Ohio dealer title defect bonds.
$750.
Also known as the Ohio auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Ohio motor vehicle dealers file a title defect surety bond with the BMV, and the required amount rose to $75,000 effective April 1, 2026 (up from $25,000). The premium is a fixed $750 — the price you see at checkout. A quick soft credit check may apply — never a hard inquiry — with e-signing in 1–2 business days.
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How much does an Ohio dealer title defect bond cost?
$750 at the $75,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
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.
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 the BMV
Pay online and receive the executed title defect bond, ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Ohio licenses motor vehicle dealers through the BMV, and conditions the license on a title defect surety bond. The bond backs the Ohio Attorney General's Title Defect Rescission (TDR) Fund — the fund that reimburses consumers when a dealer fails to deliver a clear title within the statutory window, sells an undisclosed rebuilt-salvage or buy-back vehicle, tampers with an odometer, or otherwise leaves a buyer with a defective title.
The required amount increased to $75,000 effective April 1, 2026, up from the prior $25,000. New dealers need the $75,000 bond to get licensed, and existing dealers move to the higher amount on their renewal. It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety, and the State of Ohio / harmed buyers as the protected parties.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety or the TDR Fund pays a claim, you repay the surety. Dealers who deliver clean title and disclose vehicle history treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
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 $75,000 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 the BMV. Pay online and receive the executed title defect bond, ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $750 at the $75,000 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: approved instantly, or after a quick credit check.
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 Ohio 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 Ohio. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Ohio bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The BMV is waiting on one document.
$750, issued instantly. Bond issued when you pay.