Wisconsin requires every licensed motor vehicle dealer to maintain a $50,000 bond with the Department of Transportation. Ours is $1,500 flat — 3% of the bond amount, identical for every dealer. One soft credit pull, e-signed on form MV2511 in 1–2 business days.
















Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
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.
Pay online and receive the executed bond (form MV2511) ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
$50,000 bond × 3% = $1,500, one-time per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.
Wisconsin licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Department of Transportation and conditions the license on a $50,000 surety bond (or irrevocable letter of credit). The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind clear title on the vehicles you sell, the taxes and fees you owe the state, and your compliance with Wisconsin dealer law.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to deliver clear title, misapplies a customer's money, or otherwise causes a loss that constitutes grounds to suspend or revoke the license, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Dealers who deliver clean title and keep good records treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk. A reduced $5,000 bond applies to dealers who sell only motorcycles.
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 →If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
$1,500 flat, five-minute application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.