To apply, you must:
10 Georgia Dealer License Requirements
The Georgia State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers, under the Secretary of State, issues the license. This page covers Georgia's 3 Dealer License types and the Supplemental license, their requirements, bond size, costs, and how to apply.
Name your Dealership
Your company name is the first step, because you'll use it through the entire Dealer License process. The bond, for one, must be issued in your exact business name.
Georgia's Dealer application accepts 4 business types: a sole proprietorship, a corporation, a limited liability company (LLC), or a partnership. An LLC keeps your business separate from your personal life and adds trust to the name.
With an LLC or corporation, you can add an owner and keep your license. A sole proprietorship cannot add an owner. Start as an LLC or corporation, because changing from a sole proprietorship later requires a new, complete application with fees. An LLC, corporation, or partnership names one Designee (an officer, partner, or employee) to hold the license.
Choose your Dealer License Type
Georgia issues 3 main Dealer License types from one Board, and one Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License covers both retail and wholesale. A licensed Dealer who opens a second lot adds an Additional Lot (Supplemental) License. Each of the 3 main types can operate from a residential address under the same office rule.
| License Type | What It Lets You Do |
|---|---|
| Used Motor Vehicle Dealer LicenseRetail and wholesale, one license. The Board's shorthand is UCAR | Buy and sell used motor vehicles, to the public and to other Dealers. Requires the $50,000 bond, the seminar, and an established place of business |
| Motor Vehicle BrokerA checkbox on the same application | For a Dealer who will not display an inventory of vehicles for sale. The same office rules apply, without the display area |
| Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealer LicenseIts own application, form 36 | Sell used motor vehicle parts. Requires a $10,000 bond, and the same home-office rule applies |
| Additional Lot (Supplemental) LicenseA second location under the same Dealer | Required for any lot you operate for more than 96 consecutive hours that is not next to your established place of business. Requires its own bond |
Get your Dealer Bond (Surety Bond)
A Georgia Dealer License requires a $50,000 bond (O.C.G.A. §43-47-8). The bond protects your customers. It is written in favor of the Governor of Georgia “for the use and benefit of any purchasers of any used motor vehicle.”
You only pay the premium: $500 a year at the 1% base rate, after a credit check. File the original, with its power of attorney, in your exact business name, with the Board in Macon. The bond term ends September 30, with your license.
| License Type | You Pay | Bond Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Used Motor Vehicle Dealer LicenseGeorgia - Used Motor Vehicle Dealer (NEW $50,000) | $500/yearabout $42 a month, after a credit check | $50,000 |
| Additional Lot (Supplemental) LicenseEach licensed location requires its own bond. Same bond product | $500/yearabout $42 a month, after a credit check | $50,000 |
| Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealer LicenseGeorgia - Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealer ($10,000) | $100/yearabout $8 a month, instant issue | $10,000 |
Get your Dealer Liability Insurance (Garage Liability)
A Georgia Dealer License requires garage liability insurance for each license or supplemental license you hold (O.C.G.A. §43-47-8(e)). The minimum limits are $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage, or a $125,000 single limit. That is the limit, not the cost: your agent quotes the price.
The application requires the certificate to show:
- An original on an ACORD form from your insurance agency; binders are not accepted
- Garage liability coverage: “AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY ONLY will not be accepted”
- The certificate holder as State Board of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers, 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA. 31217
Set up your Dealer Office
A Georgia Dealer License requires an “established place of business,” and all 3 main license types can operate from a residential address if local zoning allows it. The Board's rule says: “The office of the used motor vehicle dealer shall be a separate building that is detached from the residence.”
Home or commercial, the location must have:
- A permanent building. Storage buildings and moveable structures are prohibited; a modular or manufactured building is acceptable if properly secured
- A working landline listed in the business name
- A permanent sign with letters at least 6 inches tall, clearly visible from the street. Free-standing signs need a metal base with concrete footings; building-mounted signs need metal bolts
- A notarized Zoning Certification, signed by your city or county zoning office, inside the application
For a home office, the rule adds:
- A dedicated business phone line, separate from the household's
- Office furnishings and filing cabinets for the required records
- Your license, sales tax number, and local business license displayed inside
- Access for the public and for inspectors during regular business hours
Attend the Dealer Education Class (Pre-Licensing Seminar)
A Georgia Dealer License requires the applicant, or the entity's Designee, to attend a Board-approved pre-licensing seminar of 4 to 6 hours. You attend within the 12 months before you apply, and you submit the completion certificate with your application.
