To apply, you must:
9 Montana Dealer License Requirements
Montana Dealer Licenses are issued by the Department of Justice Motor Vehicle Division, through its Vehicle Services Bureau. This page covers Montana'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. Montana's Dealer application accepts a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC. It lists each person by position: Owner, Corporate Officer, Managing Member, or Operations Manager.
An LLC keeps your business separate from your personal life and adds trust to the name. Every applicant needs a FEIN or a Montana Corporate ID on the application, whatever the business type.
Add everyone you want on the license at the start. Adding an owner, corporate officer, or managing member later means filing a new license application, with a $2 filing fee.
Choose your Dealer License Type
Montana issues 6 Dealer License types and no salesperson license. Only owners, corporate officers, managing members, and designated managers appear on a Dealer application. Five share one application, MV25; the Manufactured Home Dealer License has its own statute and forms.
| License Type | What It Lets You Do |
|---|---|
| New Dealer | Sell new vehicles under a franchise, plus any used vehicles. Gets dealer plates, and loaner plates for a customer whose vehicle is in for repair |
| Used Dealer | Sell used vehicles only, with each vehicle type you sell checked on the application. Gets dealer plates |
| Wholesale Dealer | Sell used vehicles only to licensed Montana dealers, auto auctions, and other wholesalers. No dealer plates and no temporary registration permits; up to 2 demonstrator or motorcycle plates combined |
| Auto Auction Dealer | Run an auto auction, selling used vehicles only to licensed dealers, wholesalers, and wrecking facilities. No dealer plates; up to 2 demonstrator or motorcycle plates combined. The first application is $500 |
| Broker Dealer | Negotiate sales for a client without storing, displaying, or owning the vehicle. No dealer or demonstrator plates |
| Manufactured Home Dealer | Sell new or used manufactured homes, licensed under its own statute. No plates, no temporary registration permits, and no general liability insurance requirement |
Get your Dealer Bond (Surety Bond)
A Montana Dealer License requires a $50,000 bond for the New, Used, Wholesale, Auto Auction, and Broker Dealer Licenses (§ 61-4-101(9)). It is filed with and approved by the Motor Vehicle Division. The bond protects customers if you break Montana's dealer laws. A $50,000 Dealer Bond costs only $500 a year at the base rate, after a credit check.
A Manufactured Home Dealer License requires its own $50,000 bond (§ 61-12-901). Every bond must be renewed annually. If the bond lapses, the department confiscates your dealer plates and ID cards, and you have 30 days to restore coverage before suspension or revocation.
| License Type | You Pay | Bond Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New DealerMontana - New or Used Dealers, Brokers, Wholesalers, Auto Auctions ($50,000). Credit check required | $500/yearabout $42 a month | $50,000 |
| Used DealerMontana - New or Used Dealers, Brokers, Wholesalers, Auto Auctions ($50,000). Credit check required | $500/yearabout $42 a month | $50,000 |
| Wholesale DealerMontana - New or Used Dealers, Brokers, Wholesalers, Auto Auctions ($50,000). Credit check required | $500/yearabout $42 a month | $50,000 |
| Auto Auction DealerMontana - New or Used Dealers, Brokers, Wholesalers, Auto Auctions ($50,000). Credit check required | $500/yearabout $42 a month | $50,000 |
| Broker DealerMontana - New or Used Dealers, Brokers, Wholesalers, Auto Auctions ($50,000). Credit check required | $500/yearabout $42 a month | $50,000 |
| Restricted to motorcycles or quadricyclesMontana - Motorcycles and Quadricycles ($15,000). Credit check required | $150/yearabout $13 a month | $15,000 |
| Restricted to motorboats, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, or off-highway vehiclesMontana - Motorboats, Personal Watercraft, Snowmobiles, Off-Highway Vehicles ($5,000). Credit check required | $100/yearabout $8 a month | $5,000 |
Get your General Liability Insurance
A Montana Dealer License requires a general liability insurance policy for every license type except Manufactured Home Dealer (§ 61-4-123(8)). It covers any vehicle on your dealer or demonstrator plates, or a power-sports vehicle showing your dealer ID card, while a customer drives it.
The policy needs a minimum term of 1 year, and the department must be named as certificate holder. Your insurance agent sets the price. If coverage lapses, the same 30-day rule as the bond applies.
Set up your Dealer Office (Permanent Nonresidential Building)
A Montana Dealer License requires a permanent nonresidential building where your sales records are kept; it cannot be located in your home. Up to 3 other wholesale, broker, auction, or retail dealers may share the building, with each dealer's records and inventory kept separate.
