How we use and protect your information

Data services

Data services are when we produce a customized data set in response to a request for data. These files may include personal information. We provide data to qualified recipients through:

• A one-time release of a data file
• A recurring release of the data set (e.g., we send a data file every week)
• Ongoing service (e.g., a user logs into our system and requests records)

Data recipients

Most of our authorized data recipients access our data through License eXpress. Examples include:

• Employers who need driving records for people applying for driving positions
• Tow trucks, toll roads, and parking garage operators who need to contact vehicle owners about their cars
• Courts that need to look up or update a person’s driving record after a speeding ticket appeal

Types of data we have

We have many types of data:

• Public
• Sensitive
• Confidential (This includes personal information, meaning it could identify an individual.)

Privacy and data sharing laws

State and federal laws allow us to provide data about drivers, cars, and professions—with restrictions. Only certain people and companies can receive data. We only share information when the recipient:

• Can legally receive the information, and
• Has a lawful reason for using it

Any time we sell or share data, we only share what the law allows. We try to share the least information possible with the recipient to suit their needs. For example, cities often want to know where the vehicles in their park-and-ride lots come from. This helps the city decide where to build its next park-and-ride so people don’t have to drive as far. To help them, we give city staff the 5-digit zip code where the cars are registered, without revealing vehicle owner information.

We don’t provide personal information for marketing, surveys, or commercial purposes. We never share our customers’ phone numbers or email addresses.

Social Security numbers

We only share Social Security numbers (SSNs) for a few purposes and only when the law requires it. For example:

• The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services gets SSNs of people who must pay child support.
• The Washington Secretary of State gets SSNs so they can register voters.
• The U.S. Military’s Selective Service gets SSNs of people who must register for the draft.

We may also use SSNs to notify our customers about incidents affecting their information.

Who receives data from us?

We only release personal information in ways the law allows. See the list below to find out who uses each type of data and how they use it.

Driving records

• Employers or prospective employers
  • When a position requires driving
• Insurance companies
  • For underwriting, so they can understand their risk
• Transit authorities
  • To check vanpool drivers’ safety and skills
• Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • To check school bus drivers
• Volunteer organizations
  • To check volunteer drivers who may transport people
• Alcohol and drug assessment or treatment agencies
  • To understand the needs of people coming for evaluation or treatment
• City attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, and your lawyer in a court case
• Government agencies, public colleges, or universities
  • For employment and risk management purposes

Driver information (only part of your data)

Governmental agencies use driver information to carry out their functions, such as:

• Stopping fraud
• Collecting taxes
• Enforcing child support
• Checking your eligibility for benefits
• Research
• Jury pools
• Voter registration
• Selective Service

Vehicle owners (lists)

• Automobile and component manufacturers
  • For recalls, advisories, research, and statistical reports
• Legitimate businesses
  • To conduct research activities and produce statistical reports
• U.S. or Canadian government
  • For enforcing vehicle or traffic laws, or programs related to traffic safety
• Insurance companies or self-insured entities
  • For investigating claims, anti-fraud activities, rating, or underwriting
• Local government
  • For providing notices to owners of towed or impounded vehicles
• Government or commercial parking companies
  • To notify registered owners of outstanding parking violations
• Department of Licensing contractors, counties, and licensing sub-agents
  • For providing motor vehicle excise tax, license, title, and registration information to auto dealers
• Toll operators (including Washington State Department of Transportation and its contractor)
  • To identify toll violations

Vehicle owners (individual lookups)

• All the entities and reasons listed above, under “Vehicle owners (lists)”
• Private investigators or attorneys in the course of civil, criminal, or other litigation
• Process servers
  • To serve papers during civil, criminal, or other litigation
• Bail bondsmen
  • To prevent fraud when securing collateral
• To verify title, lien, and brand information during the sale, trade-in, refinancing, or titling of a vehicle or manufactured home
• Government agencies
  • To perform legitimate duties

Boat owners (lists)

