Georgia used motor vehicle dealer bonds.
From $438.
Also known as the Georgia auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Every Georgia used motor vehicle dealer must post a $50,000 surety bond for each licensed place of business, payable to the Governor of Georgia for the benefit of the people who buy your cars. 2026 Ga. SB 293 raised the amount from $35,000, effective July 1, 2026. The one-year premium starts at $438.
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How much does a Georgia used motor vehicle dealer bond cost?
From $438; the exact price shows at the application once you enter your bond amount.
From application to a filed dealer bond.
The board will not issue or keep a used dealer license without the bond on file. Here is the whole process:
Send us the dealership
Apply online with the county, the full street address of the dealership location, the entity type, the owners, and years in business — the fields this bond actually turns on. One application per established place of business.
See your exact price
The one-year premium starts at $438 for the $50,000 bond. The application includes a soft credit pull that never affects your score, and shows your exact price before you pay — most applicants land at or near that starting price.
Execute & file with the board
Once you bind and pay, we issue the executed bond with the power of attorney, ready to file with the division director of the State Board — before or immediately upon the granting of your license.
What it is and who needs it.
What the used dealer bond guarantees
Georgia licenses used car lots through the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers. Under O.C.G.A. § 43-47-8(d)(1), every licensee must post a bond executed with a surety company authorized to do business in Georgia — one for each license or supplemental license issued for an established place of business. Two lots means two bonds.
The bond is filed with the division director of the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers.
The bond is payable to the Governor for the use and benefit of any purchaser of a used motor vehicle, and that buyer’s vendees or successors in title. It is conditioned to pay the losses, damages, and expenses a buyer suffers because of a dealer’s misrepresentation, deceptive practice, unfair practice, or breach of warranty as to the vehicle. A buyer sold a car with a rolled-back odometer or a hidden title brand, for example, can make a claim against it.
2026 Ga. SB 293 raised the amount from $35,000 to $50,000 and relabeled the category from “used car dealers” to “used motor vehicle dealers,” effective July 1, 2026. The same act added a residency condition to the license application: the applicant must be a Georgia resident or list a Georgia-resident agent for service of process. That sits alongside the existing requirements of an established place of business, a board-approved training seminar attended or exam passed within the preceding 12 months, a Department of Revenue sales-and-use-tax registration, the required insurance, and the bond.
It is not insurance for the dealer. If the surety pays a valid buyer claim, the dealership repays the surety. That indemnity is why the bond is underwritten on the owners’ credit and history, and why a dealership with thin or damaged credit can be asked for collateral. We tell you what your file needs before you commit.
You need this bond if you’re
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $50,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The term is set on the carrier’s application; the premium covers the period shown there.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, September 30, in the year your term ends.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
Execute & file with the board. Once you bind and pay, we issue the executed bond with the power of attorney, ready to file with the division director of the State Board — before or immediately upon the granting of your license.
What sets the price
From $438; your exact price appears at the application once you enter the amount.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, one soft pull.
These are the actual underwriting fields — the dealership county and street address, entity type, owners, years in business, and a few history questions. The application includes a credit review; the one-year premium starts at $438 and your exact price appears there before you pay. Free until your bond is issued.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Georgia bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get the $50,000 bond on file with the board.
Send us the dealership — the one-year premium starts at $438, and the application sets your exact price by credit review. Free until issued.