To apply, you must:
9 New Hampshire Dealer License Requirements
New Hampshire Dealer Licenses are issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles, Dealer Desk, part of the New Hampshire Department of Safety. This page covers New Hampshire's 2 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. New Hampshire's Dealer application, RDMV 735, has three boxes for the business type: corporation, partnership, or sole proprietor.
An LLC keeps your business separate from your personal life and adds trust to the name.
Start as the business type you'll keep. A New Hampshire Dealer License can't be transferred, so changing from a sole proprietorship to an LLC later means a new application. Report any change of ownership, address, or trade name to the DMV within 30 days.
Choose your Dealer License Type
New Hampshire issues 2 Dealer License types on one application, RDMV 735. The form asks whether most of your sales are autos or motorcycles, and whether you sell new, used, or both.
Four more licenses come under the same DMV dealer rules: Automotive Recycling Dealer, Repairer, Transporter, and Utility Dealer. Junk vehicles and parts need the Automotive Recycling Dealer License; trailers, tractors, farm and construction equipment, and manufactured housing need the Utility Dealer License.
| License Type | What It Lets You Do |
|---|---|
| Retail Vehicle Dealer | Sell vehicles at retail to the public, and buy and sell at the dealer auctions. Cars and trucks or motorcycles, new or used, set by the majority of your sales. The signing applicant must be 18 or older |
| Auto Wholesale Dealer | Buy and sell with other dealers only, with fewer than 5 retail sales in any 12-month period. The established place of business can be a business office or a residence |
Get your Dealer Bond (Surety Bond)
A New Hampshire Retail Vehicle Dealer or Auto Wholesale Dealer License requires a $25,000 bond, filed with the Division of Motor Vehicles (RSA 261:98). The bond protects customers if you break New Hampshire's dealer laws. A $25,000 Dealer Bond costs only $188 a year at the base rate, after a credit check.
The bond must stay in force through the whole license term. You need a separate bond for each business name, and for each town or city where you have a location. New Hampshire requires no insurance policy for the license itself; the bond is its only financial guarantee.
| License Type | You Pay | Bond Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Vehicle DealerNew Hampshire - Motor Vehicle Dealer ($25,000). Credit check required | $188/yearabout $16 a month | $25,000 |
| Auto Wholesale DealerNew Hampshire - Motor Vehicle Dealer ($25,000). Credit check required | $188/yearabout $16 a month | $25,000 |
Set up your Dealer Office (Established Place of Business)
A New Hampshire Retail Vehicle Dealer License requires a permanent, enclosed commercial building in New Hampshire, open to the public (RSA 259:29-a). An Auto Wholesale Dealer's established place of business can be “a business office or a residence,” owned or leased by you.
The table below is the state's own list for each license.
| Wholesale | Retail | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | A business office or a residence you own or lease, designated as the place where business is conducted, legal mail is received, and records are kept | A permanent, enclosed commercial building of at least 750 square feet, or one primarily dedicated to selling vehicles, with a permanent heating system and electrical outlets to state code |
| Sign | Business name in letters at least 10 inches high, unless local zoning prohibits it | Business name in letters at least 10 inches high, visible from the adjacent public way, unless local zoning prohibits it |
| Hours | At least 35 hours a week, stated on the application; written notice to the DMV before reducing them | At least 35 hours a week, stated on the application; written notice to the DMV before reducing them |
| Shared building | A permanent wall and a separate public entrance for each dealer, unless the businesses share the same name and owners | A permanent wall and a separate public entrance for each dealer, unless the businesses share the same name and owners |
| Zoning | Must comply with local zoning, building codes, and land-use rules; your town or city confirms this to the DMV | Must comply with local zoning, building codes, and land-use rules; your town or city confirms this to the DMV |
| Location | In New Hampshire; a separate license for each place of business in a different town or city | In New Hampshire; a separate license for each place of business in a different town or city |
Pass the Background Check (Criminal History Records Check)
Every owner, member, partner, officer, and director on a New Hampshire Dealer application must provide a certified copy of their criminal record (RSA 261:103-a). New Hampshire takes no fingerprints; the check is a paper record you supply.
