How to get a Florida independent dealer license, step by step

Last verified: November 9, 2026. Every rule links to its official source.

To sell used cars to the public in Florida you need an independent motor vehicle dealer license, class VI, from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). Plan on an approved location, a pre-licensing course, electronic fingerprints, a $25,000 surety bond, liability insurance and a $300 application on Form HSMV 86056, filed with your FLHSMV regional office.

The Florida dealer license at a glance

What	The rule	Source
License	Independent dealer, class VI, issued by FLHSMV through its regional offices	Form HSMV 86056
Presumed a dealer at	3 or more vehicles bought, sold, offered or displayed in any 12 months	Florida Statutes 320.27
Application fee	$300 for the first year	Florida Statutes 320.27
Surety bond	$25,000, or an irrevocable letter of credit	Florida Statutes 320.27
Insurance	$25,000 combined single-limit liability plus $10,000 personal injury protection	Florida Statutes 320.27
Course	A pre-licensing course at a licensed dealer school, finished within the 6 months before you apply	Florida Statutes 320.27
Fingerprints	Electronic, for every applicant, general partner, officer and director	Form HSMV 86056
Office	At least 100 square feet with a 7-foot ceiling, never in a residence	Rule 15C-7.003
Expiration	April 30; renewal is $75 for one year or $150 for two	Form HSMV 86720
Continuing education	8 hours every 2 years	Florida Statutes 320.27

Do you need a dealer license in Florida?

Yes, once you buy, sell or deal in 3 or more vehicles in any 12-month period. At that point Florida law presumes you are in the business of dealing. Offering or displaying 3 or more for sale in the same period triggers the same presumption.

Dealing without the license is a second-degree misdemeanor, which carries up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. It also counts as an unfair and deceptive trade practice, and the department can get a court order to stop you after a single sale. The full picture is in How many cars can you sell in Florida without a dealer license?

Which Florida dealer license do you need?

Most people opening a used-car lot need the independent license, class VI. The other classes fit narrower plans, and all four use the same form and the same $300 fee.

Class	What it lets you do	The limit
VI, independent	Buy, sell and deal in used vehicles with the public and with other dealers, and service and repair them	It is not a franchise license for new vehicles
VW, wholesale	Buy from and sell to licensed dealers and auctions	No sales to the public and no dealer plates
VA, auction	Run an auction for dealers	No sales to anyone but a licensed dealer
SD, salvage	Buy salvaged or wrecked vehicles to resell them and their parts	Covers salvage only

Wholesale looks cheaper because a wholesale dealer is exempt from the display space rule. The trade is real: you can never sell a car to a retail customer on that license.

Step 1: Set up the business

The application asks you to prove the business exists before FLHSMV reviews anything else. Form HSMV 86056 calls for:

• Registration with the Florida Division of Corporations, plus your fictitious name registration if you trade under one.
• Your company papers: articles, minutes, and an operating or partnership agreement.
• A federal employer identification number.
• A Florida sales tax number from the Department of Revenue.

Get these first. Every later document, from the lease to the bond, should carry the same business name.

Step 2: Find a location and get it approved before you sign the lease

FLHSMV must approve your site, and its own form recommends that you do not sign a lease until it has. Once you find a location, call your regional office and book an inspection by a compliance examiner. The inspection is mandatory. Waiting to sign is advice, and it is good advice: a lease on a site that fails is money you do not get back.

The site has to meet Rule 15C-7.003, which is printed in the application booklet:

• Office. A permanent structure at the licensed location with at least 100 square feet of interior floor space, not counting hallways, closets or restrooms, and a ceiling of at least 7 feet. The rule is blunt about homes: “No office shall be operated from or maintained in any residence.” The office must be clearly separated from any other business in the building.
• Display space. Large enough to store and display every vehicle you offer for sale, under your exclusive control, and next to the office or easy to reach from it. Customer, employee and public parking do not count, and neither does the public right-of-way. If another dealer displays beside you, a permanent barrier at least 3 feet high must divide the two. The rule sets no minimum number of spaces.
• Sign. A permanent sign identifying the dealership, readable from 50 yards away on the public right-of-way.
• Hours. Posted at or near the main entrance, and kept. You or someone you name must be available to customers and to the department during those hours. The rule sets no minimum number of hours.
• Main business. Dealing in vehicles must be the principal business at the licensed location.

