To apply, you must:
10 Kansas Dealer License Requirements
Kansas Dealer Licenses are issued by the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles, Dealer Licensing Bureau. This page covers Kansas's 6 Dealer License types, their requirements, bond size, costs, and how to apply.
Name your Dealership
Your company name is the first step, because you use it through the entire Dealer License process. Kansas's Dealer application accepts an individual (sole proprietor), partnership, corporation, limited liability partnership, Ltd company, or LLC.
An LLC keeps your business separate from your personal life and adds trust to the name. A corporation, LLP, Ltd company, or LLC attaches its Kansas Secretary of State registration papers to the application. A sole proprietor or partnership submits 3 credit references instead.
A company formed in another state registers with the Kansas Secretary of State as a foreign corporation first.
Choose your Dealer License Type
Kansas issues 6 main Dealer License types, each $75 a year, on one application, the D-17A. That form lists 18 license types in all. The other 12 are for manufacturers, converters, distributors, factory and distributor branches, lending agencies, insurance companies, salvage pools, rebuilders, recyclers, crushers, and scrap metal recyclers.
| License Type | What It Lets You Do |
|---|---|
| New/Used Vehicle Dealer | Sell new and used vehicles. Salvage vehicles and manufactured homes need their own license, and Kansas asks New/Used applicants to allow 6 to 8 weeks for processing |
| Used Vehicle Dealer | Sell used vehicles. Salvage vehicles and manufactured homes need their own license |
| Wholesale Vehicle Dealer | Buy and sell vehicles in wholesale transactions. Its dealer plates may only be used to transport or deliver vehicles in those sales, and it still requires an established place of business |
| Salvage Vehicle Dealer | Buy and sell salvage vehicles. Dealer plates go only on vehicles bought for salvage, and the license needs a KDOT Certificate of Compliance (form D-35) for each location |
| Auction Motor Vehicle Dealer | Run a motor vehicle auction from an established place of business |
| Used RV BrokerThe only broker license Kansas issues | Broker the sale of a used recreational vehicle titled to its owner for 45 days or more, or a repossessed RV. Brokers get no dealer plates |
Get your Dealer Bond (Surety Bond)
A Kansas New/Used Vehicle Dealer or Used Vehicle Dealer License requires a $50,000 bond, filed with the Division of Vehicles (K.S.A. 8-2404(i)). The bond protects customers if you break Kansas's dealer laws. A $50,000 Dealer Bond costs only $400 a year at the base rate, after a credit check.
You can deposit $50,000 in cash or negotiable securities with the State Treasurer instead. A deposit stays on file for 2 years after your last vehicle sale.
For the Wholesale, Salvage, Auction, and Used RV Broker licenses, Kansas's own documents give 3 different bond amounts. Call Dealer Licensing at 785-296-3621, option 6, before you buy one.
The 3 amounts on record:
- $50,000 on the D-17A application, for every license type except manufacturers, distributors, factory branches, lending agencies, and manufactured home dealers
- $30,000 in the Dealer Handbook's bond table, which lists all 4 of those license types
- $5,000 to $20,000 in the statute, at the director's discretion, when there is reasonable cause to doubt financial responsibility
Dealer 101 Insurance Services
Licensed in Kansas · NPN 22346185
| License Type | You Pay | Bond Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New/Used Vehicle DealerKansas - NEW Motor Vehicle Dealer ($50,000). Credit check required | $400/yearabout $33 a month | $50,000 |
| Used Vehicle DealerKansas - USED Motor Vehicle Dealer ($50,000). Credit check required | $400/yearabout $33 a month | $50,000 |
Get your Liability Insurance (Public Liability and Property Damage Policy)
A Kansas Dealer License requires a liability insurance policy on file with the Division of Vehicles before it is issued or renewed (K.S.A. 8-2405). The policy covers the vehicles in your inventory when you, your employees, your agents, or a prospective buyer drive them.
The minimum limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, and $10,000 for property damage. The policy can come from a Kansas-admitted insurer or an eligible nonadmitted (surplus-lines) insurer under K.S.A. 40-246e. If it is cancelled, your license is void on the cancellation date.
Set up your Dealer Office (Established Place of Business)
A Kansas Dealer License requires an established place of business that the Division of Vehicles has inspected and approved (K.S.A. 8-2404(k)). A home office isn't allowed. The law's definition is a building “other than a building or structure all or part of which is occupied or used as a residence.”
