How to get a dealer license in Oregon

You need a vehicle dealer certificate if you buy, sell, broker, trade, or exchange vehicles, display a new or used vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer for sale, or act as an agent for someone buying or selling a vehicle (ORS 822.005), unless an exemption in ORS 822.015 applies. Owners selling vehicles they owned mainly for personal, family, or household purposes are exempt, but a person who sells, trades, displays, or offers more than five vehicles in one calendar year has the burden of proving that personal use (ORS 822.015(1)(b)). DMV reads this exemption narrowly (OAR 735-150-0020(3)).

• Vehicle Dealer Certificate (3 years): Anyone who buys, sells, or displays new or used vehicles for sale, including used car dealers. New and used dealers apply on the same Form 735-370 with a $50,000 bond, liability insurance, and 8 hours of pre-certification education.
• Franchised new vehicle dealer (same certificate): Dealers with a franchise for nationally advertised new vehicles or new recreational vehicles. They answer yes to the franchise question on Form 735-370 and name the makes. They still need the 8-hour course for an original certificate but are exempt from continuing education at renewal.
• Vehicle rebuilder (dealer certificate): Businesses that buy, sell, or deal in assembled or reconstructed vehicles, or build them from vehicle components, must hold a dealer certificate (ORS 822.070). They apply on the same Form 735-370 and must list every rebuilding location.
• Motor vehicle broker: A person paid to arrange or negotiate a vehicle purchase or lease for a buyer or lessee. A broker must hold a vehicle dealer certificate and give the buyer a written disclosure (ORS 822.047).
• Supplemental Dealer Certificate: Each additional location run under the same business name and ownership (Form 735-372, $350). It expires with the main certificate and is not needed for sales done entirely online.
• Dismantler Certificate: Vehicle dismantling businesses. DMV Business Licensing issues dismantler certificates, and the fee is $1,000 (ORS 822.700).
• Vehicle Transporter Certificate: Businesses certified as vehicle transporters, which can order transporter plates on Form 735-6938. The fee is $450 (ORS 822.700).

Surety bond. Form 735-370B sets the bond at $50,000 for each year the certificate is valid (ORS 822.030). It must come from a corporate surety licensed in Oregon, or you can use an irrevocable letter of credit, and the statute says the dealer must buy the bond annually on or before each anniversary of the certificate. Claims by people other than retail customers are capped at $10,000. A dealer holding a certificate to deal only in motorcycles, mopeds, Class I ATVs, or snowmobiles posts $10,000, but ORS 822.022 bars DMV from issuing new certificates limited to those vehicles. If the bond is canceled you must stop dealer business, and if no new bond is filed within 45 days you must reapply.

Insurance. ORS 822.033 requires vehicle liability insurance that covers all vehicles the dealer owns, operates, or controls and anyone driving them with the dealer's consent, with at least the ORS 806.070 minimums: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $20,000 for property damage. Your insurer must complete DMV's Certificate of Insurance form; ACORD forms and binders are not accepted. Dealers who sell only certain vehicle types, such as antique vehicles, snowmobiles, or Class I or III ATVs, can file an exemption on Form 735-7024.

Place of business. Each business location must have room to display at least one vehicle of the type you are certified to sell, a way for the public to reach you or an employee during normal business hours, an exterior sign permanently attached to the land or a building that shows the dealership name from the certificate, with letters clearly visible to the major avenue of traffic, and the dealer certificate posted where the public can see it (OAR 735-150-0030). The city or county zoning office must sign the location approval on your original application (ORS 822.025(6)), and some charge a fee. Vehicles must be sold and displayed at the approved location. DMV may waive the display, contact, or sign rules only when zoning or a local ordinance prevents compliance (Form 735-7178), and it may inspect the site. Each extra location needs a supplemental certificate, but online-only sales do not.

Background check. Oregon's dealer application and rules do not call for fingerprints. Each owner, partner, LLC member, or corporate officer must sign the application and send a copy of a government photo ID, and the form asks about each principal's dealer history. DMV investigates applications at random and checks every application for principals tied to dealerships whose certificates were put on probation, suspended, canceled, or revoked (OAR 735-150-0024). It will not issue a certificate if a principal is, or within the past year was, involved with a dealership whose certificate is suspended, canceled, or revoked (OAR 735-150-0027). To act as a DMV agent, principals must not have a felony conviction, or a misdemeanor tied to vehicle sales or to fraud, identity theft, forgery, or conversion, in the past 10 years (OAR 735-150-0039).

Pre-license education. Required (8 hours). Approved courses and details.

1. Register your LLC, corporation, or assumed business name with the Oregon Secretary of State Business Registry, and get a federal employer ID number (FEIN) for the application.
2. Complete at least 8 hours of pre-certification dealer education from a DMV-approved provider, passing each course test, within one year before you apply (ORS 822.027).
3. Find a location with room to display a vehicle, a permanent exterior sign, and a public contact during business hours, then have the city or county zoning official sign the location approval on Form 735-370.
4. Buy a $50,000 surety bond on DMV Form 735-370B, signed and sealed by the surety and signed by you.
5. Have your insurer complete DMV's Certificate of Insurance (no ACORD forms or binders), or file Form 735-7024 if you qualify for an exemption.
6. Complete Form 735-370 with every owner's signature and a copy of each owner's photo ID, plus Form 735-372 for each additional location.
7. Mail or bring the packet and the $1,188 fee to DMV Business Licensing, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314, and wait for approval before doing any dealer business.

Official forms:

• Application for Three Year Vehicle Dealer Certificate packet (includes Surety Bond 735-370B, Certificate of Insurance, Education Exemption 735-370C, Insurance Exemption 735-7024, and Location Exemption 735-7178), 735-370
• Supplemental Dealer/Rebuilder Vehicle Dealer Certificate Application (735-372)
• Application to Correct Dealer/Rebuilder Vehicle Dealer Certificate (735-371)
• Dealer and Transporter Plate Request (735-6938)
• DMV Title and Registration Handbook, Chapter R: Dealers

Not fully. Oregon sets no minimum lot size, but every dealer location needs room to display at least one vehicle, a permanent exterior sign, and a way for the public to reach you during business hours. DMV can waive those three rules only when zoning or a local ordinance prevents compliance, using Form 735-7178.

Dealer-only auctions require a dealer license. Oregon law lets dealers licensed in other states, and dealer employees, take part in an auction run by an Oregon-certified dealer that is open only to certified or licensed dealers (ORS 822.015(3)). AuctionACCESS (auctionaccess.com) limits membership to licensed, credentialed vehicle dealers and their authorized representatives.

Certificates expire 3 years after issue or renewal (ORS 822.020). Renew on Form 735-370 with the plate billing list, proof of a valid bond, a new DMV certificate of insurance, owners' photo IDs, and proof of 12 hours of continuing education (4 hours for each year). Franchised new vehicle and RV dealers and a few others can claim an education exemption on Form 735-370C. DMV does not send reminders. A renewal filed within 15 days after expiration is on time, 15 to 45 days late adds a $150 late fee, and after 45 days you must apply as a new dealer, with zoning approval and the 8-hour course.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm the details with the Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV), Business Regulation and Oregon Dealer Services Section, Business Licensing Unit before you apply. Last verified October 20, 2026.

Planning the business side too? Read how to start a car dealership. Used cars you offer for sale need an FTC Buyers Guide in the window. Selling your own car instead? See how to sell a car in Oregon.