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

Last updated: October 2, 2026

Nevada has one of the cheapest dealer licenses in the country and one of the most expensive states to be a business in. The DMV charges $125 to license you and $50 to renew. Nevada then charges $425 to form the LLC and $350 every year to keep it. The bond is $100,000. Budgeting from the license fee will mislead you by an order of magnitude.

The Bond Is Set by What You Sell

Nevada does not scale the bond by volume or by how long you have traded. It scales by vehicle type, and the top band covers almost everyone:

What you sell	Bond
Utility or boat trailers, unladen weight 3,500 lbs or less	$10,000
Motorcycles; horse trailers without living quarters; utility trailers 3,501 lbs or more	$50,000
All other vehicle types, and peer-to-peer car sharing platforms	$100,000
Brokers	$100,000

The bond goes in on form OBL-210, and Nevada allows a deposit in lieu of a bond for the same amount. There is also a useful alternative buried in the packet: an applicant may submit a $100,000 bond in lieu of the insurance requirement.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
New license fee	$125	Paid to DMV Occupational and Business Licensing
License renewal	$50
Fingerprint processing	$39 per principal	Every principal listed on the application
Salesperson license	$75	Expires December 31; never prorated
Late reinstatement	$25	Plus the renewal application and fee
Surety bond	$10,000 / $50,000 / $100,000	By vehicle type — see above
Nevada LLC	$425	$75 Articles + $150 Initial List + $200 State Business License
Nevada annual renewal	$350 per year	$150 Annual List + $200 State Business License

Read that table bottom-up. The DMV license and its renewal come to $175 over two years. Nevada’s own business filings come to $775 over the same two years — more than four times as much. Nevada’s reputation as a cheap place to incorporate does not survive contact with the fee schedule.

The Salesperson License Is Not Prorated

Occupational salesperson licenses expire on December 31 regardless of when they were issued, and the DMV is explicit that the cost is the same throughout the year: fees will not be prorated.

So a salesperson you license in November pays the full $75 and renews about six weeks later. If you are staffing up late in the year, that is a real, avoidable cost — and a reason to time hiring around the calendar where you can.

What Goes In the Packet

Everything runs through the DMV’s Occupational and Business Licensing section in Carson City, and the forms all carry the OBL prefix:

• Application for Business License (OBL-237), completed in full and signed by a principal of the business.
• Personal History Questionnaire (OBL-242), completed by each principal listed on the application.
• Surety bond (OBL-210), or a deposit in lieu, at the amount for your vehicle type.
• A certificate of insurance showing automobile liability coverage.
• A copy of your city or county business license — peer-to-peer car sharing programs are exempt from this one.
• Certificate of Incorporation and corporate filing naming the officers, if you are incorporated.
• The business FEIN.

The complete instruction set is the Business License Application Packet (OBL-335), which covers dealers, distributors, lessors, manufacturers and rebuilders in one document. Making a false statement on these forms is a gross misdemeanour under the relevant NRS chapters, on top of denial or revocation.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Form the entity and complete Nevada’s three-piece filing — Articles, Initial List, and the State Business License — because the DMV wants your business licensing already in place.
2. Get your city or county business license and keep a copy for the packet.
3. Bind the bond on OBL-210 at the band matching what you intend to sell, or arrange the deposit in lieu.
4. Arrange automobile liability insurance and obtain the certificate — or consider the $100,000 bond alternative.
5. Have every principal complete OBL-242 and budget $39 each for fingerprinting.
6. File OBL-237 with the $125 new license fee.
7. License your salespeople at $75 each, remembering the December 31 expiry applies no matter when you file.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Nevada dealer license cost?

The DMV charges a $125 new license fee and $50 to renew, plus $39 per principal for fingerprint processing. A salesperson license is $75. The much larger cost is Nevada’s own state business licensing: forming an LLC runs $425 and renewing runs $350 a year, well above the dealer license itself.

How much is the Nevada dealer bond?

$100,000 for ordinary vehicles and for peer-to-peer car sharing platforms. It drops to $50,000 for motorcycles, horse trailers without living quarters, and utility trailers with an unladen weight of 3,501 pounds or more, and to $10,000 for utility or boat trailers at 3,500 pounds or less. A deposit may be made in lieu of a surety bond.

Do Nevada salesperson licenses get prorated?

No. Occupational salesperson licenses expire on December 31 each year, and the DMV states the cost is the same for licenses issued at any point during the year — fees will not be prorated. A salesperson hired in November pays the same $75 as one hired in January and renews weeks later.

Who issues the dealer license in Nevada?

The Nevada DMV’s Occupational and Business Licensing section in Carson City, not a separate commission or board. The same section licenses dealers, distributors, lessors, manufacturers, rebuilders and brokers, and the whole packet of forms is issued under the OBL prefix.

Sources

Source	What it confirms
Nevada DMV — Vehicle Industry & Drive School Licensing	Licensing section, salesperson fee and non-proration
OBL-335, Business License Application Packet	$125 new / $50 renewal / $39 fingerprints / $25 late, bond bands, required documents
OBL-243, Dealer, Distributor, Lessor, Manufacturer and Rebuilder Information	Licensing requirements and definitions
OBL-210, Vehicle Industry Business License Bond	Bond form and amounts

Comparing states? See our dealer license guides for every state we cover.