Department of Licensing

Policy Changes

AAMVA Subscription

Funding is provided for the increased subscription costs to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. (Highway Safety Account - State)

Administrative Hearings

Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of administrative hearings from the Office of Administrative Hearings. (Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State)

Administrative Reduction

Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)

Archives/Records Management

Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated share of charges for archives and records management services provided by the Office of the Secretary of State. (Highway Safety Account - State)

Audit Services

Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of audits performed by the Washington State Auditor. (Highway Safety Account - State)

Contact Center Modernization

The Department of Licensing (DOL) is the second-highest revenue-generating agency in Washington state, and DOL has the highest volume call center. Call center staffing has not kept pace with growing call demand. DOL proposes funding for technology enhancements and additional staff to meet current and forecasted service demand. Currently, nearly 25 percent of call center customers seeking help with driver and vehicle licensing issues are disconnected because hold queues are full. DOL invested in a modern contact center platform that launched June 2023, but funding is needed to bring customer experience and access to acceptable levels. Additional funding would help maintain efficiencies gained from implementing the modern platform — crucially sustaining the substantial employee turnover reduction attributed to an improved work environment with better tools. (Highway Safety Account - State)

DES Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Department of Enterprise Services for Capitol Campus costs; real estate, risk management, and small agency services; the Perry Street and Capitol Campus child care centers; enterprise applications, and other items. (Business and Professions Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Real Estate Commission Account - State, other funds)

DOL2Go Rural Communities

In July 2023, the Department of Licensing (DOL) piloted DOL2Go, a program bringing in-person driver licensing and ID card services to underserved communities. In the 2025-2027 transportation budget, DOL received ongoing DOL2Go funding for one team; however, the pilot showed two teams were needed to effectively serve the entire state. In addition, all rural part-time driver licensing offices closed due to budget reductions aimed at driver licensing office staffing. The current DOL2Go team cannot effectively serve rural communities across the state and meet demand from nonprofits, schools, and other organizations supporting underserved populations that are seeking DOL2Go services. DOL proposes funding for a second DOL2Go team and effective notification tools to be able to inform rural customers that DOL2Go will be in their area, ensuring critical services are accessible to all Washington residents. (Highway Safety Account - State)

DRIVES Maintenance

The Department of Licensing (DOL) requests funding for critical updates to sustain the integrated Driver and Vehicle System (DRIVES), modernized through significant state investment and now incorporating the Prorate and Fuel Tax subsystem. DRIVES is DOL’s main system for tracking all driver license and vehicle information, and it facilitates significant transportation revenues. DRIVES secures more than $2 billion in fuel tax revenue annually, along with billions in licensing and vehicle fees funding two-thirds of Washington’s transportation system. The requested funding is an essential business need, critical to safeguarding state data, revenue, and security. Without this investment, DRIVES will fall behind in security, compliance, and service delivery, jeopardizing revenue collection and exposing residents to greater risk. (Highway Safety Account - State, License Plate Technology Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State)

Emergency Kelso DLO Relocation

Funding is provided to relocate Kelso Driver License Office into a state-owned facility. (Highway Safety Account - State)

Facilities Maintenance

The Department of Licensing (DOL) requests funding for facilities maintenance, repair, and replacement projects. This investment is crucial to keeping state-owned buildings and driver licensing offices statewide safe and accessible for customers and employees. Currently, DOL lacks a dedicated funding source, and many of its building systems are aging, which increases the risk of unexpected failures and office closures. This funding is necessary to maintain reliable service, reduce long-term maintenance costs, and meet accessibility standards. (Highway Safety Account - State)

Firearms Program Reduction

The Firearms Program is reduced by one FTE staff. (General Fund - State)

GOV Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Office of the Governor for the Office of Equity. (Business and Professions Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State, other funds)

Language Access

Funding is provided for improving access to written and oral languages. (Business and Professions Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State, other funds)

Legal Services

Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of legal services provided by the Office of the Attorney General. Funding provided in the central service model is not all inclusive, as legal services expenditures are based on consumption. (Business and Professions Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State, other funds)

OFM Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Office of Financial Management for existing statewide applications, the One Washington program, and other central services. (DOL Services Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State, other funds)

Self-Insurance Liability Premium

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's share of actuarially projected costs of the self-insurance liability premium. (Business and Professions Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State, other funds)

Six Year Facility Plan

Funding is provided to relocate the current Commercial Driver License Program in Pierce County to a new facility. (Highway Safety Account - State)

Unauthorized UCC Filings

Funding is provided for cost of processing debtor affidavits and other administrative tasks related to the Department of Licensing’s agency request legislation for unauthorized Uniform Commercial Code filings. (Uniform Commercial Code Account - State)

Underfunded Legislation

Funding is provided to implement passed legislation during the 2025 legislative session. (General Fund - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State)

WPEA General Government

Funding is provided for a collective bargaining agreement with the Washington Public Employees Association on behalf of general government employees, which includes a general wage increase of 3 percent, effective July 1, 2025, and of 2 percent effective July 1, 2026; provision of a starting wage of $18 per hour and addressing of compression and inversion, effective July 1, 2025; retroactive wildfire rest and recouperation leave, effective July 1, 2025; a prescribed fire premium, effective July 1, 2025; targeted job classification increases, effective July 1, 2025; annual lump sum payments for employees of CDHR and WSSSB, for the current biennium only; and increased paid bereavement leave. (Motor Vehicle Account - State)

WTS Central Services

Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from Washington Technology Solutions for the Office of Cybersecurity, the state network, enterprise services, small agency IT services, enterprise architecture and data management, Microsoft 365 licenses, and other items. (Business and Professions Account - State, Highway Safety Account - State, Motor Vehicle Account - State, other funds)