There is no national set of dealer license classes. A few states, such as Michigan (Class B, Class W) and Massachusetts (Class 2), label licenses with a class. Most name the license by type: "Independent Motor Vehicle Dealer," "Used Vehicle Dealer License," "Dealer Certificate." If a Google result or a forum thread gives you a letter or number, it only applies in the state it came from.
This matters because the name on your application decides what you can legally do: buy at dealer-only auctions, sell to the public, or both. Here is what the official sources say, state by state, with the page each fact came from. Every license name below was read on an official state source and last checked on 2026-09-24.
LocalIQ™ market snapshot
What top flip candidates are asking right now
| Model | Listings | Median asking price |
|---|---|---|
| GMC Sierra 1500 | 632 | $29,972 |
| Honda Civic | 5,396 | $15,000 |
| Honda Accord | 4,176 | $15,999 |
| Ford F-150 | 3,134 | $24,000 |
| Toyota Corolla | 3,040 | $14,500 |
| Nissan Sentra | 3,004 | $9,880 |
| Toyota Camry | 2,510 | $17,082 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2,396 | $9,499 |
LocalIQ™ asking-price median · 24,288 listings · updated every 6 hours. National, last 8 model years; asking price is your resale ceiling.
What are real examples of dealer license names?
These ten show how much the labels differ. The agency and license names come from the state's own statute, form or agency page, linked in the right column.
| State | Agency | License name(s) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division | Master Dealer License | Ala. Admin. Code 810-5-12 |
| Arizona | ADOT Motor Vehicle Division | Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License; Wholesale Motor Vehicle Dealer License | ARS 28-4301 |
| California | DMV, Occupational Licensing | Used Vehicle Dealer License; Dealer Wholesale-Only License | DMV form OL 248B |
| Florida | FLHSMV | Independent Motor Vehicle Dealer (VI); Wholesale Motor Vehicle Dealer (VW) | Fla. Stat. 320.27 |
| Massachusetts | Registry of Motor Vehicles / local licensing authority | Class 2 Used Car Dealer's License | M.G.L. c. 140, s. 58 |
| Michigan | Department of State, Business Licensing and Regulation | Class B (Used Vehicle Dealer); Class W (Wholesaler Vehicle License) | Dealer Manual, ch. 1 |
| North Carolina | DMV, License and Theft Bureau | Motor Vehicle Dealer; Wholesaler | G.S. 20-286 |
| Oregon | DMV (ODOT) | Vehicle Dealer Certificate | Oregon license directory |
| Pennsylvania | Department of State, State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons | Dealer License | Board fee notice |
| Texas | TxDMV | Independent Motor Vehicle GDN; Wholesale Dealers GDN | TxDMV |
Two things stand out. First, "license" is not even the universal word: Oregon issues a certificate, Texas a GDN (general distinguishing number). Second, the issuing agency is rarely the same type of office. It is a revenue department in Alabama, a licensing board in Pennsylvania, a motor vehicle agency in most others.
Wholesale vs retail: which license do you need?
A retail used-car dealer license lets you sell to the public. A wholesale license, in states that have one, limits you to selling to other dealers. The tradeoff is usually lighter facility rules. Per the state sources in our data:
- Texas: wholesale dealers may sell only to other licensed dealers, not retail purchasers, and are not required to have a five-vehicle display area (TxDMV).
- Michigan: Class W wholesalers buy and sell used vehicles from and to licensed used vehicle dealers only (Dealer Manual).
- Florida: the Wholesale Motor Vehicle Dealer (VW) license is for people who buy and sell exclusively at wholesale or with motor vehicle auctions, and wholesale dealers are exempt from the display requirements (Fla. Stat. 320.27).
- Delaware: wholesale dealers may buy and sell only to other dealers or licensed auctions, may operate from a private residence, and may not sell to retail buyers (state source linked on the Delaware guide).
Some states do not split the two. Alabama's Master Dealer License authorizes operation as a used motor vehicle dealer, motor vehicle wholesaler and rebuilder under one license, and New Jersey's MVC dealership page lists new and used, used, leasing and boat dealership licenses but not a wholesale-only license. Hawaii's law defines a used motor vehicle dealer as one who sells used vehicles at wholesale or retail, or both, under the same license.
If you plan to buy at dealer auctions and sell on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to the public, a wholesale-only license does not cover the second half. Read the definition in your state's statute before you apply.
Are there other license types that sound like a class?
Yes, and this is where "near me" searches go wrong. Several states carve out categories inside the dealer family:
- Motorcycle or small-vehicle dealer: Alaska lists a motorcycle-only dealer bond of $25,000 against $100,000 for a general dealer. California's bond for motorcycle and all-terrain-vehicle-only dealers is $10,000 against $50,000 for a standard vehicle dealer.
- New vs used: North Dakota lists separate New and Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Licenses. West Virginia lists a Used Motor Vehicle Dealer (Duc) and a New & Used Motor Vehicle Dealer (D).
- Auction dealer: Nebraska lists an Auction Dealer bond of $100,000, against $50,000 for a motor vehicle or trailer dealer.
Those bond amounts are from the state sources in our dataset. They are the price of a category, not a ranking of which license is "higher."
How do you find your state's exact license name?
- Open the dealer license guides and pick your state. Each page shows the agency, the license names, and the source for each fact.
- Follow the agency link and confirm the name against the current application form. States rename and renumber forms.
- If the guide says "Confirm with agency" for something, that means we could not verify it on an official page and did not fill it in from a bond seller or a blog.
For the cross-state view, the dealer license list by state puts agency, license name, bond range and sales threshold in one table. For the question of whether you need one at all, see how many cars you can flip without a dealer license.
Where this fits in a flip
The license is what unlocks dealer-only inventory and lets you wholesale your misses to other dealers. It does not tell you what to bid. Run the all-in cost through the max bid calculator before you decide a license is worth the bond and fees, and use the full guide to getting a dealer license for the application steps.
