How to Get a Dealers License in Georgia: Bond, Insurance, and Application

To get a dealer’s license in Georgia, you apply to the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers after meeting the personal eligibility rules, setting up a compliant office and lot, posting a $35,000 surety bond, obtaining garage liability insurance, and completing a four-hour pre-licensing seminar. Once your application and $180 in fees are on file, the Board schedules a site inspection, runs your fingerprint-based background check, and votes on approval. Plan on several weeks from submission to license in hand.

Who Needs This License

Georgia defines a used motor vehicle dealer broadly. If you sell, exchange, or negotiate the sale of used vehicles for commission or with the intent to profit, you need the license.¹ The same definition pulls in wholesalers and brokers. People who flip cars on the side are dealers in the Board’s eyes whether they run a lot or not, and operating without a license exposes you to fines and criminal charges.

Personal Eligibility

Three things gate the paperwork: your age, your education, and your record.

You must be at least 18 and a U.S. citizen, proven with a secure and verifiable document such as a driver’s license or passport.²
You must complete a four-hour pre-licensing seminar on Georgia’s dealer regulations and submit the completion certificate with your application.²
You must pass a fingerprint-based criminal history check. The application has to be on file first; once Board staff verifies it, you get an email from GBI/GAPS to schedule fingerprinting through Identogo.³

If you have prior arrests or convictions, include the related court documents and a letter of explanation with your application. A disqualifying record will stop the process.

Setting Up a Compliant Place of Business

The physical location trips up more applicants than any other step, so handle it before you file.

Building and Zoning

The Board requires an established place of business, meaning a permanent building where you keep records and negotiate sales. Modular or manufactured office buildings qualify if they are tied down, set on blocks, and have the wheels removed. Storage sheds and similar structures built for other purposes do not.⁴

You can operate from a residential address. Since 2007 the Board has allowed this if local ordinances permit commercial activity in the zone and the dealer’s office sits in a separate building detached from the home. That detached office has to be accessible to the public and to inspectors during regular business hours.⁴

Your application must include zoning certification from the local planning department confirming the property is authorized for vehicle sales. If you have an open display lot, the office building must sit on the same property as the lot.⁴

Signage and Phone

A sign identifying the business must appear at the entrance to your building. If you operate inside a larger commercial building, the dealership name also has to appear on a publicly displayed lobby marquee and directly outside your office entrance. Local ordinances and your lease may add further rules.⁴

A dedicated business phone line installed in the dealership’s name is required. If you work from a residential property, that line has to be separate from your household line and used only for business. A personal cell will not satisfy the rule.⁴

Bond, Insurance, and Tax Setup

Surety Bond

You need a $35,000 surety bond issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in Georgia. The bond is payable to the Governor for the benefit of any purchaser harmed by misrepresentation, deceptive practices, or breach of warranty on a vehicle you sold. It has to be filed with the division director either before or immediately after the license is granted, and the original bond document with power of attorney goes in your application package.⁵

Garage Liability Insurance

Standard automobile liability will be rejected. You need garage liability coverage with minimum limits of $50,000/$100,000/$25,000, or a $125,000 combined single limit. The certificate of insurance has to be on an Acord form, show the exact business name and address from your application, and list the State Board of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers at 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA 31217 as the certificate holder. Binders are not accepted; the actual policy number must appear on the certificate.²

Tax Numbers

Get a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, which is free to apply for online.⁶ You also need a Sales and Use Tax Number from the Georgia Department of Revenue, because any entity meeting the statutory definition of a dealer must register regardless of whether sales are in-state, online, or wholesale.⁷

Workers’ Compensation

If you employ three or more people, full-time or part-time, Georgia requires workers’ compensation coverage. Exempt corporate officers or LLC members do not reduce the count.⁸

The Application Package

Georgia uses an online licensing portal called GOALS. You register, complete the application there, and upload most documents digitally. Several items still have to arrive as originals at the Board’s Macon office. The complete checklist:³

The completed, signed, and notarized application with the filing fee.
Zoning certification, which is built into the application form.
The original $35,000 surety bond with power of attorney.
The original Acord certificate of insurance showing garage liability coverage and listing the Board as certificate holder.
Photographs of your office, signage, and lot.
Your pre-licensing seminar completion certificate.
The background check receipt from your Identogo appointment, scheduled after the Board confirms your application is on file.
A copy of your secure and verifiable document, such as a driver’s license or passport.
The affidavit of citizenship included in the application.
Court documents and a letter of explanation, only if you have prior arrests or convictions.

Every detail on your bond, insurance certificate, and zoning paperwork has to match the application exactly, including the business name and address. Mismatches are the fastest way to get an application returned.

Fees, Inspection, and Approval

The application fee is $170 plus a $10 processing fee, for $180 total. Both are non-refundable and non-transferable.²

After the Board receives a complete application, an investigator schedules a preliminary inspection of your dealership location. The inspector checks your office, signage, phone line, and record storage against the Board’s requirements.² If the inspection passes and your background check comes back clean, the Board votes to grant the license and issues it through the GOALS portal. Incomplete applications or failed inspections stretch the timeline considerably.

Keeping the License Active

Georgia dealer licenses must be renewed periodically, and the Board requires proof of continuing education at renewal. Keep your surety bond and garage liability insurance in force without gaps; a lapse in either is grounds for suspension. Store your business records at the licensed location, because investigators can visit at any time to verify compliance.

If you move the dealership, you have to meet all current facility requirements at the new address and notify the Board. Dealers previously licensed in non-compliant structures such as storage buildings lose that grandfathered status once they change locations or let the license lapse.⁴

1
Justia. Georgia Code 43-47-2 – Definitions
2
Georgia State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers. Application for Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License
3
Georgia Secretary of State. How-to Guide – Used Motor Vehicle Dealers
4
Georgia Secretary of State. Chapter 681-6 Established Place of Business
5
Justia. Georgia Code 43-47-8 – License Applications
6
Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
7
Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Registration – FAQ
8
State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Employer Information