BRB's Public Records Blog

South Dakota Driving Record Fee to Increase

Per legislation, the fee for a South Dakota driving record will increase from $4.00 to $5.00 on July 1, 2009. This fee increase affects both online accessible and manually processed driving records. Additional mandated fee increases affect driver licensing and vehicle registration, but do not affect other record fees. The fee for an accident report remains at $4.00. For example, the fee for VIN, plate, owner, title, or lien searches remains at $2.00 per record or $5.00 for a complete title history from microfilm.

Jurisdiction Alert

1. Harrison County Mississippi

On the 18th of February 2009 the Harrison County Circuit Clerk shut down the public access system for researchers. The clerk (Ms Gayle Parker, 228-865-4051) advises that the system will be down until 1 June 2009. Please expect delays on record research.

Reportedly, this shut down is for main maintenance, but it is believed that the court may be also redacting identifiers, including DOBs, from the public record.

Thanks to Mr. Jim Smith from Pro-Tech Investigations for this tip.

2. California State Offices

Beginning February 6, 2009 the DMV and many other state offices, will close the first and third Friday of each month. This closure is meant to help address the state's deficit of $42 billion.

3.  Maine – Cumberland County Courts – Criminal Record Search

In Maine, the District Courts handle misdemeanors and the Superior Courts handle felonies. Recently, one of Cumberland County’s three District Courts merged its criminal record division with the county’s Superior Court. Records from Portland District Court - South 9 were merged with the Superior Court criminal record database. The new court is designated as the Unified Court.  A criminal record search at the Unified Court will include a search of both courts. This merger does not affect civil or probate records held by the Portland District Court. Note the two other District Courts in Cumberland County (Bridgton District Court North 9 and Bath District Court East 6) each have a separate record database. Therefore, for a complete countywide criminal record search with misdemeanors, all three courts must be searched.

Thanks to Nils Nelson of Main Public Record Services for the heads up on this!

4.  Indiana Counties and New Online System
A handful of Indiana courts are now displaying their indices on an open access system, known as Odyssey, via the Internet. The combined courts in Monroe County were the first in the state to go online with Odyssey, and it has been a less than stellar success. Conversations with a few deputy clerks and judges' clerks have confirmed that in the transition from one computer network (available in the clerk's office or by online paid subscription) to the Odyssey open network, cases were "lost" and other data were missing. Also, certain identifying information beyond the name was the address at the time of charging; we all know the limitations with that. After protests wide and large from the legal community, the DOB has reappeared with the defendant's name and address on criminal case chronologies, now known as "case registries." However, the missing cases and other data transfer problems remain.  You can note the courts available through Odyssey at http://mycase.in.gov/   Courtesy of PRRN Member Don Johnson, Trace Investigations, Inc.

NH Looks to Increase Fees for Driving Records

 
A bill recently introduced in the New Hampshire Legislation would increase the cost of a driving record from $8.00 to $15.00 for paper copies, and from $8.00 to $14.00 for electronic copies.  Interestingly, the language in HB 540 states "The department may issue a copy of any motor vehicle record upon the request of an insurance company or any other authorized agent, and notwithstanding RSA 91-A shall require payment by the insurance company or authorized agent of a fee of [$8] $14 for email or other computer-generated requests where payment is debited against an account established with the department, or $15 for all other requests..."

While New Hampshire is known to be very restrictive in regards to motor vehicle record access, it does permit employers, such as trucking companies, record access under the proper circumstances and with consent. Yet the bill only specifically mentions insurance companies and their agents. There is a question of what the other permissible requesters would pay for a record. Also, the NH DMV currently sells a ten-year certified for $10, yet this record was not addressed by the legislation.

MA Registry of Motor Vehicles Looks to Increase Record Fees

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles recently announced its intention to increase a number of license, registration, and record fees.
The fee for a certified copy of license, registration or title information would increase from $10 to $20. The fee for the complete or partial file of registration and licensing data would increase from $2,500 to $7,500.

A copy of driving record (paper) would increase from $15 to $20. A copy of an accident report would increase from $10 to $20 as would a certified or attested copy of any record. Passenger vehicle registration, certificate of title, and driver license issuance fees all are looking at 20 to 45% increases.

The public is invited to register comments on the fee revisions at a hearing on March 16 in the State Transportation Building, 2nd Floor, Conference Room 2-3 at 10:00am.
See www.mass.gov/rmv/rmvnews/2009/RMV_Fees_022309.htm for more information and a complete list of the proposed fee increases. 

Oregon's Driver Monitoring Program

Oregon’s Automated Reporting Service (ARS) Program allows users who have a Record Inquiry Account to submit a name list and DMV will automatically produce a printed driving record whenever a conviction, accident or suspension is posted to the record. There is always a $3.00 fee whenever a record is produced. The maintenance of adding or deleting drivers can be done free of charge via Oregon’s online DMV service. If adding or deleting names is done by the DMV, there is a $2.00 fee per name. For more information about ARS, call 503-945-5427.

 
© excerpt from The 2009 MVR

Nebraska Driver License Status Check

Nebraska provides its online License Status Check. Enter the full name, DOB and either the DL or SSN.

Results include DL reinstatement requirements if any, license status including points, and ending date for SR-22 Insurance Form. There is no fee. Visit https://www.nebraska.gov/dmv/reinstatements/client.cgi.

 
© excerpt from The 2009 MVR Book

Comprehensive Source Books for Driver History Records & Motor Vehicle Records

Where would you go to investigate the driving restrictions and access procedures for all 50 states?  What if you needed to decode a violation on an out-of-state MVR?  There is a resource that will answer those questions and more…The MVR Book and The MVR Decoder Digest from BRB Publications.  Available in print February, 2009 and now on the Internet.

The 2009 MVR Book and The 2009 MVR Decoder Digest are the only comprehensive sourcebooks for driver history records and motor vehicle records.  Now in their 20th edition, these resource tools provide the answers you need in practical terms.  The MVR Decoder Digest translates the codes and abbreviations of violations and licensing categories that appear on motor vehicle records in all states.  The MVR Book is the national reference that details privacy restrictions, access procedures, regulations and systems of all state held driver and vehicle records.

Professionals can access the same information online.    MVR-Web has the entire content from both books in a PDF format posted at www.mvrdecoder.com.  The annual subscription is only $49 per year.  A single password allows two simultaneous users.  MVR-Web is updated periodically throughout the year as changes occur.

Wisconsin Driver License Status Check

Check the status of a Wisconsin driver license free at www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/online.htm. The status can be requested using the DL, or by SSN/DOB, or name/sex/DOB.

 
© excerpt from The 2009 MVR Book

Check Status of Florida Driver License

The Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles provides a free online status check of any Florida driver license number. Only the license number is needed to access. No personal information is released.

Visit https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlcheck/dlcheckinq. (Note: the last letter is Q not G).
 
To check the status of a HAZMAT endorsement on a Florida commercial DL, visit https://www2.hsmv.state.fl.us/.

A third DL status check provides an insurance update and allows parents to view the driving record of their children under 18. To accomplish this, the parent must enter the last four digits of the SSN and the child’s DOB. Go to https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/DLCheck/main.jsp.
 
© excerpt from The 2009 MVR Book

South Dakota Driving Records Alert

South Dakota Senate Bill 32, introduced at the request of the Department of Public Safety, calls for a fee increase of a driving record abstract from $4.00 to $5.00.  The bill contains many other fee increases related to motor vehicle licensing. If passed, the fee increases will take affect July 1st. To view a copy of this bill, visit http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2009/Bill.aspx?Bill=32.