Your lease or proof of ownership goes into the application. The lease must show the dealership name and the physical address or a legal description, and both you and the landlord must sign it.

Step 3: Clear the city and the county

Local approval comes before the state license in practice, because zoning decides whether a car lot can exist at that address at all. The state form has you confirm that you meet local zoning and business tax rules, and the local offices want their own paperwork before you open.

Three things come up almost everywhere:

1. Zoning. Ask the city or county whether vehicle sales are allowed at the address. Many offices put the answer in a zoning verification letter.
2. A certificate of use. The local approval to run that kind of business in that building.
3. Business tax receipts. The county tax collector issues one, and a business inside city limits usually needs the city’s receipt too. Receipts expire September 30 each year.

Here is who to call in five large metros, with the fees their offices publish.

Where	Zoning and certificate of use	Business tax receipt
Miami-Dade, unincorporated	A Certificate of Use from the county before opening. The fee schedule effective October 1, 2026 lists $160.23 for vehicle sales from an open lot, $100.38 per inspector, and $225.88 for a zoning verification letter, plus a 7.5 percent surcharge.	County Local Business Tax Receipt, after the Certificate of Use
City of Miami	A Certificate of Use applied for online: $50 application fee credited to the final bill, $100 zoning inspection, and $313 for the first 2,000 square feet of a commercial space	City receipt and the county receipt
Fort Lauderdale	A Certificate of Use, new since October 1, 2026, with a $238.50 application fee, required before the city receipt	City receipt first, then the Broward County receipt
Orlando and Orange County	In the city, one application covers the Business Tax Receipt and Certificate of Use. In the unincorporated county, the Zoning Division must approve the business first.	City receipt before the county receipt
Tampa and Hillsborough County	In the unincorporated county, a zoning verification costs $250.92 and is processed within 30 business days. In the city, zoning letters come from Development Coordination.	County receipt online, reviewed in 3 to 5 business days; the city Business Tax Division works by appointment
Jacksonville and Duval County	A Certificate of Use reviewed by Zoning, Building Inspection and the Fire Marshal. The city says a review with no construction takes 25 to 30 business days.	Duval County Local Business Tax Receipt

The business tax amount for a dealer depends on how each tax collector classifies you, so ask for it when you apply. Start the zoning question early. In Hillsborough and Jacksonville the local review alone can run past a month.

Step 4: Take the pre-licensing course

One person in charge must finish a course at a dealer training school licensed by FLHSMV within the 6 months before you apply. The statute lets that person be an owner, partner, officer or director, or a full-time employee in a responsible management position. Passing means attending at least 90 percent of the hours and passing the exam at the end.

FLHSMV describes the course as 16 hours for independent, wholesale, auction and salvage applicants. The statute only sets ceilings: 8 hours on department topics and up to 24 more on other agencies’ rules. FLHSMV lists 13 licensed schools, with classroom and online classes in English and Spanish. As one price point, the Florida Independent Automobile Dealers Association charges $199 for its online course.

Watch the date on your certificate. If more than 6 months pass before you file, it no longer counts. The statute exempts an applicant who held a valid dealer license continuously within the past 2 years and is still in good standing.

Step 5: Get fingerprinted

Every applicant, general partner, corporate officer and director is fingerprinted electronically for a state and federal background check. You use a provider authorized by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and you pay the cost. Ask the provider for the price when you book, because providers add their own charge to the state and federal fees.

Two timing points from the application form and the statute:

• FDLE keeps your results for 6 months only. Do not get printed long before you file.
• The department may issue the license while the check is still pending. It can revoke the license if the application turns out to be untrue.

Someone already fingerprinted for another Florida dealer license does not repeat it unless they have been convicted of a felony since.

Step 6: Buy the bond and the insurance

You need both before the license issues, and the bond is required annually.