The table below is the statute's own list. Only first stage manufacturers, factory branches, factory representatives, distributor branches, distributor representatives, and lending agencies are licensed without one.
| What Kansas Requires | |
|---|---|
| Building | Owned or leased, set up as an office to receive mail, keep records, and conduct business, and kept separate from a residence |
| Phone | An operable telephone listed with the phone company in the business name |
| Sign | Durable lettering at least 10 inches high, easily visible from the street. Smaller only if local zoning forbids that size, with written proof from the zoning office |
| Lot | Enough lot space to display as many vehicles as you have dealer plates assigned |
| Zoning | A zoning certification from the county or city zoning office, specific to the license type at that location. If the location is unzoned, the zoning agent signs the “No Zoning Applicable” box |
| Records | Available for inspection during regular business hours by the Division or law enforcement |
Pass the Background Check (D-17A Question 10)
Kansas runs no fingerprint or Live Scan check for a Dealer License. The application asks 2 questions instead, and the proprietor, a partner, or a corporate officer signs that every answer is true.
The 2 questions:
- Question 9: “Have you ever been denied a dealer license or has your dealer license ever been suspended or revoked, either in this State or any other?”
- Question 10: whether “within the five years immediately preceding the date of filing this application you have been convicted of a felony”
If the licensee is a corporation, any officer, director, or trustee's record can be grounds; for a partnership, any partner's. The director may also weigh whether an applicant is “of good character and reputation in the community.”
If you have a record
- A felony isn't an automatic bar. The director “may” deny for a felony or moral-turpitude conviction, and Kansas law says a felony “shall not operate as a bar” to a license (K.S.A. 74-120).
- The window is 5 years. It runs from the conviction date, counted back from the day you file; an older conviction falls outside this ground.
- Misdemeanors mostly don't count. The form asks about felonies only, and a pending charge isn't a conviction.
- An expunged conviction is cleared. Kansas's expungement law lets you answer that you were never convicted, and the Dealer License isn't on its must-disclose list (K.S.A. 21-6614).
- You can appeal a denial. The director decides within 30 days and states the grounds in writing; you can request a hearing, then appeal to district court within 30 days.
Get your Dealer License Plates
Kansas dealer license plates cost $275.50 for the first plate and $30.50 for each additional plate, on the D-17A fee schedule. A new dealer starts with 3 plates per plate type, and keeps or grows that count by reporting at least 5 sales per plate type a year. Trailer and manufactured home plates are $25.50 each.
Full Use plates, at $350.50 each and up to 10 per dealer, carry full driving privileges and transfer between your own vehicles.
The licensed Dealer and their spouse can drive on dealer tags for personal use, on a New/Used or Used Vehicle Dealer License. Sales staff licensed in Kansas and working at least 20 hours a week can drive them too. So can a customer during a demonstration, and any employee for a specific business transaction.
Submit your Dealer License Application (D-17A)
You apply to the Division of Vehicles on paper: the D-17A is completed, signed, and mailed to Dealer Licensing, PO Box 2369, Topeka, KS 66601-2369. There is no online application. The license fee is $75 a year for each of the 6 main license types, and every fee is itemized under costs.
The form asks for the business's sales tax number and FEIN, with a copy of your Sales Tax Registration Certificate attached. It also lists the name, address, birth date, and SSN of each owner. Send a photo of your location and sign with it.
Pass the Site Inspection (Field Investigator)
A Kansas Dealer License location is inspected after you mail the application and before the license is issued. A Division field investigator reviews your file and inspects the site. The first inspection is free; each additional inspection needed for approval costs $30.
Routine inspections continue after you're licensed, to confirm the location still meets the requirements.
Attend the Dealer Training Class (Dealer Training)
Kansas has no pre-license education class and no Dealer exam, for any of its license types. The one class, Dealer Training, comes after your application is approved. The Division emails the invitation to the address on your application, and you receive your Dealer License when you complete the class.
The Division runs the class itself; there is no outside provider to choose. A Vehicle Salesperson passes a written exam before that license is issued. A licensed Dealer who sells personally doesn't need a salesperson license.
