How to Get a Dealer License in Mississippi: Cost & Requirements

Last updated: August 18, 2026

The first thing to get right in Mississippi is which agency you are dealing with. Used motor vehicle dealers are licensed by the Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Licensing Bureau — not the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Commission, which handles new and franchise dealers. The permit is $100, the bond is $15,000, and there is an 8-hour seminar you must have taken within the last year.

Everything Expires October 31

This is the detail that catches people. Mississippi does not run your permit for twelve months from the day it is issued. All permits and tags expire October 31, and the application is written “for year beginning November 1”.

Get licensed in August and you are renewing in October. Get licensed in November and you have a full year. It does not change the price, but it changes when your first renewal lands — plan the cash flow around it.

What It Costs

Permit type	Permit fee	Dealer tags
Used motor vehicles	$100	$43.75 each
Franchise (new)	$100	$43.75 each for the first 12
Wholesale only	$100	One tag only, $43.75
Trailer only	$75	$18.75 each
Motorcycle	$50	—
Manufacturer	$50	$18.75 each
Heavy truck	$100	$133.75 each
Dismantler	$100	No tags issued
Bond of Designated Agent	$15,000
Mississippi LLC	$50 online

The application notes the permit fee total is not to exceed $100, so holding several permit types does not multiply the permit cost — though the tags are charged separately per tag.

The Bond Is a “Bond of Designated Agent”

Mississippi’s dealer bond is not called a dealer bond. It is the Bond of Designated Agent, required under the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Title Act, in the sum of $15,000 — and the formalities matter:

• Written by an insurance company qualified to do business in Mississippi.
• It must carry a seal affixed and a valid Power of Attorney attached.
• Line 1 naming rules: a sole owner shows the owner’s name and the business name; a partnership shows all partners’ names plus the business name as a d/b/a; a corporation shows the exact corporate name registered with the Secretary of State, with any trade name alongside it.
• Signed by the principal, the Attorney-in-Fact and a Mississippi resident agent.
• Line 2 shows the city where the business will operate.
• The surety may cancel on 30 days’ written notice to the Department.

Dismantler-only applicants who sign an affidavit that they will sell no motor vehicles or manufactured homes have the bond requirement waived — and receive no dealer tags.

The MIADA Seminar Is Mandatory and Has a Shelf Life

All applicants must complete the eight-hour educational seminar conducted by the Mississippi Independent Auto Dealers Association (MIADA). There is no alternative provider named.

The catch is timing: your certificate of completion must be from the twelve-month period immediately preceding the date of the application. Take the class too early, let the application drift, and the certificate goes stale.

Wholesale-Only Has a Two-Vehicle Ceiling

Mississippi’s wholesale-only permit is unusually restrictive, and unusually accessible:

• No physical location is required — the one route in this guide series that does not demand a lot.
• But you may only maintain an inventory of two (2) vehicles, and receive one (1) wholesale dealer tag.
• You may sell only to licensed dealers, never retail to individuals.
• Mississippi residents only — proof of residency is required, such as a Mississippi driver’s licence, proof of Mississippi withholding, a lease agreement or personal vehicle registration.

The Rest of the File

• Blanket motor vehicle liability insurance covering vehicles operated on public roads including dealership inventory, filed at application and at every renewal. Dismantler and trailer-only dealers selling no motor vehicles are exempt.
• A sales tax number for each dealer location — and a separate one again if you also rent vehicles.
• A site visit is performed for businesses retailing to the public.
• An established place of business: a place owned or leased and regularly occupied for the primary purpose of dealing in motor vehicles, with an office, or an adequate display of identification as a dealer.
• Incomplete forms are returned without processing; applications can also be filed through Motor Vehicle e-Services.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Form the entity and register the exact name with the Secretary of State.
2. Get your sales tax number for the dealer location.
3. Take the 8-hour MIADA seminar and keep the certificate current.
4. Have the $15,000 Bond of Designated Agent executed with seal and Power of Attorney, naming the entity per the line-1 rules.
5. Bind blanket liability insurance covering inventory.
6. File the application with the notarised affidavit, original bond and original seminar certificate — and expect a site visit if you sell retail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who issues a used car dealer license in Mississippi?

The Mississippi Department of Revenue, through its Motor Vehicle Licensing Bureau. The Mississippi Motor Vehicle Commission regulates new and franchise dealers, so applying to the Commission for a used dealer permit sends you to the wrong agency.

How much does a Mississippi dealer permit cost?

$100 for a used motor vehicle dealer permit, and the application states the permit fee total is not to exceed $100. Used dealer tags are $43.75 each. Trailer-only permits are $75 and motorcycle and manufacturer permits are $50.

When does a Mississippi dealer permit expire?

All permits and tags expire October 31, and the application year begins November 1. The expiry is fixed to that date rather than running twelve months from when you were licensed, so a permit issued in the summer is good for only a few months before its first renewal.

Is a class required for a Mississippi dealer license?

Yes. All persons applying for a Motor Vehicle Dealer Permit must complete the eight-hour educational seminar conducted by the Mississippi Independent Auto Dealers Association, and the certificate of completion must be from the twelve-month period immediately preceding the date of the application.

Taxes, licensing and hiring are covered in our full guide to starting a business in Mississippi.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
MS DOR — Motor Vehicle Dealer Permit Application Packet	$15,000 Bond of Designated Agent and its naming and seal rules, 8-hour MIADA seminar and 12-month certificate window, blanket liability insurance, sales tax number per location, site visit, wholesale two-vehicle and one-tag limits, dismantler bond waiver, permit and tag fee table, October 31 expiry
MS DOR — Motor Vehicle Dealer Tag Permit Law, Rules and Regulations	Definitions of used motor vehicle dealer and established place of business, dealer tag use rules
MS DOR — Dealers and Designated Agents	Licensing authority for used and wholesale dealers, e-Services filing