TxDMV Plan Centers on Registration and Title System Modernization

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ (TxDMV) fiscal years 2027-2031 strategic plan centers on replacing the agency’s legacy Registration and Title System (RTS), a statewide platform used by Texans, county tax assessor-collector offices, other state agencies, automobile dealers and motor vehicle-related businesses.

According to the plan, the department’s mission is to “serve, protect and advance the citizens and industries in the state with quality motor vehicle-related services.” The agency’s top goal is to optimize services and systems by using technology platforms that support the integrity, capability, performance and security of department data and applications.

The plan’s central technology project is the modernization and replacement of the RTS. The agency says the system was originally designed and built by the Texas Department of Transportation in the mid-1990s to process vehicle registration and title transactions statewide and maintain in-house transaction data.

The 89th Texas Legislature approved $125 million to modernize and replace RTS. Due to the project’s breadth and complexity, TxDMV says replacement will take three biennia to complete and will use a phased approach while the current system remains operational to protect service continuity.

The plan says Phase Two, described as the “Foundational” phase, is underway. Work during this phase includes upgrading existing technology, developing the future-state RTS core application, expanding market analysis of peer-state solutions, reporting to the Quality Assurance Team and piloting automation for a key business process.

The agency also plans to work with a procurement assistance vendor on solicitations; secure a vendor to implement the future-state RTS core application; upgrade networks, servers, supporting applications and middleware; and develop a data migration and maintenance plan. Other named projects include an IT service management upgrade, firewall upgrade and document management and storage work.

Data modernization is also part of the RTS transition. TxDMV says it will analyze the data ecosystem, modernize data assets and implement enabling tools to prepare for future-state system integration and migration. The plan says data architecture, data modeling and data flow planning are needed to support integration, interoperability, data quality, privacy and security requirements.

The department also plans to continue coordination with the Texas Department of Information Resources to align with Texas by Texas initiatives and support integration across state platforms. Once implemented, TxDMV says the new system is expected to improve the efficiency, speed, consistency and accuracy of services for the public and motor vehicle industries seeking registration and title services.

The plan links the new system to digital service expansion. TxDMV says the modernization will increase or enhance digital service offerings, reduce the need for in-person transaction processing at county or regional offices, reduce system downtime, improve cybersecurity, optimize data management and analytics and improve the user experience.

The budget structure reflects those priorities. TxDMV lists “Technology Enhancement & Automation” as a strategy to build and maintain infrastructure using proven technology to develop innovative solutions, improve operational efficiencies and expand online services for customers and stakeholders. The plan also lists information resources as departmentwide support for infrastructure, cybersecurity, end-user help services and business applications.

TxDMV’s draft capital plan includes two information resources projects totaling $49 million across fiscal years 2027-2031: $24 million for department technology replacement and upgrades and $25 million for county technology replacement and upgrades. The plan notes that the figures are preliminary pending further research by TxDMV.

The plan also includes compliance certifications for cybersecurity training and artificial intelligence training, both signed June 1 by Executive Director Daniel Avitia and Board Chair Charles Bacarisse.

Together, the plan points to potential needs around system integration, application modernization, data migration, cybersecurity, automation, document management, infrastructure upgrades, county technology support and customer-facing digital services.