To apply, you must:
9 Nevada Dealer License Requirements
Nevada Dealer Licenses are issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, Occupational and Business Licensing (OBL). This page covers Nevada's 4 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. Nevada's application accepts an individual (sole owner), partnership, LLP, LLC, or corporation.
An LLC keeps your business separate from your personal life and adds trust to the name.
For a corporation, LLC, or LLP, the DMV takes the officer names from your Nevada Secretary of State filing. A sole owner or partnership lists each owner and the business name on the bond instead.
Choose your Dealer License Type
Nevada issues 4 main Dealer License types through one office. All 4 share one application form (OBL237). Salespeople hold a separate Salesperson License on its own form. Most people start with the Dealer license, which is scoped by vehicle type: you check a box for each type you sell.
| License Type | What It Lets You Do |
|---|---|
| DealerNew or Used Motor Vehicle, Trailer, Motorcycle, and Moped, one box each; the type most people start with | Buy and sell the vehicle types you check on the application, at the dealer auctions and to the public. One Dealer license can hold several boxes; salvage and off-highway vehicles need their own licenses |
| Broker | Arrange or negotiate a vehicle sale for a buyer without ever taking title. A Broker needs an office but no display space, and keeps a separate trust account for buyer deposits |
| Rebuilder | Rebuild vehicles for sale. Same application, fee, and $100,000 bond as the Dealer license |
| Consignment AuctionLive or internet; Nevada's “wholesale vehicle auctioneer” | Run an auction that consigns vehicles between licensed Dealers and wreckers without owning them. This is the closest Nevada comes to a wholesale license |
Get your Dealer Bond (Surety Bond)
A Nevada Dealer License requires a $100,000 bond for a Dealer selling cars and trucks, filed with the DMV on form OBL210 (NRS 482.345). The bond protects customers if you break Nevada's dealer laws. A $100,000 Dealer Bond costs only $1,000 a year at the base rate, after a credit check.
Lower tiers apply to a Dealer selling only trailers or motorcycles:
- $10,000 for utility or special-use trailers up to 3,500 pounds unladen, or boat trailers
- $50,000 for motorcycles, horse trailers without living quarters, or special-purpose trailers of 3,501 pounds or more
If you sell more than one vehicle type at one location, one bond at the highest tier covers all of them. It also covers every branch you run in the same county under the same name.
The bond is continuous: it doesn't expire with the license, and the surety can cancel it only with 30 days' written notice. A cash or savings-certificate deposit with the DMV can replace it.
Dealer 101 Insurance Services
Licensed in Nevada · NPN 22346185
| License Type | You Pay | Bond Amount |
|---|---|---|
| DealerNevada - Motor Vehicle Dealer / Rebuilder / Lessor ($100,000). Credit check required | $1,000/yearabout $83 a month | $100,000 |
| RebuilderNevada - Motor Vehicle Dealer / Rebuilder / Lessor ($100,000). Credit check required | $1,000/yearabout $83 a month | $100,000 |
| BrokerNevada - Motor Vehicle Broker ($100,000). Credit check required | $1,000/yearabout $83 a month | $100,000 |
Get your Dealer Liability Insurance (Garage Liability)
A Nevada Dealer License requires a Garage Liability policy, including automobile liability, or a Commercial Auto policy (NRS 482.325). The limit is $95,000 combined single limit per accident, or $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 property damage. That is the limit, not the price; your insurance agent sets the price.
The certificate names the Department as certificate holder and goes in with your application. The same rule applies to a Rebuilder, Manufacturer, Distributor, or Transporter. A trailer dealer, wrecker, salvage pool, or body shop needs it only when it holds dealer plates.
Set up your Dealer Office (Established Place of Business)
A Nevada Dealer License requires an established place of business: a permanent enclosed building, owned or leased, principally used for the business (NRS 482.323). It must have space to display one or more vehicles and clearly marked boundaries, and the office needs at least 100 square feet of floor space.
The table below is the state's own list. Nevada has no DMV zoning form. Your city or county approves the building through its own business license, and you send a copy with the application.
| Dealer | Broker | |
|---|---|---|
| Building | A permanent enclosed building on a permanent foundation, easily recognizable as an office and separate from adjacent businesses | A permanent building with enough space for an office |
| Office | At least 100 square feet of floor space for the office and secure storage of your books and records | Enough space for an office |
| Display | Space to display one or more vehicles; no numeric count is set | None; a Broker never takes title to a vehicle |
| Boundaries | Clearly marked: a fence, wall, or curb at least 18 inches high, and a wall at least 7 feet high between your office and any other business in the building | No display or boundary rule |
| Sign | Permanently affixed, with the business name in letters at least 8 inches high formed by lines at least 1 inch wide, legible from the center of the nearest street | The same sign |
| Hours | Open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless other hours are posted | The same hours |
| You submit | A copy of your city or county business license, and 2 color exterior photos showing the sign | The same license copy and 2 exterior photos |
Pass the Background Check (Fingerprints)
Every principal of a Nevada Dealer, Broker, or Rebuilder business is fingerprinted, and so is every Salesperson applicant. The prints are taken by an authorized Nevada DMV representative or a law enforcement agency and checked against the Nevada Central Repository and the FBI.