Dealer License Cost
A Kansas Dealer License costs $75 a year for each of the 6 main license types, lower than most states. Every other fee on this page is in the table.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dealer LicenseNew/Used, Used, Wholesale, Salvage, Auction, Used RV Broker, and most other types | $75 a year |
| Other license types | $50 a year, Lending Agency, Converter, Factory or Distributor Representative$225 a year, Manufacturer, plus $75 for each factory branch$25 a year, Vehicle Salesperson |
| Supplemental location | $35 a year |
| Dealer plates | $275.50 first plate$30.50 each additional plate$25.50 each trailer or manufactured home plate$350.50 each Full Use plate, up to 10 |
| Dealer Bond | $400 a year, $50,000 bond, credit check required, New/Used and Used Vehicle Dealers |
| Liability insurance | Priced by your agent; $25,000 per person, $50,000 per occurrence, $10,000 property damage minimums |
| Additional site inspectionOnly if the first inspection doesn't approve the location | $30 each |
| License or representative transfer to a new employer | $12 |
| 60-day temporary registration permitPrinted through the Customer Service Center once you're licensed | $3 each |
| 72-hour auction transport permit | $3 each, sold in sets of 3 |
| Display Show PermitNew-vehicle dealers only | $15 for 3 months$30 for 6 months$90 for 12 months |
| Temporary Trade Show LicenseNew trucks, tractors, semitrailers, and RVs; up to 4 days, no sales, 2 per participant per county a year | $50 |
Dealer License Renewal
A Kansas Dealer License expires December 31 every year, whatever month it was issued. Renewal costs the same $75 license fee, plus your plate fees and the $35 supplemental location fee if you have one.
The Division emails renewal notices in early November, and renewals run through the Kansas Department of Revenue Customer Service Center online. No continuing education and no exam is required to renew.
Common Questions
Can you get a Kansas Dealer License with a felony?
Yes. A felony isn't an automatic bar. The director “may” deny for a felony or moral-turpitude conviction within the 5 years before you file. Kansas law also says a felony “shall not operate as a bar” to a license (K.S.A. 74-120). An older conviction falls outside that ground, and an expunged one may be answered as never convicted.
Can you get a Dealer License in Kansas without a lot?
No. A Kansas Dealer License requires an established place of business, and the law's definition excludes any building “occupied or used as a residence.” Kansas publishes no minimum square footage. The lot must display as many vehicles as you have dealer plates, and a new dealer starts with 3 per plate type. The full list is under Office.
How many cars can you sell in Kansas without a Dealer License?
In Kansas, selling 5 or more motor vehicles in one calendar year is prima facie evidence that you're in the business of selling vehicles. A Dealer License is then required (K.A.R. 92-50-42). It's a rebuttable presumption, and you're entitled to a hearing to show otherwise.
Does Kansas require a class or exam for a Dealer License?
No. Kansas has no pre-license education course and no Dealer exam for any license type. The only class is the Division's own Dealer Training, scheduled after your application is approved; completing it is how you receive the license.
How long does a Kansas Dealer License take?
Kansas law requires the Division to grant or refuse a license within 30 days of receiving the application (K.S.A. 8-2404(d)). The D-17A itself tells New/Used Vehicle Dealer applicants to allow 6 to 8 weeks. After approval, you attend Dealer Training and receive the license there.
Can you get a broker license in Kansas?
Not for cars. Kansas law bars acting as a broker in “the advertising, buying or selling of any new or used motor vehicle” (K.S.A. 8-2404(u)). The one exception is a used recreational vehicle titled to its owner for 45 days or more, or a repossessed RV. That is why the Used RV Broker is the only broker license Kansas issues.
Do I need a business bank account?
No. Nothing in Kansas's dealer law, the D-17A application, or the Dealer Handbook's document checklist asks for a business bank account. Kansas checks financial standing through 3 credit references for a sole proprietor or partnership, or Secretary of State registration for a corporation or LLC.
Do salespeople need a license in Kansas?
Yes, unless you're the licensed Dealer selling in person. A Vehicle Salesperson License costs $25 a year and requires a written exam before it's issued. It expires June 30, not December 31.
Support
The Dealer Licensing Bureau issues every license on this page, including the New/Used Vehicle Dealer License, and its field investigators run the site inspection. Dealer Licensing is option 6 on the Division's main line; titles are option 2.
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Department | Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles, Dealer Licensing Bureau |
| Phone | 785-296-3621, option 6 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday |
| [email protected] | |
| Address | Zibell Building, 300 SW 29th StreetTopeka, KS 66611 |
| Dealer Licensing, PO Box 2369Topeka, KS 66601-2369 |
Additional sources (6)
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.
- K.S.A. 8-2401, definitions — “vehicle dealer,” “established place of business,” and the farm-residence exception
- K.S.A. 8-2405, why insurance is required — the liability policy on file with the Division, who may write it, and the void-on-cancellation rule
- 2025 Session Laws, Chapter 87 (HB 2050) — the section that lets an eligible nonadmitted insurer write the dealer policy
- K.S.A. 8-2430, Relevant Market Area — the notice a New/Used Vehicle Dealer files for a new franchise location
- K.S.A. 21-6614, expungement — the must-disclose list the Dealer License is not on, and the wait before a felony can be expunged
- K.S.A. 77-613, judicial review — 30 days to petition the district court after a final order