A new applicant sends a record from New Hampshire and from the state where that person lives. The application also asks whether any owner has been convicted of a crime not annulled by a court. It asks the same about a civil judgment connected with a motor vehicle business.
If you have a record
- Five crimes, 10 years. A conviction for extortion, forgery, fraud-related crimes, theft, or embezzlement in the past 10 years means denial (Saf-C 2002.05). Any other conviction isn't a bar, but it must be disclosed.
- The clock runs from the conviction date, not from release or the end of probation. Misdemeanors count the same as felonies for those five crimes.
- Annulment clears it. An annulled conviction isn't a conviction under New Hampshire law, and the form asks only about crimes “not annulled by a court” (RSA 651:5).
- Pending charges don't count. A no-contest plea counts as a conviction.
- A past dealer-license revocation is a bar with no time limit, in New Hampshire or any other state (Saf-C 2002.05).
Submit your Dealer License Application (RDMV 735)
You apply to the DMV Dealer Desk on paper: fill in form RDMV 735 online, then print, sign, and mail it with your documents. There is no online application. The license fee is $250 for two years, or $125 if you apply in the second year of the cycle. Every fee is itemized under costs.
The form lists every owner, partner, officer, and director with their driver's license number and home address. It asks for one number for the business, your SSN or EIN. Send the original bond with a raised seal, not a copy.
An LLC or corporation also keeps a registered agent with a New Hampshire address on file with the Secretary of State.
Get Town Approval and Pass the Site Visit (Local Notification and Approval)
After the DMV receives your RDMV 735, it notifies your town or city clerk itself; you file no separate local application. The town has a minimum of 10 working days to say whether your location meets zoning, building-code, and land-use rules.
Separately, someone authorized by the DMV director visits your place of business to confirm it meets the requirements. The license is issued once the bond is on file, the town confirms compliance, and the visit is passed.
Take the Online Dealer and Title Class (Dealer Overview Session)
A New Hampshire dealer overview session is required after your license is issued and before dealer plates are issued, not before you apply (Saf-C 2003.07). At least one owner, partner, or officer listed on the application attends, plus all applicable representatives. There is no Dealer exam.
The class:
- Online, as a series of 6 classes, about 95 minutes in total
- Access by emailing the Title Bureau at [email protected] with your organization details; the Bureau sends a password
- The state publishes no fee for it
- The DMV can require refresher sessions as needed
Get your Dealer License Plates
New Hampshire Retail Vehicle Dealer plates are $800 for the first plate and $48 each additional, for the two-year registration ($400 and $24 a year). You apply for them on the same RDMV 735, and they expire March 31 of even-numbered years with the license.
Dealer tags let you drive your inventory. On the Retail license, you and family members living in your household can drive them for personal use. Full-time employees can too, outside business hours and at your discretion. On the Auto Wholesale license, personal use is prohibited; the plates are for business only.
Plate rules:
- The DMV issues only the number of plates reasonably necessary, judged by sales and inventory, full-time employees, service trucks, and household family members
- No delivery trucks hauling freight; a wrecker or service truck qualifies only if marked “not for hire” in 3-inch letters
- Temporary 20-day plates are $1 each, in batches of 10, and must be accounted for before more are issued
Dealer License Cost
A New Hampshire Retail Vehicle Dealer or Auto Wholesale Dealer License costs $250 for two years, or $125 in the cycle's second year. Every other fee on this page is in the table.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dealer LicenseRetail Vehicle Dealer or Auto Wholesale Dealer | $250 for two years$125 if you apply in the second year of the cycle75% refunded if the license is denied or not issued |
| Dealer Bond | $188 a year, $25,000 bond, credit check required |
| Dealer platesRetail Vehicle Dealer, two-year registration | $800 first plate$48 each additional plate |
| Motorcycle dealer plates | $24 a year, first plate$6 a year, each additional plate |
| Temporary 20-day plates | $1 each, in batches of 10; refunded at $1 each if returned unused |
| Dealer and Title Class | No fee published |
| Certified criminal recordsOne per owner, from New Hampshire and your home state | No New Hampshire fee published |
Dealer License Renewal
A New Hampshire Dealer License is valid for two years and expires March 31 of even-numbered years, whenever in the cycle it was issued. You renew on the same RDMV 735 linked under Application, for the same $250 or $125 fee. The renewal reports any unreported ownership or location change.