Montana publishes no minimum lot size or parking rule, and the table below is the state's own list. Zoning is a separate sign-off: a written verification signed by your local land use, zoning, or business-permitting official.
| What Montana Requires | |
|---|---|
| Building | A permanent nonresidential building where sales are made and records are kept, physical or electronic |
| Phone | Telephone service in the dealership's own name, listed with directory assistance; a cell number must be posted at the place of business |
| Equipment | A computer, printer, and internet access, to issue electronic temporary registration permits (TRPs) |
| Hours | Written notice of your regular office hours, conspicuously posted |
| Sign | Your business name and that vehicles are offered for sale, trade, or consignment, in letters at least 6 inches high, readable from the major avenue of traffic at 150 feet |
| Display lot | No minimum size. You may use more than one lot, but no two display lots can be more than 200 feet apart, and none more than 1,000 feet from the records building |
| Zoning | Written verification of compliance signed by the local land use planning or zoning board, or the local business-permitting agency |
Pass the Background Check (State and Federal History Records)
Every owner, corporate officer, managing member, and designated manager on a Montana Dealer application goes through a name-based background check. The Motor Vehicle Division reviews state and federal history records; Montana takes no fingerprints and requires no Live Scan.
Each person in Section B discloses their date of birth, SSN, felony history, pending charges, bankruptcies, 10 years of litigation, and 5 years of residence history. The form says the department will “access and review state and federal history records” for any crime “that bears upon your suitability to be granted a license.”
If you have a record
- Denial is discretionary, not automatic. The department “may refuse” a license when a criminal record “poses a threat to the effective regulation of dealers,” “poses a threat to the public interest,” or “creates a danger of illegal or deceptive practices” (§ 61-4-101(5)(b)).
- No waiting period. Montana sets no number of years, and names no crime beyond a felony.
- Disclose a felony in writing. A felony conviction or guilty plea, anywhere, needs a written summary: the dates, the court proceedings, and the court's name and address. The application is signed under penalty of law.
- Misdemeanors aren't a named disclosure item. The department's own review still reaches any crime “that bears upon your suitability,” and pending charges.
- Expungement isn't addressed. The dealer statute says nothing about expunged, sealed, or pardoned records.
Get your Dealer License Plates
Montana dealer license plates go to New and Used Dealers only, and 1 set comes free with the license and each renewal. Additional sets follow a sales formula and cost $37 each. Plates ship to the dealership about 3 to 4 weeks after you receive your license.
The formula: 5% of your first 100 vehicles sold the prior year, plus 3% of the next 100, plus 2% of anything over 200.
Dealer tags let you drive your inventory, personal use included. That covers the dealer, the dealer's spouse, officers named on the franchise agreement, and full-time employees. Never for hire, lease, or rental. Report any reassignment of a set to a new primary user in writing within 15 days.
Other plates:
- Demonstrator or motorcycle plates: $17 each. Wholesale and Auto Auction Dealers get up to 2 combined
- Courtesy plates: $162 a set, up to 2 sets, loaned free for religious, charitable, scientific, or educational use, 30 days per recipient a year, with a loan log
- Loaner plates: New Dealers only, $37 a set, for a customer whose vehicle is in for repair
- Power-sports ID cards: $2 each beyond the free allotment, 1 for motorboat and personal watercraft dealers, 2 for snowmobile and off-highway vehicle dealers
Submit your Dealer License Application (MV25)
You apply to the Vehicle Services Bureau on the fillable PDF, MV25, returned by email, fax, or mail; there is no online application. The application fee is $30 for a New, Used, Wholesale, or Broker Dealer License, and $500 for a first Auto Auction application. Every fee is itemized under costs.
Section A needs a FEIN or Montana Corporate ID for the business, whatever its type. Section B lists every owner, corporate officer, managing member, and operations manager, with their SSN and driver's license number. The dealership itself must be in Montana; the zoning letter comes from a Montana city or county.
Phase I is the application itself. The Bureau investigates, and if you qualify, tells you the license fee due; the inspection and the rest come in Phase II.
Pass the Site Inspection (Dealer Inspection Form MV105)
A Montana Dealer License location is inspected after the Bureau reviews your application and before the license issues. A Montana Highway Patrol officer, local law enforcement, or a Department of Justice Compliance Specialist completes the Dealer Inspection Form (MV105) on site.
If the sign or lot isn't finished yet, a diagram or plat plus at least 2 photographs can stand in. The inspecting officer signs and dates them. The bond, insurance, and zoning letter are approved in the same phase, and then the license issues.
