Vermont motor vehicle dealer bonds.
From $100.
Also known as the Vermont auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Looking for the Vermont title bond?
Vermont requires every motor vehicle dealer to file a surety bond with the Department of Motor Vehicles before registering as a dealer, under 23 V.S.A. § 453(g). The amount runs $20,000 to $35,000 based on your prior-year sales — your price is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, with one soft credit pull.
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How much does a Vermont motor vehicle dealer bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps to registered.
Your dealer registration is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, the bond amount the DMV set, and an 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 DMV
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer registration. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Vermont licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and conditions dealer registration on a surety bond under 23 V.S.A. § 453(g). The bond is a State-and-buyer protection guarantee: it stands behind the registration fees and sales taxes you collect on the vehicles you sell.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the State of Vermont together with vehicle purchasers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to remit registration fees collected under Title 23 or sales tax collected under 32 V.S.A. chapter 219, the State or a harmed buyer can recover against the bond — the surety's liability is limited to the fees or tax collected and not remitted.
The amount is set by the Commissioner from your prior-year unit sales, generally $20,000 for lower-volume dealers up to $35,000, and can be written as a two-year or continuous bond. It is 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
E-sign & file with the DMV. Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer registration. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% 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 Vermont bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The DMV is waiting on one document.
From $100, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.