Minnesota used dealer bonds.
$100 flat.
Also known as the Minnesota auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Minnesota licenses motor vehicle dealers through Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) and conditions the license on a surety bond. The $5,000 amount is the reduced figure Minn. Stat. 168.27 sets for certain trailer and small-vehicle dealer classes, and our carrier prices the bond at a flat $100.
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How much does a Minnesota used dealer bond cost?
$100 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here is 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.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with DVS
Pay online and receive the executed bond (DVS form PS2446) ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DVS insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Minnesota licenses motor vehicle dealers through Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) under Minn. Stat. 168.27. The bond is conditioned on the dealer's faithful performance of the obligations Minnesota law imposes on motor vehicle transactions, and on the payment of taxes, license fees, and penalties.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Minnesota together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to deliver clear title, misapplies a customer's money, or violates dealer law, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
The $5,000 amount is the reduced statutory figure for specific dealer classes — boat-, snowmobile-, and horse-trailer dealers, motorized bicycle dealers, and dealers in trailers with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity under 15,000 pounds designed to transport small construction or farm equipment. Most other dealers post a $50,000 bond instead — confirm your class with DVS.
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 $5,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
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
E-sign & file with DVS. Pay online and receive the executed bond (DVS form PS2446) ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DVS insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $5,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
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, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Minnesota motor vehicle dealer bonds.
Not sure this is the one your license calls for? These are the other motor vehicle dealer bonds we write in Minnesota. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Minnesota 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 .
DVS is waiting on one document.
$100 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.