• Boat and component manufacturers
  • For recalls, advisories, research, and statistical reports
• Legitimate businesses
  • To conduct research activities and produce statistical reports
• U.S. or Canadian government
  • For enforcing boat laws, boat operations, or boat safety programs
• Insurance companies or self-insured entities
  • For investigating claims, anti-fraud activities, rating, or underwriting
• Local government
  • To locate the owner of, or deal with a boat that becomes a hazard
• Department of Licensing contractors, counties, and licensing sub-agents
  • For providing boat licensing, titling, and registration information to boat dealers

Boat owners (individual lookups)

• All the entities and reasons listed above, under “Boat owners (lists)”
• Private investigators or attorneys in the course of civil, criminal, or other litigation
• Process servers
  • To serve papers during civil, criminal, or other litigation
• Bail bond professionals
  • To verify information and prevent fraud when securing collateral
• To verify title, lien, and brand information during the sale, trade-in, refinancing, or titling of a boat
• Government agencies
  • To perform legitimate duties

Business and professional licensees

• Professional training organizations
  • Lists of licensees
• Department of Social and Health Services
  • For child support enforcement

Commercial data brokers

We work with several reputable companies known as commercial data brokers. This makes it easier for people who have the right to see your data to find and receive it. The laws allow people or companies to use an agent, such as a data broker, to access information they have a right to see.

Data brokers and their customers can use the information we provide only under conditions we specify in a contract. If they violate those conditions, we stop sharing data with them.

As of August 2025, we work with these data brokers for the following purposes:

Driver records

• DataLink (Transunion) 
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, state colleges, universities, or local government, transportation network companies, and state and federal agencies
• Embark Safety
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, state colleges, universities, or local government, and state and federal agencies
• Explore Information Services
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, state colleges, universities, or local government, transportation network companies, and state and federal agencies
• HireRight
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, state colleges, universities, or local government, transportation network companies, and state and federal agencies
• Insurance Information Exchange (iiX)
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, and transportation network companies
• LexisNexis
  • Insurance underwriting Safety Holdings - Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, state colleges, universities, or local government, transportation network companies, and state and federal agencies
• Safety Holdings
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, state colleges, universities, or local government, transportation network companies, and state and federal agencies
• Sentinel Information Systems 
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, and transportation network companies
• Tessera Data, Inc.
  • Employment, volunteer organizations, transit authorities, insurance, and transportation network companies
• United Software Developers
  • Employment, transit authorities, insurance, and transportation network companies

Vehicle records

• Auto Data Direct
  • Insurance (claims investigations, anti-fraud, ratings, and underwriting), towing, loans, written consent for lien activities, scrappers, and recyclers
• Data Ticket  
  • Parking
• Experian
  • Recalls, research and statistical reports, governmental (enforcement and safety programs), insurance (claims investigations, anti-fraud, ratings, and underwriting), tolling, parking, towing, and loans
• NovoaGlobal, Inc.
  • Governmental (enforcement and safety programs)
• Parkpliant 
  • Parking enforcement
• S&P Global (Polk Automotive Services)
  • Recalls, research and statistical reports, governmental (enforcement and safety programs), insurance (claims investigations, anti-fraud, ratings, and underwriting), tolling, parking, towing, and loans 

Driver record monitoring services

The law allows some people to periodically review driving records for changes. This includes:

Authorized people can give us a list of driver license numbers to monitor within a specific period of time (often monthly). We search for changes to the driving record during this time frame. If our system detects a change, it sends a new driving record to the requester. This allows these groups to reduce risk and ensure driver safety on an ongoing basis.

Online security

We have a team of investigators that works to protect you from data misuse and identity theft. Our team is on the lookout for:

• Identity theft
• Driver license or ID card fraud
• Vehicle registration fraud
• Address fraud

If we suspect your information is being misused, our fraud team may reach out to you. We may ask you to confirm your identity. We'll give you an option to contact us so you know you're talking to a Department of Licensing employee.

