About NOADA - One Organization, Two Front Doors
The Northeast Ohio Automobile Dealers Association (NOADA) is a member-owned trade association of franchised new-car and -truck dealers, founded in 1927 and headquartered at 688 Wolf Ledges Parkway in Akron, Ohio. We are also something most trade associations are not: the operator of a working public service counter. NOADA runs the Akron BMV - Ohio Deputy Registrar Agency 7731 - at that same address, serving thousands of Summit County drivers a year with plates, registration, driver licenses, REAL ID, and notary services.
That dual identity is the whole story of who we are. To a dealer principal in Akron, NOADA is the local association that advocates for the franchise system, lightens the compliance load, and processes titles and tags every business day. To a driver renewing a license plate on a Saturday morning, NOADA is simply “the BMV on Wolf Ledges.” Both are correct. This page explains how the two fit together, what we do, and why a single organization has carried both jobs for the better part of a century.
Who we are
NOADA is a nonprofit trade association owned and governed by its dealer members. We are not a government agency and not a for-profit company. We exist to advance and protect the interests of franchised dealers, the car-buying public, and the automotive trade across Northeast Ohio, the same purpose the association was organized around in 1927.
A few facts anchor everything else on this site:
| Full name | Northeast Ohio Automobile Dealers Association (NOADA) |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Headquarters | 688 Wolf Ledges Parkway, Akron, Ohio 44311 |
| Members | Franchised new-vehicle dealerships across Northeast Ohio |
| Also operates | The Akron BMV - Ohio Deputy Registrar Agency 7731 |
| Phone | (330) 272-9011 |
| tim@neodealers.com |
We own our building, employ our own BMV clerks, and answer to a board of dealer members - not to shareholders or a national parent. That independence is why we can move a title across the counter quickly, give a member a straight answer on a regulatory question, and speak for Northeast Ohio dealers with credibility when it counts.
Our dual mission
Most people meet NOADA through one of two doors. Keeping them distinct - while remembering they share one roof - is the simplest way to understand us.
The association (members and industry)
For our members, NOADA is the local layer of dealer representation. We advocate on the legislation and BMV/regulatory issues that affect Northeast Ohio dealers, coordinate with the statewide Ohio Automobile Dealers Association (OADA) and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), and deliver hands-on services that take real work off a dealership’s staff - title and registration processing, an HR hotline, background checks, secure document shredding, compliance guidance, and local market data through our AUTO KNOW report. Learn more on Membership and Advocacy.
The agency (the walk-in public)
For the public, NOADA operates the Akron BMV, a full-service Ohio deputy registrar agency. Here our clerks handle license plates, vehicle registration renewals, driver license and state ID renewals, REAL ID, disability placards, notary service, and out-of-state VIN inspections. The Akron BMV is open to everyone - you do not have to be a dealer or a member to use it. It is one of the busiest front doors the association has, and it is staffed by people whose core job is accurate identity verification on behalf of the State of Ohio.
An important Ohio distinction. The Akron BMV handles registration, plates, and driver license/ID - it does not issue vehicle titles. In Ohio, titles are issued by the County Clerk of Courts title office. If you just bought a vehicle, you title it at the Summit County Clerk of Courts, then register it (get plates and a sticker) at the BMV. We walk through the whole sequence on Title transfer in Ohio and BMV vs. Clerk of Courts.
How an auto dealers association came to run a BMV agency is a story worth telling on its own - see The Akron BMV agency for the full explanation of that relationship.
What we do
Pull the two missions apart and NOADA’s day-to-day work falls into a handful of areas.
Advocacy and government affairs
We represent Northeast Ohio dealers, and, through our deputy registrar work, the broader Ohio BMV system, before local and state government. NOADA engages with state policymakers on the sustainability of Ohio’s privatized BMV agency model and on issues affecting franchised dealers. We work alongside OADA in Columbus and NADA in Washington so that the federal, state, and regional layers of advocacy reinforce one another. See Advocacy.
Member services
Membership is built around the work dealers actually face. Through NOADA and our endorsed partners, members get title and registration processing, a dealership HR hotline, pre-employment background checks and FBI fingerprinting, secure document shredding with the annual audit federal compliance requires, a monthly credit-card-processing-fee audit, abandoned-vehicle removal with a dealership revenue share, and “Voice of the Dealer” local media relations. See Member benefits.
Public BMV services
The Akron BMV serves walk-in customers six days a week, with Saturday hours for people who cannot get there during the work week. Our clerks verify identity documents, issue plates and stickers, renew licenses and IDs, produce REAL IDs, and notarize documents, the essential, in-person government services that keep drivers, vehicles, and records accurate.
Education and market intelligence
NOADA keeps members current through workshops and roundtables, and shares the AUTO KNOW market feature, NOADA’s relevant, actionable information on the Northeast Ohio automotive market for dealers and consumers. See Market report.
Consumer resources
Because we run a BMV, we also publish plain-language guides for the public on titling, registration, REAL ID, and what to bring to the counter. Start at the Ohio BMV Guide.
What makes NOADA different
Two associations bracket us geographically - GCADA in Cleveland and OADA statewide - and both do important work. What sets NOADA apart is proximity and operations:
- We are local where it counts. Our relationships with the Summit County Clerk of Courts, regional media, and the legislators who represent this district are built over decades and tuned to Northeast Ohio. A statewide body cannot own that the way a regional association can.
- We run a real public counter. Operating the Akron BMV gives NOADA a working, accountable presence in the community most associations never have - and a direct line of sight into the BMV system we advocate to protect.
- We are member-owned. Decisions are made by dealers, for dealers. NOADA is not a vendor selling services at a markup; it is an institution acting in its members’ interest.
A nearly century-old institution
Founded in 1927, NOADA is one of Northeast Ohio’s longest-standing trade organizations. Nearly a hundred years of relationships - with Akron drivers, Summit County dealers, and the state agencies our members work with daily - is exactly what lets us move a title quickly, get a real answer on a regulatory question, and speak for dealers with weight. The full story is on Our history.
Frequently asked questions
Is NOADA a government agency? No. NOADA is a member-owned, nonprofit trade association of franchised dealers. It separately operates the Akron BMV as an Ohio deputy registrar agency under contract with the state, but the association itself is private and member-governed.
Does NOADA run the Akron BMV? Yes. The Akron BMV at 688 Wolf Ledges Parkway is Ohio Deputy Registrar Agency 7731, operated by NOADA. It is open to the public for plates, registration, licenses, REAL ID, and notary service. See Akron BMV.
Does the Akron BMV issue car titles? No. In Ohio, titles are issued by the County Clerk of Courts. The BMV handles registration, plates, and driver license/ID. See BMV vs. Clerk of Courts.
Who can join NOADA? Membership is built for franchised new-car and -truck dealerships in Northeast Ohio; allied businesses can participate through our associate and endorsed-partner programs. See Membership.
Who leads NOADA? The association is governed by a board of dealer members and run day to day by a professional staff. See Leadership.
How do I contact NOADA? Call (330) 272-9011 or visit us at 688 Wolf Ledges Parkway, Akron, OH 44311. Full details on Contact.
Explore NOADA
- Our history - the association since 1927
- Leadership - board, officers, and staff
- The Akron BMV agency - how the two front doors connect
- Economic impact - what franchised dealers contribute to Ohio
- Code of ethics - the standards our members keep
- Careers - working at the association and the Akron BMV
- Contact - address, phone, hours, and map