Dealer License Cost
A Montana Used Dealer License costs $30 to apply and $30 a year to renew, and the $30 application fee is lower than most states. Every other fee on this page is in the table.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $30 New, Used, Wholesale, or Broker Dealer$500 Auto Auction Dealer, first application$30 Manufactured Home Dealer on form MV25; its own statute, § 61-12-901, says $50 |
| Annual report and renewal | $30 a year$100 a year, Auto Auction Dealer$25 added if a Used Dealer can't certify 12 retail sales |
| Dealer Bond | $500 a year, $50,000 bond$150 a year, $15,000 bond$100 a year, $5,000 bondCredit check required |
| General liability insurance | Priced by your agent; not required for a Manufactured Home Dealer |
| Dealer plates | $37 a set, after the free set$17 per demonstrator or motorcycle plate$2 per power-sports ID card beyond the free allotment$162 a set, courtesy plates$37 a set, loaner plates$10.30 replacement validation tab |
| Ownership or officer change | $2 filing fee, with a new application |
| Administrative fee | 3% added to every Motor Vehicle Division transaction |
Dealer License Renewal
A Montana Dealer License is valid for 1 year, on an expiration quarter the department assigns. The annual report and renewal is form MV25R, or MV25RW for a Wholesale Dealer. It is due on or before the 15th of the month before your expiration month, with the $30 filing fee.
Miss the deadline and your dealer plates, demonstrator plates, and temporary registration permits are suspended until you file. A report that is never filed starts revocation proceedings.
Common Questions
Can you get a Montana Dealer License with a felony?
Yes. A felony isn't an automatic bar to a Montana Dealer License. The department “may refuse” when a criminal record threatens dealer regulation or the public interest, or invites deceptive practices (§ 61-4-101(5)(b)). Montana sets no waiting period. You disclose any felony conviction or guilty plea with a written summary, and the department decides case by case.
Can you get a Dealer License in Montana without a lot?
Montana publishes no minimum lot size, and the statute lists a display lot “if applicable.” What every license requires is a permanent nonresidential building for your records; a home doesn't qualify. If you do display vehicles, the lot can be up to 1,000 feet from that building. Details under Office.
How many cars can you sell in Montana without a Dealer License?
Montana publishes no number. A Dealer License is required to engage in the business of selling vehicles “not registered in the person's name” (§ 61-4-101(1)). Selling vehicles registered in your own name is outside that rule, whatever the count.
Does Montana require a dealer class or exam?
No. Montana requires no pre-license class, course, or seminar, and no exam, for the 5 vehicle Dealer Licenses under Title 61, chapter 4. The full chapter and every dealer form were checked. The department's review is a document and background review, not a test.
How long does a Montana Dealer License take?
No Montana law sets a deadline. The Bureau's own sheet says application review takes approximately three weeks; then the inspection, bond, insurance, and zoning letter are approved before the license issues. Dealer plates arrive about 3 to 4 weeks after that. Licenses aren't issued at the counter the same day.
Do I need a business bank account?
No. No Montana statute and none of the dealer forms asks for a business bank account or an account number. The only financial items on the application are the FEIN or Corporate ID, the bond, and the liability insurance carrier.
Can a Wholesale Dealer get dealer plates in Montana?
No. A Wholesale Dealer may not receive dealer plates or issue temporary registration permits. It can hold up to 2 demonstrator or motorcycle plates combined, at $17 each. Those plates may not leave Montana, except on a vehicle you just bought, on the way back into the state.
Do salespeople need a license in Montana?
No. Montana has no salesperson license or registration of any kind. Only owners, corporate officers, managing members, and designated managers appear on a Dealer application, and they are the only people the background check reaches.
Support
The Vehicle Services Bureau issues every license on this page and receives the bond, insurance, and zoning letter. Manufacturers, distributors, and importers hold their own license from the same Bureau, under part 2 of the dealer chapter.
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Department | Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division, Vehicle Services Bureau (VSB) |
| Phone | (406) 444-3661(406) 444-0116 fax |
| [email protected] | |
| Address | P.O. Box 201431Helena, MT 59620-1431Courier: 302 North Roberts Street, Helena, MT 59620 |
Additional sources (11)
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.
- Montana Code Annotated Title 61, chapter 4, part 1 — the dealer licensing chapter: license types, the common application, bonds, zoning, plates, renewal
- § 61-4-123, dealer requirements and restrictions — why insurance is required (subsection 8), the 6-inch sign rule, and off-premises sales, capped at 10 a year of 10 days each
- § 61-12-901, manufactured home dealers — the separate license, its $50,000 bond, its $50 application fee, and no insurance requirement
- § 61-4-106, transfer of license — a change of name, ownership, officer, or managing member means a new application and a $2 fee
- § 61-4-124, the annual report — the $30 fee, the 15th-of-the-month deadline, the 12-sale test, and the suspension for a missed report
- § 61-4-125, wholesaler license — who a wholesaler may sell to, plates that stay in Montana, and the 12-sale certification
- § 61-4-120, auto auction license — the $500 first application and the $100 annual filing
- § 61-4-129, demonstrator plates — the 72-hour test drive and the 20-day exhibition cap
- § 61-4-130, courtesy plates — 2 sets, 30 days per recipient, the loan log
- Manufactured Home Dealer Inspection Form (MV105MD, PDF) — the inspection checklist for that license
- Wholesale Dealer License Renewal Instructions (MV25RW, PDF) — the wholesaler's annual report and its 2-plate cap
