The West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been at the forefront of modernization, recognizing the demand to enhance services to meet residents’ evolving needs. As with other jurisdictions, the West Virginia DMV faced a common but frustrating problem: outdated processes required residents to navigate unpredictable lines, repetitive paperwork and scattered information across platforms. In a state where some residents live an hour or more from a DMV, a simple registration update could mean a half-day of effort.

Recognizing these challenges, the DMV worked with Tyler Technologies, a longtime partner, to create the West Virginia My Civic app, with a goal to modernize DMV services—and the broader resident experience. Launched last November, the app offers vehicle registration and driver’s license renewal, appointment scheduling, notifications for upcoming deadlines, a secure digital wallet for storing documents such as vehicle registration and insurance cards, and more.

“The app was implemented to streamline transactions and improve accessibility for the public while providing the DMV with a better tool to disseminate accurate and timely information,” says Eric Tipton, executive director, West Virginia DMV. My Civic “is only going to support and move the state forward with technology and engagement overall.”

Building Blocks

Leaning on an app to modernize services made intuitive sense, Tipton says. After all, 91% of Americans aged 18 or older have a smartphone, according to 2024 Pew Research.

At the very beginning, the project “kind of burst forth when we were talking about ways to better engage the public with DMV services,” Tipton says. “The DMV is a unique line of service because it touches almost every person in the state. Not every agency does that. So there’s a customer service approach to many things we do because we serve so many walks of life.”

“The app was implemented to streamline transactions and improve accessibility for the public while providing the DMV with a better tool to disseminate accurate and timely information.”

Eric Tipton, Executive Director, West Virginia DMV

The mobile app development process began by identifying key pain points for customers and internal operations through a number of workshops and focus groups. Tyler Technologies worked closely with the DMV in this process to tailor the app to people’s needs, including involving DMV leadership, IT teams and Tyler Technologies’ development team. Tyler Technologies has a long history and extensive experience working with DMVs nationwide, says Monica Ladd, director of strategic engagement, Tyler Technologies. Their team conducted thorough research to identify gaps and opportunities, presenting their findings to Tipton and his team. With such a long track record in this space, the two groups also leveraged their built-in “internal industry knowledge at the local, state and federal levels,” Ladd says. 

The project took about three months from initial planning to release and used a phased rollout to ensure success, Tipton says.

Moving Forward

App adoption has already been strong, Tipton says, with 1,224 user downloads in the first two months. According to Tipton, the most popular features include vehicle registration renewal, the digital wallet and driver’s license renewal. “Users have praised the app’s simplicity, speed and ability to complete transactions without needing to visit a DMV office,” he adds.

Even more encouraging: There have been over 4,000 user sessions, meaning people are using the app again after their initial interaction. “The data points to a lot of use,” Tipton says.

That level of continuous engagement was always the end game. “We want a customer-centric place where residents can interact with the DMV, store documents—an insurance card, registration card, mobile driver’s license—and securely complete transactions,” Tipton says.

Early feedback has included adding more payment options and integrating additional features, such as real-time traffic updates or personalized reminders. “We want to keep people engaged,” Ladd says.

In the immediate future, she says, that means adding capabilities such as supporting multiple languages and adding more features around resident assistance, which could cut down on phone calls and DMV foot traffic. They’ve also “been talking about adding things like information from the Department of Transportation or even updates from the State Patrol,” Ladd says. “The sky’s the limit regarding what we can add in there.”