The cost and the forms:
- $39 per person for fingerprint processing, set by what the Central Repository and the FBI charge
- The local agency taking the prints may add its own fee
- Each person signs the DPS Fingerprint Background Waiver (OBL256) and a notarized Personal History Questionnaire (OBL242)
A principal is each individual, partner, or principal officer, director, or stockholder who takes part in directing or managing the business. On an LLC or corporation, the Registered Agent or Manager files the questionnaire too.
The questionnaire asks whether you have ever been arrested or charged, and ever been convicted or pled guilty or no contest, anywhere. A yes needs the date, the offense, where, and the outcome. Leaving one out may result in denial of the application.
If you have a record
- Denial is discretionary, not automatic. The Department “may” deny for conviction of a felony in Nevada or any other state or nation (NRS 482.352); the same wording applies to a Broker.
- No waiting period for the Dealer or Broker license. The statute names no number of years, so an old felony is still a ground the Department may weigh.
- Misdemeanors aren't a ground for the Dealer or Broker license, and every ground says “conviction,” not a pending charge.
- Salespeople face a graded bar. A Class A or B felony has no time limit. A Class C, D, or E felony or a gross misdemeanor counts for 10 years from conviction.
- A sealed record clears it. Once a Nevada court seals a conviction, you may answer “no” to the question (NRS 179.285). A Category B, C, or D felony can be sealed 5 years after release or discharge, and a pardon seals it automatically.
- You can appeal. A denied applicant may petition the Director in writing for a hearing within 30 days (NRS 482.353).
Submit your Dealer License Application (OBL335)
You apply to the DMV's Occupational and Business Licensing office on paper, using the OBL335 packet; the online portal is for renewals only. The fee is $125 for a Dealer, Broker, or Rebuilder license and $75 for a Salesperson, and every fee is itemized under costs.
The application asks for your SSN and the business's federal identification number, which can be an EIN or, for a sole owner, your SSN (NAC 482.903). The Personal History Questionnaire asks for a driver's license number from any state, and the form lets you enter N/A.
You'll also need a Nevada State Business License number from the Secretary of State and a copy of your city or county business license. An LLC or corporation names a Nevada registered agent, who files the questionnaire too.
Pass the Site Inspection
A Nevada DMV site inspection happens after you submit the application. It is item 15 of 17 on the state's own checklist, after the bond, insurance, fingerprints, and photographs. The Department inspects again if you change your business name or address.
Get your Dealer License Plates
Nevada dealer license plates cost $17.50 each, and the Department issues each Dealer “a reasonable number” of them; no fixed cap is published. You apply on the Business License Plate Application (OBL239), and the plates renew with the license on December 31.
Dealer tags let you drive your inventory. Up to 6 of them can be used for personal driving by you or a member of your immediate family (NRS 482.330).
For business use, owners, officers, department managers, and salespeople can drive on them to display, demonstrate, maintain, sell, or exchange vehicles you own or control. The Department also issues loaner plates for vehicles you lend to customers, schools, government agencies, and nonprofits.
Dealer License Cost
A Nevada Dealer License costs $125 to start and $50 a year to renew, and the Broker license is the same. Every other fee on this page is in the table.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dealer LicenseAlso the Rebuilder license | $125 new$50 renewal, every year |
| Broker License | $125 new$50 renewal, every year |
| Salesperson License | $75 new$40 renewal, every year$20 transfer to a new Dealer |
| Fingerprint processing | $39 per person, plus any fee the local agency charges to take the prints |
| Dealer Bond | $1,000 a year, $100,000 bond, credit check required |
| Garage liability insurance | $95,000 limit, priced by your agent |
| Dealer plates | $17.50 each |
| Branch locationA second location under the same license | $125 |
| Temporary Location LicenseA short event away from your lot | $25 to exhibit vehicles, no sales, up to 21 days$75 to display vehicles for sale, up to 7 days, at most 6 a year |
| Late feeReinstating an expired license | $25 |
| Business changeName, address, or adding a principal | No DMV fee; usually a new bond rider and an updated insurance certificate |
| City or county business license | Set by your city or county |
Dealer License Renewal
A Nevada Dealer License expires December 31 every year, no matter when it was issued, and renewal is $50. You renew through the Motor Vehicle Industry Portal with the Business License Number and Access Code from your renewal notice; there is no continuing education.
