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Minnesota new dealer bonds.
$100 flat.
Also known as the Minnesota auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Minnesota licenses new motor vehicle dealers through Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) and conditions the license on a surety bond. The $5,000 amount is the reduced figure Minn. Stat. 168.27 sets for certain trailer and small-vehicle classes — our carrier prices it at a flat $100. A quick soft credit check may apply — never a hard inquiry; the bond is issued when you pay.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here is 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. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with DVS
Pay online and receive the executed bond (DVS form PS2446) ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DVS insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Minnesota licenses new motor vehicle dealers through Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) under Minn. Stat. 168.27. The same bonding rules apply to new and used dealers — the bond is conditioned on the dealer's faithful performance of the obligations Minnesota law imposes on motor vehicle transactions, and on the payment of taxes, license fees, and penalties.
It is a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Minnesota together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to deliver clear title, misapplies a customer's money, or violates dealer law, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
The $5,000 amount is the reduced statutory figure for specific dealer classes — boat-, snowmobile-, and horse-trailer dealers, motorized bicycle dealers, and dealers in trailers under 15,000 pounds designed to transport small construction or farm equipment. A franchised new-car dealer typically posts the $50,000 bond instead — confirm your class with DVS.
You need this bond if you're
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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Minnesota bonds.
DVS is waiting on one document.
$100 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.