California
California dealer licensing
The official agencies and forms for used car dealers in California, and who regulates lending if you carry your own paper.
DMV / MVD
Open the agency's licensing pages
State of California Department of Motor Vehicles
Dealer license types
New dealerUsed dealerDealer-wholesale only
Other agencies you may deal with
Common state offices for setup, licensing, and operations.
Business setup
- Hiring staffEmployment Development Department
- Registering the businessCalifornia Secretary of State
- Sales taxCalifornia Department of Tax and Fee Administration
Licensing
- Dealer boardNew Motor Vehicle Board
- Salesperson licenseCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles
Operating
- Consumer lendingCalifornia Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI)
- Customer complaintsCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles
- Temporary tagsCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles
- Titles & platesCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles
- Vehicle inspectionBureau of Automotive Repair
Official California forms and pages
Changing something
Looking something up
Filing online
Another state
Opening a new dealership?
The license is only part of what you need.
Corrections. Agencies move their pages and rename their forms constantly. If a link here is dead or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.