Henderson DMV set to close, new location announced
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles is planning to close the Henderson DMV location in 2026, with a new location planned for the Silverado Ranch region.
Julie Butler, director of the Nevada DMV, discussed the location transition exclusively with 8 News Now. Butler responding to questions as to why the Henderson location cannot remain open.
“The answer to that question is we are statutorily capped on the amount of highway funds that we can receive,” Butler said. “The legislature has a policy that they want most of that money to go to roads so we are capped on the amount of highway funds we can receive unless the legislature decides they want to raise that cap.”
The Silverado Ranch location will be a combined commercial and non-commercial driver’s license facility replacing offices in Henderson and the commercial driver’s license facility off Craig Road.
New Programs
Digital efforts were at the forefront of Butler’s goals as she discussed the “very ambitious” transition for the entire Nevada DMV mainframe.
“We will be the first in the nation to lift an entire mainframe to the cloud,” Butler said.
Online efforts will not be limited to back-end programming however as Butler’s team also plans to begin online non-commercial practical exams through a third party starting this summer.
In September of last year, the Nevada DMV rolled out online knowledge testing so future licensed drivers can practice for their exams from the comfort of their own homes. That small change made a big impact, eliminating nearly 21,000 walk-ins, according to the Nevada DMV.
In Spring of this year, Butler said her team will be rolling out a program for new residents, calling it an intake process.
“They can upload their documents online and come into the office and pay for the transaction,” she said. “The eventual goal was the whole thing can be automated and you won’t have to come in to pick up your products, but you know, baby steps.”
Five-year anniversary
Butler will be celebrating her five-year anniversary of getting the top job at the Nevada DMV this month. The second year of work at the department in 2020 was filled with challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic closed physical doors and set back appointments.
“I tell people shutting down was the easy part,” she said. “But planning to reopen was a logistical challenge.”
The pandemic presented a moment that Butler said crystalized what the department really needed to focus on, technology.
“We have a 25-year-old technology stack, the mainframe COBOL solution is ancient and very painful to get things done,” she said.
The DMV is facing a challenge to revitalize many systems and produce a service model that is digital-focused. Butler cited the work and diligent efforts of the DMV IT staff and many workers that keep the department running but point to the future.
“We’ve got to move into the 21st century and put out technology online,” Butler said.
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