings a Steady Increase in Financial Harvest". The Spokesman-Review. June 29, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Ripp, Bart (March 12, 1990). "Legacy: Publisher left landmark, legends". The News Tribune. p. D3. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Krenmayr, Janice (February 4, 1962). "Car Plates...the List Is Varied". Charmed Land Magazine. The Seattle Times. pp. 12–13.
  9. ↑ "State Saves $280,000 Under Code System". The Washington Standard. Olympia. September 16, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Washington State Legislature (February 9, 1921). "Chapter 7: Administrative Code" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1921. Washington State Legislature. pp. 12, 51–53, 56–57. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Driver's License Provision Becomes Effective June 10". The Washington Standard. Olympia. June 3, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Sermonti, Tony (March 1, 2010). "The first driver licenses: DOL History File, 1917–1921". Licensing Express. Washington State Department of Licensing. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "219 Questions Challenge State Drivers". The Seattle Times. October 31, 1937. p. 25.
  14. ↑ "Hundreds Line Up to Obtain Auto Licenses". The Seattle Times. January 7, 1939. p. 3.
  15. ↑ Johns, C. E. (December 2, 1958). "Spotlight on Olympia: Establishment of Motor Vehicle Department to Be Important Issue Before Legislature". The News Tribune. p. 22. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Johns, C. E. (January 23, 1961). "Separate Agency Proposed". Tri-City Herald. p. 4. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "Green Garb Marks Driver Examiners". The Columbian. Associated Press. June 30, 1965. p. 19. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Cunningham, Ross; Burt, Lyle (February 9, 1965). "Self-Service Liquor Proposal Stirring". The Seattle Times. p. 3.
  19. ↑ "Vehicles Dept. Director Named". The Seattle Times. March 19, 1965. p. 16.
  20. ↑ Rigert, Joe (June 20, 1965). "Department Gets New Mission". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Associated Press. p. 30.
  21. ↑ Cummings, Robert (September 10, 1965). "Motor Vehicle Department Handles Nonrelated Tasks". Tri-City Herald. Associated Press. p. 28. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Washington State Legislature (June 30, 1977). "Chapter 334: Department of Motor Vehicles—Name Change—Department of Licensing" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1977 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. p. 334. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Minorities are among major appointments". The Daily News. Longview. Associated Press. January 28, 1977. p. 5. Retrieved July 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Report casts doubt on program for one-step business licensing". The Seattle Times. November 1, 1979. p. E1.
  25. ↑ "Traffic offenders' hearings changed". Tri-City Herald. June 25, 1979. p. 2. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "New health department on the way". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Associated Press. June 27, 1989. p. B3.
  27. ↑ Whitely, Peyton (February 9, 1993). "Coming soon, an efficient driver's license line near you". The Seattle Times. p. B5.
  28. 1 2 Steinberg, Lynn (June 22, 1993). "A gentler driving force". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1.
  29. ↑ Turner, Joseph (February 22, 1997). "Department of Licensing criticized for losing track of expensive equipment". The News Tribune. p. B1. Retrieved July 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ Dhebar, Naeti (July 31, 2023). "Paper license plates are out the window in Washington". KING 5 News. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  31. 1 2 Research & Analysis Office (February 2023). "Statistics At-A-Glance, Calendar Year 2022" (PDF). Washington State Department of Licensing. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 3, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Inslee appoints Marcus Glasper as director of the Washington State Department of Licensing" (Press release). Office of the Governor of Washington. February 22, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  33. ↑ "2022 Organization Chart, Washington State Government" (PDF). Washington State Office of Financial Management. July 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
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