Common Questions
Can you get a New Hampshire Dealer License with a felony?
Yes, unless the conviction is for extortion, forgery, a fraud-related crime, theft, or embezzlement in the past 10 years (Saf-C 2002.05). Any other conviction must be disclosed but isn't a bar. Annulment clears it, 3 years after a class A misdemeanor sentence ends, 5 for a class B felony, 10 for class A (RSA 651:5).
Can you get a Dealer License in New Hampshire without a lot?
Yes, on the Auto Wholesale Dealer License. Its established place of business can be “a business office or a residence” (RSA 259:29-a). You still need local zoning approval, the $25,000 bond, a 10-inch sign, and 35 business hours a week. The Retail Vehicle Dealer License requires a commercial building of at least 750 square feet.
How many cars can you sell in New Hampshire without a Dealer License?
In New Hampshire, selling 5 or more vehicles at retail to the public in any consecutive 12-month period requires a Retail Vehicle Dealer License (RSA 259:89-a). The count runs only on sales to the public. Selling to other dealers instead falls under the Auto Wholesale Dealer License (RSA 259:5-a).
Do you need a class or exam for a New Hampshire Dealer License?
There is no exam. A dealer overview session is required, but after your license is issued and before your dealer plates are issued. It's an online series of 6 classes, about 95 minutes, arranged by emailing the Title Bureau; details under Education.
How long does a New Hampshire Dealer License take?
New Hampshire sets no deadline for deciding a complete application (RSA 261:103-a). After you mail RDMV 735, the DMV notifies your town, which has a minimum of 10 working days to respond. A DMV representative also visits your location. The license is issued after the bond, the town's approval, and the visit are all in.
Do you have to live in New Hampshire to get a Dealer License?
No. The application asks for each owner's home address. Its instructions ask for a criminal record from New Hampshire and from the state where that owner lives. The business itself must be in New Hampshire, and an LLC or corporation keeps a registered agent there.
Do I need a business bank account?
No. RSA 261:103-a, the Saf-C 2000 dealer rules, and the RDMV 735 application don't require a business bank account or ask for banking information. The form asks for one number for the business, your SSN or EIN.
Do you need insurance to get a New Hampshire Dealer License?
Not for the license. New Hampshire's dealer statute and rules require the $25,000 bond and no liability or garage insurance policy to get licensed. The DMV's own requirements list for Retail Vehicle Dealers has no insurance item either.
Support
There is no online portal; forms are on the DMV's forms page and go to the Dealer Desk by mail.
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Department | New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, Dealer Desk |
| Phone | (603) 227-4120TDD: Relay NH 7-1-1 |
| Address | 23 Hazen DriveConcord, NH 03305 |
Additional sources (7)
The forms and the agency pages for each step are linked in the steps. These are the statutes the page was checked against.
- RSA 261:103-a, dealer license required — the application, the $250 and $125 fees, the 75% refund, the records check, the two-year term, and the 30-day change report
- RSA 259:18, “dealer” defined — a dealer is a retail vehicle dealer or an auto wholesale dealer
- RSA 259:121, utility dealer — trailers, tractors, farm and construction equipment, and manufactured housing
- RSA 261:140-a, auto wholesale dealer — the 10-inch sign at any established place of business, including a residence
- RSA 261:141, registration fees — dealer plates at $400 a year for the first plate and $24 for each additional, and motorcycle dealer plates at $24 and $6
- RSA 261:111, use of dealer plates — personal use by the dealer and household family members, and by full-time employees outside business hours
- RSA 259:14, “conviction” defined — an annulled conviction doesn't count; a no-contest plea does; a pending charge isn't a conviction