The bond. A $25,000 surety bond on Form HSMV 86020, or an irrevocable letter of credit from a Florida bank on Form HSMV 86057. A surety bond is a guarantee you buy from an insurer: it pays customers if you break a written sales contract or the title and registration laws. What you pay is the premium the surety quotes, not the $25,000. No official price exists, so get quotes. Send FLHSMV a copy of any renewal, change or new bond within 10 calendar days.

The insurance. A garage liability policy, or a general liability policy paired with a business automobile policy. Either way the minimum is $25,000 of combined single-limit liability coverage, including bodily injury and property damage, plus $10,000 of personal injury protection. The insurance certificate must state how many dealer license plates the insurer has authorized, and you cannot hold more plates than that number.

Step 7: File Form HSMV 86056 with your regional office

The application goes to the FLHSMV regional office responsible for your dealership. Florida has 10 regional offices, including Margate for Broward, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Opa Locka for Miami-Dade.

The packet for a first independent license:

1. Form HSMV 86056, completed.
2. The $300 fee, payable to DHSMV.
3. The original $25,000 surety bond or letter of credit.
4. The lease or proof of ownership.
5. The pre-licensing course certificate.
6. The insurance certificate.
7. Division of Corporations registration, fictitious name registration and company papers.
8. Your sales tax number and federal employer identification number.
9. Proof of electronic fingerprinting for each officer.

Two small rules are easy to miss. The form says not to use white-out or correction tape. And each officer must complete page 5 and have it notarized.

Step 8: Do not sell until the license is in your hand

The form puts it in capitals: “You are NOT ALLOWED to conduct business until you have your license in hand.”

FLHSMV’s form and dealer pages give no processing time, and nobody can promise you one. Time your lease start and your first inventory purchases with that in mind. The wait is also when you have time to set up the system you will run the lot on. You can set up your lot in LeftLane while you wait, so the first deal is not also your first day with new software.

What does a Florida dealer license cost?

The state’s own fees are small. The larger costs are quoted by private companies and by your city, and they vary.

Item	Cost	Who sets it
Application, first year	$300	State law
Second year, if you choose a 2-year license	$75	State law
Each additional location	$50	State law
Pre-licensing course	Set by the school; $199 at one provider	The school
Fingerprints	Quoted by the provider	FDLE and the provider
Bond premium	Quoted by the surety	The surety
Insurance premium	Quoted by the insurer	The insurer
Dealer plate	$17 license tax plus $27 annual use tax by statute; FLHSMV’s rate chart lists $55.60 a year plus the $27, and $28 more for a new metal plate	State law
City and county approvals	Varies; see the table in Step 3	Local government

Rent and inventory are not in this table; they depend on your plan, and the state sets neither.

After the license: the dates that matter

An independent license expires on April 30 of its expiration year, and the renewal has its own deadline a month earlier.

• March 31. A dealer that has not filed to renew at least 30 days before expiration must stop doing business on the expiration date.
• April 30. The license and your dealer plates expire. Renewing late, within 45 days after expiration, adds a $100 delinquent fee.
• Every 2 years. 8 hours of continuing education before you file the renewal: at least 2 hours on legal or legislative issues, 1 hour on department issues and 5 hours on industry topics.
• September 30. City and county business tax receipts expire.
• Your first 90 days. FLHSMV’s Inspector General audits describe a records inspection for new dealers within 90 days. What they look at is covered in After the sale in Florida, and who can inspect you.

If you plan to carry your own customers’ notes, the dealer license is not enough. You also need a Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Seller license from the Office of Financial Regulation. See Financing your own sales in Florida.

What trips people up

• Signing the lease first. The site must pass an FLHSMV inspection and local zoning. Get both answers before you commit.
• Planning a home office. The rule bars any office in a residence.
• Counting customer parking as display space. Display space is for inventory only and must be under your exclusive control.
• A stale course certificate. It has to be dated within 6 months of your application.
• An insurance certificate without a plate count. No count on the certificate, no plates.
• Thinking wholesale is a cheaper way to retail. A wholesale dealer cannot sell to the public or use dealer plates.
• Getting only one business tax receipt. Inside city limits you usually need the city’s and the county’s.
• Selling before the license arrives. A single sale is enough for the department to seek a court order.