The Board does not publish a price; you pay one of 4 approved providers, which offer the seminar year-round:
- Automobile Dealer Training Association
- E-Learning Concepts, LLC
- Georgia Independent Automobile Dealers Association (GIADA)
- Ron E. Widener Motor Vehicle Dealer Services
Pass the Background Check (GBI Fingerprinting)
Georgia fingerprints 1 person for a Dealer License: the Designee, or the sole proprietor. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) runs the check through GCIC, and through the FBI if there is no state record.
The order matters:
- Pre-register for fingerprinting at fieldprintgeorgia.com
- Submit your application: the GBI requires an application on file with the Board before you can be fingerprinted
- Once Board staff verify your application, GBI/GAPS emails you to report to your chosen fingerprint site
- If your prints are rejected, Fieldprint emails you instructions to be reprinted
What a record does
- Disclosure covers the Designee and anyone with an ownership or financial interest in the business. It asks about every arrest, conviction, guilty or nolo plea, and First Offender status, felony or misdemeanor, DUI included. Attach certified court dispositions
- No conviction is an automatic bar. The Division “may” deny or sanction, and it may grant a license during a sanction period
- The sanction period starts on the date of conviction. Category A crimes carry 12 years: armed robbery, arson, child molestation, kidnapping, murder, odometer tampering, rape, and stolen vehicles
- Category B carries 10 years, Category C 5 years, and any other felony 3 years. The full crime lists are in Rule 681-14
- Up to 3 misdemeanors, properly disclosed, generally do not affect an application
- A pardon lifts the sanction period. A guilty plea, a nolo plea, or First Offender treatment counts the same as a conviction
- After a sanction period, the Division can still deny if you were released from confinement less than 12 months ago
- Once licensed, you report any new conviction to the Division in writing within 10 days
Submit your Dealer License Application (GOALS Portal)
You apply online through the Board's GOALS portal; the Board no longer accepts paper applications. The costs are a $170 application fee plus a $10 processing fee. Since July 1, 2026, the applicant must live in Georgia or list a Georgia-resident agent for service of process (SB 293).
Before you apply, get a Georgia sales tax number (Form ST-2) from the Department of Revenue, because the application asks for it. The Designee supplies their SSN and signs a notarized Applicant Affidavit with a copy of a driver's license from any state, or a US passport.
The Board processes applications in the order received. A complete file must arrive 15 days before a Board meeting to make that agenda; otherwise it waits for the next one. How long does a Georgia Dealer License take?
Pass the Site Inspection (Preliminary Inspection)
A Georgia inspector visits your location after you apply and before the Board issues the license. The application says: “Do not submit your application until your proposed facility is READY FOR INSPECTION. A failed inspection will delay review of your application until all deficiencies are satisfied.”
Get your Dealer License Plates
Georgia dealer license plates come from the Department of Revenue, not the Board. A master plate costs $62, and each additional plate, one per employee, costs $12. You apply on Form MV-6 after your license is issued, because the form asks for your Used Motor Vehicle Dealer number.
Dealer plates, or dealer tags, let you drive your inventory. Officers and employees working at least 36 hours a week may drive a dealership-owned vehicle for private use, up to 6 months per vehicle (SB 293). Plates also cover demonstrating a vehicle to a buyer and moving inventory between locations.
Plates cannot be used:
- On privately owned vehicles
- On vehicles for hire or lease
- In dealership operations such as rentals, delivery, parts delivery, towing, rollbacks, or courtesy vehicles
- By friends or family members of employees or officers
Counts and renewal:
- 3 plates without further certification; more requires an MV-6B affidavit of the vehicles you sold, or expect to sell
- Renewal month follows the first letter of your business name; a late renewal adds a 25% penalty of $15.50 on the master plate
- Mailing costs $1 to $7 depending on plate count, waived if you pick up in person
Dealer License Cost
A Georgia Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License costs $170 to apply, plus a $10 processing fee, and $150 to renew every 2 years. Every other fee on this page is in the table.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License | $170 initial$10 application processing fee$150 renewal, every 2 years$250 late renewal |
| Additional Lot (Supplemental) License | $170 initial$10 processing fee |
| Reinstatement of a lapsed license | $420, at the Board's discretion$10 processing fee |
| Dealer Bond | $500 a year at the base rate, $50,000 Dealer bond$100 a year, $10,000 parts dealer bond |
| Garage liability insurance | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage, or a $125,000 single limit, priced by your agent |
| Pre-licensing seminar | 4 to 6 hours, priced by the provider |
| Dealer plates | $62 master plate$12 each additional plate$1 to $7 mailing, waived for pickup25% of $15.50 late penalty, master plate only |
| Duplicate license | $25 ordered onlineFree printed from the website |
| License verification letter | $35 |
| Roster of Licensed Used Motor Vehicle Dealers | $100 full roster of licensed dealers, Excel, via email or CD |
Dealer License Renewal
A Georgia Dealer License is valid for 2 years and expires September 30 of even-numbered years. The current cycle expires September 30, 2026, and renewals opened July 1, 2026.
