DOL's core services include driver, vehicle and professional licensing, regulation and education. Agency overhead is the business infrastructure required to lead and support that broad scope, and ensure agency accountability. Business units include: Executive management, Policy & Legislation, Communication & Education, Performance & Accountability, Human Resources, Emergency & Risk management, Budget, Accounting, Payroll, Contracts, and Public Disclosure.

DOL issues and renews driver licenses, permits and identification cards to over 1 million Washington residents each year, by screening applicants for identity, eligibility and skills. DOL improves traffic safety by providing driver guides, curriculum and tests, motorcycle and commercial driver safety programs and endorsements, managing driver records, regulating unsafe drivers, and licensing and regulating driver training schools, instructors and examiners. Customers are served through driver licensing offices, online and by phone. Transaction fees collected help fund the state's transportation system.

DOL provides vehicle titles, registrations, plates and permits, as well as boat registrations, through county auditors and the private businesses with whom they subcontract. DOL provides technical support and training to these direct service providers and manages the contract. DOL creates, maintains and secures vehicle records; assists law enforcement by providing access to records; and collects fees and taxes that support state and local transportation projects, law enforcement, and the Washington State Patrol.

DOL licenses and regulates over 260,000 professions and businesses spanning over 40 industries, so that all Washington consumers are protected from potential risks to their health, safety or assets. Services include: audits and inspections of licensees, and guidance on regulatory compliance; taking regulatory action, conducting hearings, and corrective action follow-up; investigating consumer complaints against licensees; and partnering with regulatory boards regarding license requirements and consumer protection.

DOL administers motor vehicle, special, and aviation fuel tax collection programs; processes fuel tax returns; and collects over $1 billion in annual revenue to fund our state's transportation system. DOL licenses and audits fuel distributors, and provides them with taxpayer education.  DOL administers the International Registration Plan and International Fuel Tax Agreement, providing one-stop vehicle licensing and fuel tax filing services for Washington based interstate motor carriers.

DOL is continuously modernizing and adapting its technology systems in response to law changes, population growth, and the public's expectation for modern service through technology. DOL prioritizes and manages large IT projects at an enterprise level to ensure successful outcomes from large technology investments.

Those elements of cost necessary in the production of a good or service which are not directly traceable to the product or service. Usually these costs relate to objects of expenditure that do not become an integral part of the finished product or service, such as rent, utilities, and other statewide central service costs.