“The DMV.”
Say it anywhere and people will moan, or laugh or groan, then tell their story about the long wait in an eternal line when they wanted to get something done with their driver's license.
It got much worse during the pandemic, especially when DMV offices all over Nevada closed.
Now that operations are back to normal, they are caught up, but they have big plans to go digital — all digital.
They’re calling it the DMV transformation effort.
The goal is to get most of their transactions online in the next four years, said Julie Butler, the director of Nevada DMV.
“What really accelerated the timeline for the Nevada DMV was COVID, and when we had to close our offices and the backlogs accrued,” she said.
They also had been unprepared for an influx of new residents needing services, and already handle about 6 million transactions annually.
“Nevada, for decades, has been either the fastest growing state in the nation, or has been in the top five, for decades. We can't just keep building buildings, it's never going to keep up with that kind of growth,” she said.
In 2021, the Nevada Legislature appropriated $114 million for the effort.
Besides driving exams and Nevadans needing a Real ID, every other service is expected to be online.
The current deadline to get a Real ID is May 3, 2023. No fee changes are expected with the new systems, she said.
“What we anticipate is that customers will be able to pre-load or upload their identity documents to the DMV system and interact with a technician remotely so that they can be assured, yes, these are the right identity documents, yes, these will work when you get into the office. So that way when they do come in, we've already seen the documents, we already know that they'll work and your visit can be successful on the first try,” Butler said.
Julie Butler, director, Department of Motor Vehicles Nevada
