# DLEncoder

> Free, browser-based AAMVA encoder and decoder for driver license and ID test data. Generates
> PDF417 barcodes and Annex F magnetic stripe (magstripe) tracks 1, 2 and 3 from realistic
> synthetic identities, under v10 (2020) or v11 (2025) of the AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard.
> Everything runs client-side; no data is uploaded or stored.

DLEncoder is a developer and QA tool at https://www.dlencoder.com/. It exists to give engineers
working on age verification, point-of-sale, ID-scanning, and compliance systems a source of
realistic, standards-correct AAMVA test data without using anyone's real driver license.

All identities are synthetic. The tool does not read, store, or transmit real cardholder data.

## What it does

- **Encode** — builds a spec-compliant AAMVA byte stream for a generated synthetic person and
  renders it two ways: as a **PDF417 barcode** (Annex D) and as an **Annex F magnetic stripe**
  byte stream (tracks 1, 2 and 3). Both update live and are click-to-copy.
- **Decode** — parses a raw AAMVA PDF417 payload (pasted, or scanned with an HID keyboard-wedge
  scanner), reports the parsed structure, derives the equivalent Annex F magstripe tracks, and
  flags scanner-configuration and encoding problems.

## Magnetic stripe (Annex F) support

Annex F defines the optional magnetic stripe on the back of a DL/ID card, encoding cardholder
data across three tracks as printable ASCII. It coexists with the Annex D PDF417 barcode; many
jurisdictions issue cards carrying both. DLEncoder emits all three tracks:

- **Track 1** — `%` + State(2) + City(≤13) + Name (`family$first$middle$suffix`, ≤35) +
  Address (`line1$line2`, ≤29) + `?`. A `^` separator is emitted when a variable field is under
  its maximum width.
- **Track 2** — `;` + IIN(6) + DL number(≤13) + `=` + Expiration(`YYMM`) + Date of birth
  (`CCYYMMDD`) + optional DL-number overflow(field 7) + `?`.
- **Track 3** — `%` + CDS version(1) + Jurisdiction version(1) + Postal(11) + Class(2) +
  Restrictions(10) + Endorsements(4) + Sex(1) + Height(`FII`, 3) + Weight(3) + Hair(3) +
  Eyes(3) + `?`.

Track 2 encodes the driver license number by replacing each letter with its two-digit position
in the alphabet (A=01 … Z=26); digits pass through and punctuation is dropped. Example:
`C2927129` becomes `032927129`.

**Fidelity, stated precisely:** the output is the *spec-compliant Annex F form*, not the output
of any particular reader or jurisdiction. Three known California reader deviations are
deliberately not reproduced — the track 3 start sentinel stays `%` (not `#`), the version bytes
stay `00` (not `!!`), and sex is `1`/`2`/`9` (not `M`/`F`). Track 3 ends immediately after eye
color, with no jurisdiction discretionary tail and no LRC, because neither is derivable from
barcode data.

**The decoder does not parse magstripe input.** It accepts PDF417 payloads and derives the
magstripe tracks from them.

## Barcode support

PDF417 only, rendered via bwip-js. Code39 and other symbologies are not supported.

## Standards and coverage

- AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard **v10 (2020)** and **v11 (2025)**, with version-aware element
  gating — v10-only elements (`DBN`, `DBG`, `DBS`, `DCL`, `DDC`) are omitted under v11, and
  v11-only indicators (`DDM`, `DDN`, `DDO`, `DDP`) are omitted under v10.
- Primary subfile types `DL`, `ID`, and `EN` (v10 only).
- Jurisdiction-specific `Z`-prefixed subfiles, including the **Texas LTC (`ZT`)** subfile.
- REAL ID, organ donor, veteran, CDL, and enhanced credential indicators.
- Age-threshold auto-computation from date of birth (`DDH`, `DDI`, `DDJ`).
- Issuer identification numbers (IINs) for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five
  territories (56 jurisdictions).
- Driver license number formats for 51 jurisdictions. Check-digit states (WI, MD, MA, NH) match
  character class and length but are not validated against check-digit algorithms.
- Synthetic city, ZIP, and county data for 45 states.

## Synthetic data generation

Names are drawn Zipf-weighted from rank-ordered lists (SSA top-100 for the living US population,
broadened for demographic coverage). Height and weight are drawn from truncated normal
distributions using CDC NHANES 2015–2018 adult averages. Ages are uniform in [21, 78]. Randomness
uses `crypto.getRandomValues` with unbiased rejection sampling.

## Privacy

Encoding, decoding, magstripe derivation, and barcode rendering all execute in the browser. No
payload is transmitted to a server and nothing is persisted.

## Attribution

AAMVA® and the DL/ID Card Design Standard are the copyright and trademarks of the American
Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (https://www.aamva.org/). DLEncoder is an independent
implementation provided free of charge for engineering, integration, and QA testing — not
affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AAMVA.

Sponsored by FastBound (https://www.fastbound.com), FFL software for A&D Bound Book and 4473 ATF
compliance since 2010.

## Links

- [DLEncoder](https://www.dlencoder.com/): the tool itself — encode and decode views.
- [AAMVA](https://www.aamva.org/): publisher of the DL/ID Card Design Standard.
- [FastBound](https://www.fastbound.com): sponsor; FFL compliance software.