How we keep your online information secure

We protect your online security.

We build protections into our online systems to:

• Ensure your security
• Safeguard your data
• Provide reasonable protection of private information in our possession

If we suspect your information is being misused, our fraud team may reach out to you. If we do, we may ask you to confirm your identity.

We protect your personal information.

We will never ask you for, or share your login details, like your username or password, with anyone. We only share the record information you provide us through secure services if required by law.

We serve all Washington residents regardless of their immigration or citizenship status. We don't provide personal information for immigration-related investigations to federal immigration authorities. We don’t share information with the Department of Homeland Security without a court order or other legal requirement.

Data sharing and security

We collect data and use it through our data services. We have full-time compliance staff assigned to data security who conduct regular investigations and audits to make sure partners who receive data:

• Follow our data security requirements
• Only use the data as authorized

How we keep your data secure

We take data security seriously.

We act quickly when we find data security issues. If someone who was given access to data isn't following the rules, they must create a plan to fix their mistakes. We will stop giving them access to data if:

• The issue puts your personal information at risk of being hacked or misused
• They don’t fix the problems we find
• We believe there's a high chance they will keep breaking the rules

We evaluate all potential bulk data services customers.

When someone wants data, they complete a contract application. They must provide information to prove they have a legal reason for getting data. They have to explain:

• The specific data they are requesting
• What they'll use it for
• If they’ll share the information
• How they'll secure the data

Then, we check:

• To see whether the requester is a legitimate business
• The reasons they want data
• Whether the law allows them to receive data
• Whether they can meet our privacy requirements

After an initial screening, our data services team meets with the applicant to discuss the request. We outline all the requirements they must meet before receiving data, and throughout the life of the contract. If they meet all our requirements, we then enter into a data-sharing agreement.

Data recipients must sign a contract when we provide data services that include personal information.

• Restrictions on how the recipient can use the data
• Data security requirements that the recipient has to demonstrate
• The right for us to conduct audits to see if the recipient is following our requirements
• Annual assessments and certifications confirming that they're still in compliance
• Requirements to notify us and affected people if they have a data breach or discover misuse
• Requirements to cover our costs if we have to go to court

If a recipient shares personal information with a subrecipient, then the recipient must ensure that the subrecipient also complies with all of our requirements.

We deny data requests that don't meet our requirements.

There are a lot of reasons why we may choose not to provide data services, including if:

• It's not required by law
• There's a strong risk that the data will be misused or left insecure
• We don’t have the resources to provide the data

We ask your permission before releasing your driving record.

• Employers
• Prospective employers
• Volunteer organizations

Others, such as courts, can get your driving record without your permission.

Data sharing revenue and service fees

For some services, we charge a monthly fee to cover the costs of providing the data. These fees vary based on:

• The complexity of the file.
• How much work it takes to produce the data.
• Maintenance of the data service interface.

Learn more about our data service fees and where our revenue comes from.

Data sharing revenue

Revenue from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023

Service type	Revenue	Deposited into
Abstract driver record (ADR)	$28,025,864	50% Highway safety fund 50% State Patrol highway account
ADR monitoring	$1,922,390	100% Highway safety fund
Driver record request online service (September 2018 to August 2019)	$808,725	50% Highway safety fund 50% State Patrol highway account
Bulk vehicle and vessel owner data	$934,537	100% DOL technology improvement and data

Data service fees

Service type	Per-record fee	Law
Abstract driver record (ADR)	$15.00	RCW 46.52.130
ADR monitoring (notice of a change)	$0.06	RCW 46.52.130
Lists of vehicle and vessel owner data	$0.02 (waived for state and local government)	RCW 46.12.630
Other bulk data requests Includes government and private sector requests for data not provided by one of the above methods Data is often provided at no cost to other government agencies	$60 per hour	RCW 42.56.120
Contracted plate search online service	$0.04 per lookup $2.00 per returned record	RCW 42.56.120 RCW 46.12.635