A lapsed license is reinstated with the renewal application, the $50 fee, and a $25 late fee. A Salesperson renews for $40.
Common Questions
Can you get a Nevada Dealer License with a felony?
Yes. A felony isn't an automatic bar to a Nevada Dealer License. The Department “may” deny for conviction of a felony in any state or nation (NRS 482.352), with no waiting period, and misdemeanors aren't a ground. A sealed conviction doesn't have to be disclosed, and a denial can be appealed to the Director within 30 days.
Can you get a Dealer License in Nevada without a lot?
No. A Nevada Dealer License requires an established place of business, open Monday through Friday. It needs space to display one or more vehicles, clearly marked boundaries, and a street sign. Nevada has no wholesale license that skips the lot; a Broker needs an office but no display space. The full list is under Office.
How many cars can you sell in Nevada without a Dealer License?
In Nevada, no Dealer License is required to sell up to 3 personally owned vehicles in any 12-month period. A 4th sale in that same window requires one (NRS 482.020). The count covers only vehicles you owned for your own use, not vehicles bought to resell.
Does Nevada have a wholesale dealer license?
No. Nevada issues one Dealer license and scopes it by vehicle type. The closest thing is the “wholesale vehicle auctioneer” (NRS 482.400): a Dealer who auctions consigned vehicles to other Dealers and wreckers without owning them. It's filed under the Consignment Auction box. An ordinary Dealer buys at the dealer auctions on the Dealer license.
Does Nevada require dealer training or an exam?
No. Nevada requires no pre-license class, no exam, and no continuing education for a Dealer, Broker, or Salesperson license. The state's own application checklists list a bond, insurance, fingerprints, photographs, and a site inspection, and nothing about a course or a test.
How long does a Nevada Dealer License take?
No Nevada law sets a deadline for the Department to grant or deny a Dealer License. NRS 482.322 requires it to investigate each applicant and complete a report, with no day count, and the site inspection comes after your paperwork is in.
Do I need a business bank account?
No, not for a Dealer License: nothing on the application or the Personal History Questionnaire asks for a bank account. A Broker is the exception and must keep a separate, federally insured trust account for buyer deposits, capped at 10% of the purchase price (NRS 482.3337).
Do salespeople need a license in Nevada?
Yes. Anyone selling on commission for a licensed Nevada Dealer, Lessor, or Rebuilder, or managing their sales, holds a Salesperson License (NRS 482.362). It costs $75, renews for $40 by December 31, and is suspended the day you stop working for that Dealer; moving to a new Dealer is a $20 transfer.
Support
The DMV's Occupational and Business Licensing office in Carson City issues every license on this page, and its Compliance Enforcement Division handles complaints. You can confirm that any Nevada dealer's license is active with the license lookup below.
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Department | Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Occupational and Business Licensing (OBL) |
| Phone | (775) 684-4690 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday |
| Address | 555 Wright WayCarson City, NV 89711 |
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.
- NRS Chapter 482, Motor Vehicles and Trailers — the dealer licensing law. License types, bond tiers, insurance, the place of business, plates, fees, the December 31 term, and grounds for denial
- NAC Chapter 482, the DMV's rules — the 100-square-foot office, partitions, 9-to-5 hours, the fingerprint fee formula, the federal ID number rule, and temporary licenses
- NRS Chapter 482C, peer-to-peer car sharing — the platform license's own liability floor and bond rules, separate from the Dealer license
- NRS Chapter 179, sealing of criminal records — when a conviction can be sealed, and that a sealed record may be answered “no” on a license application
- NRS Chapter 77, registered agents — every Nevada LLC or corporation keeps a registered agent with a Nevada street address
- NRS Chapter 76, the State Business License — required for anyone conducting a business in Nevada; its number goes on the application
- Nevada DMV, Car Seller's Guide (PDF) — the DMV's own plain-English 3-vehicle rule
- Nevada DMV, dealer sales rules — no cooling-off period on any vehicle sale, and the 30-day deadline to submit title paperwork
- Compliance Enforcement Division — complaints: (775) 684-4790 Carson City, (702) 486-8626 Las Vegas, (775) 684-3562 Reno
- Business Change Licensing Requirements (OBL270, PDF) — a name, address, or principal change: new bond rider, insurance certificate, and site inspection
- Temporary Location License application (OBL261, PDF) — the $25 exhibit and $75 display-for-sale event licenses
