MT motor vehicle dealer bonds.
$1,500 flat. Soft pull.

Montana requires a $50,000 bond from anyone licensed as a motor vehicle dealer, broker, wholesaler, or auto auction. Ours is $1,500 flat — 3% of the bond amount, identical for every dealer. One soft credit pull, e-signed in 1–2 business days.

Required for a dealer, broker, wholesaler, or auto auction license under MCA 61-4-101
Fixed amount, fixed price — $50,000 bond, $1,500, no quote theater
Soft credit pull only — never affects your score, and the rate stays 3% either way
A-ratedA.M. Best carriers1–2 daystypical issuance1–3 yrterms available
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps to licensed.

Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here is the entire process — no broker phone tag:

TODAY · 5 MINUTES

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.

WITHIN 48 HOURS

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.

1–2 BUSINESS DAYS

E-sign & file with the Motor Vehicle Division

Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.

The whole pricing page.

$50,000 bond × 3% = $1,500, one-time per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it. The dealer bond renews annually with your license.

1-year term
$1,500
2-year term
$3,000
3-year term
$4,500
About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the bond actually guarantees

Montana licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Department of Justice Motor Vehicle Division, and conditions the license on a $50,000 surety bond under MCA 61-4-101. The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind your compliance with Montana motor vehicle sales law, including clear title and honest handling of customers’ money.

It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety, and the State of Montana together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to deliver clear title, misapplies a buyer’s funds, or otherwise violates dealer law, the harmed party can recover against the bond.

The same statute sets reduced amounts for narrower license types — $15,000 for motorcycle/quadricycle dealers and $5,000 for motorboat, watercraft, snowmobile, and off-highway-vehicle dealers. The full $50,000 applies to general dealers, brokers, wholesalers, and auto auctions. If the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety.

MCA 61-4-101 (Motor Vehicle Division)MCA 61-4-101 requires an applicant for a dealer, broker, wholesaler, or auto auction license to file a $50,000 bond, renewed annually and approved by the department. Reduced amounts apply by license type: $15,000 for motorcycles/quadricycles and $5,000 for motorboats, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, and off-highway vehicles. Confirm which license type and amount apply on your application.

You need this bond if you are

Applying for a Montana dealer license — new or used motor vehicles
Licensed as a broker, wholesaler, or auto auction under MCA 61-4-101
Renewing your dealer license and your current bond is expiring or non-renewing
Moving to Montana from another state and getting licensed here

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 →
FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

Do I pay the $50,000? +
No. You pay $1,500 — the flat 3% of the bond amount. The $50,000 is the surety’s maximum liability to the state and harmed buyers; it’s not a deposit, and nobody holds your money.
Who requires this bond? +
The Montana Department of Justice Motor Vehicle Division, as a condition of a dealer, broker, wholesaler, or auto auction license under MCA 61-4-101. No active bond, no license.
I only sell motorcycles or boats — is my bond smaller? +
Yes. MCA 61-4-101 sets a $15,000 bond for motorcycle/quadricycle dealers and a $5,000 bond for motorboat, watercraft, snowmobile, and off-highway-vehicle dealers. We write those too — see the related bonds below.
Is there a credit check? +
Yes — one soft credit pull, which never affects your score. It informs approval, not price. The rate is a flat 3% either way: credit can affect whether we approve the bond, never what it costs.
When does it renew? +
The dealer bond renews annually with your license. You can buy a 1, 2, or 3-year term; we send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out, with autopay available, so your license never lapses over a missed email.
Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

The Motor Vehicle Division is waiting on one document.

$1,500 flat, five-minute application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.

Your premium @ 3%$1,500
Apply now →