You renew online through GOALS for $150. First complete 6 hours of continuing education, including 1 hour on tag and title processing, within the 9 months before renewal.
After September 30:
- Late renewal costs $250. The Board's fee schedule gives October 1 to October 31 as the late period; its homepage gives October 1 to November 15, 2026
- A license not renewed by November 1 of an even-numbered year is administratively revoked
Common Questions
Can you get a Georgia Dealer License with a felony?
Yes. No conviction is an automatic bar in Georgia; the Division “may” deny, case by case. Sanction periods count from the date of conviction: 12 years for Category A, 10 for B, 5 for C, 3 for any other felony. From July 1, 2027, you can petition the Board for a binding answer before you apply (SB 207).
Can you get a Dealer License in Georgia without a lot?
Yes. Georgia lets all 3 main Dealer License types operate from a residential address if local zoning allows it. The office must be “a separate building that is detached from the residence.” Your zoning office can certify the location with no vehicle display at all. The office requirements still apply: a permanent building, a landline, and a permanent sign.
How many cars can you sell in Georgia without a Dealer License?
Georgia sets no fixed number of cars you can sell without a Dealer License. If you sell to make a profit, you need one, and Georgia's own FAQ says the “5 a year” rule isn't a safe limit. Selling your own car, titled in your name and driven as your personal vehicle, doesn't need a license.
How do you get an auction license in Georgia?
A Dealer License is what opens the dealer-only auctions in Georgia, and the Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License covers retail and wholesale in one. The same license that lets you sell to the public gets you onto the auction lanes. Public auctions are open to anyone and need no license.
How do I get a wholesale dealer license in Georgia?
Georgia has no separate wholesale Dealer License. The Board's FAQ says “Licensing is the same for retail dealers and wholesale dealers,” and you apply for the Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License. It requires the same $50,000 bond, seminar, and established place of business. A location certified with no vehicle display still needs the permanent building, landline, and sign.
Do I have to live in Georgia to get a Dealer License?
Not personally. Since July 1, 2026, a Georgia applicant must live in the state or name a Georgia-resident agent for service of process (SB 293). Your established place of business must be in Georgia either way, and your ID can be a driver's license from any state.
Do I need a business bank account?
No. Georgia's Dealer application has no bank-account field, and the Board's fee rule does not require one.
How long does a Georgia Dealer License take?
No Georgia law sets a deadline for the Board's decision. Applications are processed in the order received. A complete file must reach the Board 15 days before a Board meeting to make that agenda; otherwise it waits for the next one. A deficiency gives you 60 days to respond, and the inspection comes before the license is issued.
Support
Licensing questions go to the Board's Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Division; dealer plate questions go to the Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division.
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Department | Georgia State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts DealersProfessional Licensing Boards Division, Secretary of State |
| Phone | (404) 424-9966 Board770-359-1819 Department of Revenue, Business Registration Unit, for plates |
| Address | 3920 Arkwright Road, Suite 195, Macon, GA 31210 (office and Board meetings)237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA 31217 (mail, bond and complaint filings) |
| Dealer plates | DOR/Motor Vehicle Division, Attn: Business Registration Unit, P.O. Box 740382, Atlanta, GA 30374-0382[email protected]Drop-off: 4125 Welcome All Road, Atlanta, GA 30349, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Additional sources (9)
The forms and the portal for each step are linked in the steps. These are the law, the rules, and the agency pages the page was checked against.
- SB 293 (Act 503), enrolled text — the 2026 law that raised the bond to $50,000 and capped private plate use at 6 months per vehicle. It also added the exam alternative, the residency-or-agent rule, and metal plates from January 1, 2027
- HB 630 (Act 90), enrolled text — O.C.G.A. §43-47-8(e), the insurance requirement — $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage; also §43-47-2(3), the “established place of business” definition
- SB 207, enrolled text — the criminal-record predetermination petition and pre-denial hearing right, effective July 1, 2027
- Rule 681-11, Seminar — the 4-to-6-hour pre-licensing seminar and its instructors
- Rule 681-13-.01, Continuing Education — the 9-month window before renewal
- Rule 681-3, Complete Applications — the fingerprint requirement and the 96-hour supplemental license rule
- Rule 681-12, Applicants — the Designee rules for corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships
- Secure and Verifiable Documents — the Board's page on the ID the Applicant Affidavit accepts
- Attorney General's Secure and Verifiable Document list (PDF) — the full list, including a driver's license or ID card from any state
