How to get a used car dealer license in Nevada

This guide is informational and does not replace official Nevada requirements. Always verify with Nevada DMV — Occupational and Business Licensing before applying.

Step-by-step process

1. 1

   Line up a location that meets the established place of business rules

   A used vehicle dealer needs a permanent enclosed building large enough for an office and a safe place to keep books and records, space to display one or more vehicles, and clearly marked boundaries (NRS 482.323). Nevada's regulation (NAC 482.901) puts numbers on that: the building needs at least 100 square feet of floor space, and boundaries means physical partitions such as a fence, wall, or curb separating your lot, office, and parking from any neighbor. For dealers licensed after February 11, 2009, that exterior partition must be at least 18 inches high. The location must be open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless you post other hours and keep them.

2. 2

   Get your city or county business license

   Nevada requires a license from every city where you have a place of business, or from the county if you're outside city limits, before the DMV will license you (NRS 482.322). Your local authority must also approve the building before you do business there (NAC 482.901). The DMV's OBL 265 form lets the local licensing office confirm your approval. The DMV will take a copy of your local application and approval while you wait for the license itself.

3. 3

   Get the $100,000 bond and your insurance

   The bond goes on form OBL 210 from a corporate surety licensed in Nevada. It's $100,000 for dealers selling vehicles other than motorcycles and trailers (NRS 482.345). For insurance, your agent sends an ACORD Certificate of Liability Insurance with the DMV as certificate holder. Per the DMV's OBL 273 sheet, a garage liability or commercial auto policy works if it covers any auto, or all owned or scheduled autos plus hired and non-owned autos. Limits must be at least $95,000 combined single limit, or $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury and $20,000 property damage. The insured name has to match the DBA on your application.

4. 4

   Complete the OBL 335 application packet

   The OBL 335 packet holds the forms for dealers. A principal signs the Application for Business License (OBL 237) in front of a notary or an authorized DMV representative. Each principal completes a Personal History Questionnaire (OBL 242) and a DPS fingerprint waiver (OBL 256). Add your bond, insurance certificate, local business license, fictitious name and corporate filings, FEIN, business email, and two color photos of the exterior with the sign. The application fee is $125, plus $40 per principal for fingerprint processing. Both are non-refundable.

5. 5

   Get fingerprinted

   Each principal on the application submits one set of fingerprints, taken by an authorized Nevada DMV representative or a law enforcement agency. Check with local law enforcement for any extra fees they charge. The DMV forwards the prints for a state and FBI background check (NRS 482.325).

6. 6

   Pass the DMV site inspection

   The DMV inspects the location before licensing you (NRS 482.322 directs it to investigate every applicant). It checks the building, lot, boundaries, sign, and posted hours against the rules above. Once you're licensed, order dealer plates on the OBL 239 Business License Plate Application at $17.50 each.

Can you get a Nevada dealer license without a lot?

Not as a dealer. A used vehicle dealer needs space to display at least one vehicle, with boundaries marked by a fence, wall, curb, or similar barrier, and a permanent enclosed building of at least 100 square feet. A home doesn't fit those rules, and the local authority has to approve the building.

The one license that skips display space is the broker license. A broker needs only a permanent building with room for an office (NRS 482.323). But the DMV's broker sheet is blunt: a broker does not buy and sell vehicles. A broker arranges or negotiates purchases for a fee, posts the same $100,000 bond, and must keep deposits in a separate trust account at a Nevada bank. If you want to own inventory and resell it, you need the dealer license and the lot.

Buying at dealer-only auctions with a Nevada license

Many people want a dealer license to buy at dealer-only auctions. Those auctions are built around licensed dealers, but each one sets its own registration paperwork, so ask the auction what it needs before you plan around it.

Two Nevada points matter. A broker license won't help you buy inventory, because a broker doesn't buy or sell vehicles. And the license comes with a real place of business: a lot, an office, a sign, and posted hours the DMV can inspect. A dealer license used only for auction access still has to meet all of that.

Once you're licensed: the paperwork on every deal

Nevada titles a dealer sale through the Dealer's Report of Sale, entered in the DMV's Electronic Dealer Report of Sale (EDRS) system inside the Motor Vehicle Industry Portal. You print and sign three copies. Our Nevada EDRS guide walks through each screen and the 30-day deadline for getting the endorsed title to Carson City.

EDRS is a state portal, so DealerVLO can't fill it for you. It gives you a print-ready worksheet from the deal — buyer, vehicle, price, and lienholder — to key into EDRS. It's a worksheet, not the official state form.

The DMV now requires odometer disclosure on all 2011 and newer vehicles (vehicles over 16,000 pounds GVWR stay exempt), on a secure document such as the title, a Dealer Reassignment of Title, or a secure power of attorney. See our odometer disclosure guide for how the 20-year rule works.

The Nevada auto dealer bond: $100,000

Nevada requires every used-vehicle dealer to post a $100,000 surety bond. The bond protects buyers from misconduct (odometer fraud, undisclosed liens, deceptive trade practices) and the state from unpaid taxes.

You don't pay the full bond amount up front — you pay an annual premium to a surety company, typically 1–5% (estimate) of the bond's face value. Your actual premium depends on personal credit and business history.

Nevada requires a corporate surety bond from a surety licensed in Nevada, on the DMV's OBL 210 form, approved as to form by the Attorney General (NRS 482.345). It's $100,000 for dealers selling vehicles other than motorcycles and trailers, and $50,000 for motorcycle dealers. The bond protects consumers against breach of a consumer contract, deceptive trade practices, fraud, and violations of Chapter 482. It must be continuous, and total liability is capped at the bond amount. You can post a deposit in lieu of bond instead (NRS 482.346). After 5 years licensed in good standing, the DMV may agree to reduce the bond to no less than 50%. The premium range is a market estimate, not a state figure.

Common questions