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
Looking for the dealer association in California? California dealer association.
Looking for auto auctions in California? California auto auctions.
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.