The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is set to issue cash refunds for technology fees collected from customers between July 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021. These refunds will be available in $1 bills at any DMV office starting mid-December 2021.
Julie Butler, Director of the Nevada DMV, stated that the cash refund program was approved by the Nevada Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee last Thursday. The decision was made as it proved to be the most cost-effective method for issuing these refunds.
The DMV plans to refund approximately $6 million in technology fees. The administrative costs are estimated at around $2.3 million, resulting in a savings of about $5.5 million compared to the original $7.8 million allocated during the 2021 legislative session.
The technology fee was applied to various DMV transactions such as driver’s licenses, state ID cards, vehicle registrations and titles, and business licenses. Customers do not need an appointment to collect their cash refund. Designated counters or service windows will be available at metropolitan offices specifically for those seeking refunds.
Butler advises customers to combine their refund collection with other DMV business they might have planned to avoid unnecessary trips: “Our best advice to customers is to combine the refund with other DMV business that they were going to do anyway, so they don’t have to make a special trip,” she said.
Commercial fleet customers will receive their refunds via check through mail. No proof of payment is required for eligible customers; however, DMV staff will verify the amount owed before issuing a refund.
Refunds will not be given to individuals who did not pay the technology fee during the specified period. The cessation of technology fee charges on May 18, 2021 followed a Nevada Supreme Court decision which upheld a district court ruling voiding legislation from 2019 that authorized an extension of this fee program.