The New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been part of the New Hampshire Department of Safety since 1961. At that time, New Hampshire Legislators established the Department of Safety with three divisions: Motor Vehicles, State Police, and Safety Services.

For many years the Department of Safety operated through the three divisions keeping the roads safe, registering motor vehicles, and dealing with new situations as they came up.

Changes

In 1987 the changing demographics in New Hampshire―with more traffic, more citizens, and more cross border activity―started the re-organization of the Department of Safety. For the next 17 years divisions and bureaus were created to deal more specifically with citizen needs.

What changed in the last 17 years was in response to needs for emergency services and the commercial motor carrier industry. The Department of Safety added several bureaus to deal with fire safety, emergency management services, and emergency communications.

The Bureau of Common Carriers was transferred to the Department of Safety from the Department of Transportation. Registrations, like the International Registration Plan (IRP) and other commercial vehicle transactions, became part of the DMV responsibilities.

Reading through the division mergers and separations is like studying a tenth generation family genealogy. In the end, however, after the changes were made the DMV remains the primary source for any motor vehicle related responsibilities.

Currently, any needed updates and changes to the Vehicle Code will clarify the responsibilities of the DMV. Because our population is dynamic and the business activities within the state change rapidly as part of a more global economy, the DMV will adapt to continue to provide an excellent level of customer service.

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