What changed recently

• October 1, 2026. A person registering a vehicle in Florida must now show proof of address plus a REAL ID license or ID card, a valid U.S. passport, or an unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired I-94 (chapter 2026-39). That touches each individual buyer’s registration, so build it into your paperwork from day one.
• October 1, 2026. Fort Lauderdale began requiring a Certificate of Use before a business tax receipt, and Miami-Dade’s new zoning fee schedule took effect.
• 2026. FLHSMV opened rule development on its dealer location rules. No proposed rule has been published, so the rule dated 1990 still applies.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run a Florida car dealership from my home?

No. The location rule says no office may be operated from or kept in any residence. You need an office in a permanent structure at the licensed location with at least 100 square feet of floor space and a 7-foot ceiling, plus display space and a permanent sign, and FLHSMV must inspect and approve the site.

How long does it take to get a Florida dealer license?

FLHSMV’s form and dealer pages give no processing time. Your regional office grades and processes the application after the site is approved. The parts you control are the course, fingerprints, bond, insurance and local approvals, and local zoning review alone can take more than a month in some counties.

How long is the Florida dealer pre-licensing course?

FLHSMV describes it as 16 hours for independent, wholesale, auction and salvage applicants. The statute sets only maximums. You must attend at least 90 percent of the hours, pass the exam, and apply within 6 months of finishing.

Do I need a lot for a Florida wholesale dealer license?

A wholesale dealer is exempt from the display space rule because it makes no retail sales. The limit is strict: a wholesale dealer may sell only to licensed dealers and auctions, and may not use dealer license plates.

Do my salespeople need a license in Florida?

Florida’s dealer licensing statute has no license or registration for motor vehicle salespeople. The dealership holds the license. The person who took the pre-licensing course must be an owner, partner, officer, director or a full-time management employee.

Can I sell cars while my application is pending?

No. The application form says you are not allowed to conduct business until you have the license in hand, and selling without it is a second-degree misdemeanor.

Do I need another license to finance my own customers?

Yes. Offering retail installment contracts requires a Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Seller license from the Office of Financial Regulation, which lists the fee as $175. It is separate from the FLHSMV dealer license.

Your next step

Get the one-page Florida dealer license checklist: every form, fee and office from this guide in the order you will need them, sent to your inbox.

When your application is in, you can set up your lot in LeftLane or book a LeftLane demo while you wait. LeftLane is a dealer management system for independent and buy-here-pay-here dealers, and there are real people on the phone at 512-222-9549 if you get stuck.

Sources

• FLHSMV: Form HSMV 86056, dealer license application and Rule 15C-7.003
• Florida Statutes 320.27: motor vehicle dealers
• Florida Statutes 775.082 and 775.083: misdemeanor penalties
• Florida Administrative Code Rule 15C-7.003
• FLHSMV: dealer license FAQs
• FLHSMV: Dealer FAQ, course length
• FLHSMV: licensed dealer training schools
• FLHSMV: Form HSMV 86720, license renewal
• FLHSMV: Bureau of Dealer Services regional offices
• FLHSMV: Form HSMV 83140, rate chart
• Florida Statutes 320.08: license taxes and 212.0601: use tax
• Florida Statutes 205.053: business tax receipts
• Laws of Florida, chapter 2026-39
• FLHSMV Office of Inspector General: audit 201819-29
• Florida Office of Financial Regulation: consumer finance FAQ
• Miami-Dade County: Certificate of Use and fee schedule
• City of Miami: Certificate of Use
• City of Fort Lauderdale: Certificate of Use
• Broward County Tax Collector: Business Tax Receipt
• Orange County: Business Tax Receipt process
• City of Orlando: Business Tax Receipt
• Hillsborough County: zoning verification
• City of Jacksonville: Certificates of Use
• Duval County Tax Collector: Local Business Tax

This guide is general information for dealers, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Confirm with the agency or a licensed attorney in your state before you act.