DC motor vehicle dealer bonds.
$750 flat. Soft pull.
The District of Columbia requires every licensed motor vehicle dealer to maintain a $25,000 bond under D.C. Code § 50-603. Ours is $750 flat — 3% of the bond amount, identical for every dealer. One soft credit pull, e-signed in 1–2 business days.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the DMV
Pay online and receive the executed $25,000 bond, ready to file with your DC dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the District insists.
The whole pricing page.
$25,000 bond × 3% = $750, one-time per term. DC runs these on a statutory two-year renewal cycle; price scales with the term you select.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The District of Columbia licenses motor vehicle dealers and conditions the license on a $25,000 surety bond under D.C. Code § 50-603. The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind clear title on the vehicles you sell and your compliance with DC's motor vehicle sales laws.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the District of Columbia together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to deliver clear title, misapplies a customer's money, or otherwise violates dealer law, the harmed party can recover against the bond — and § 50-603 designates the Mayor as agent for service of process on the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The statute runs these bonds on a two-year cycle; dealers who deliver clean title and keep good records treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
You need this bond if you're
Five minutes. The whole thing.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Do I pay the $25,000? +
Who requires this bond? +
What does the bond guarantee? +
Is there a credit check? +
When does it renew? +
Other New York bonds.
The DMV is waiting on one document.
$750 flat, five-minute application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.