Not in Texas? Motor vehicle dealer bonds in other states
Texas dealer registration bonds.
From $100.
Also known as the Texas auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
The bond a Texas dealer files with the county tax assessor-collector to be authorized to process its own title and registration paperwork (often through webDEALER). The county sets the amount — premiums start from $100, with one soft credit pull that never affects your score. Premiums run 1.5% of your bond amount, $100 minimum.
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Three steps to authorized.
Your county authorization is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, the bond amount your county requires, and an effective date. 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.
File with your county
Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to file with your county tax assessor-collector to be authorized to process title and registration work. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the county insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
A licensed Texas dealer can be authorized by its county tax assessor-collector to process the title and registration paperwork on the vehicles it sells — often electronically through the state’s webDEALER system. The county conditions that authorization on a surety bond standing behind the dealer’s correct handling of titles, registrations, taxes, and fees.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the county together with the public (the protected parties). If a dealer mishandles a customer’s registration, fails to remit taxes or fees, or misuses license plates and registration receipts, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
This is a county-level filing, not a single statewide bond — each county tax assessor-collector sets its own amount and runs its own authorization, so a dealer working in multiple counties may need a separate bond in each. It is also not insurance for you: if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety.
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 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.
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
File with your county. Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to file with your county tax assessor-collector to be authorized to process title and registration work. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the county insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not 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 Texas bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Your county authorization is waiting on one document.
From $100, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.