IDAHO DEALER SCHOOL
Idaho dealer education · idahodealerschool.com
How to become a dealer in Idaho — the checklist.
Your city or county clears the location. The state licenses you. Start both on day one. The zoning goes into your state packet.
1Set up the businessStart here
Ask the ITD Dealer Team to check that your dealership name is not deceptively similar to another dealer's, then form the business with the Secretary of State
Assumed name with the Secretary of State if you'll operate under a different name
EIN for the dealership
Seller's permit from the Idaho State Tax Commission — for a retail dealer
ITD reads every line: every owner name, business name and the street address must match across ITD 3170, the bond and the insurance certificate.
2Secure your location & clear zoningStart early
Talk to city or county planning before you sign a lease — the location must be zoned for your type of dealership
Enclosed commercial structure · records kept where an investigator can inspect them
Permanent exterior sign, trade name readable from fifty feet · a business phone listed in the dealership's name
The zoning letter, or a zoning official's signature on the application
3Get your bond & insurance
$20,000 surety bond ($40,000 wholesale) — the original, signed, with all owners' names, the dealership name and address; it stays in force
Liability insurance — $25,000 / $50,000 / $15,000 — certificate on an Acord 25 (preferred) or an Acord 30
The bond must reflect the exact ownership, business names and dealership location on the application.
4Take the 8-hour dealer classOur class
ITD-approved 8-hour prelicensing class, with the closed-book exam — $99 per person · English and Spanish, on your phone · idahodealerschool.com
A certificate of completion for each owner of a used-vehicle or wholesale dealership
5File your ITD applicationLicense $190.00
$190.00 application fee plus $300.00 ICAR (retail only) — check payable to Idaho Transportation Department
ITD 3170, completed in full, with the notarized signatures of all owners, officers, directors or members
A franchise approval letter for any new vehicles or vessels you will sell, with a sample MCO/MSO (manufacturer’s certificate or statement of origin)
Certificate of completion for the 8-hour prelicensing class and passing test
Proof of corporate, LLC or LLP status from the Secretary of State, with a list of officers or members
Proof of fictitious or assumed name recording from the Secretary of State
Signed zoning approval
Original signed dealer bond
Copy of the sales tax number certificate
Liability insurance certificate — Acord 25 preferred; Acord 30 (garage liability) is also accepted. Minimums $25,000 / $50,000 / $15,000. The named insured must show the dealership’s physical address, and the certificate holder is the Idaho Transportation Department at the address printed on ITD 3170
EIN
ITD 3171 Personal History for each owner, officer or director only (do not include salespeople at this time)
Proof your business phone number is listed in a local or online directory — a Facebook business page or your website showing the number is also accepted
This is the same checklist printed on ITD 3170 — assemble the packet in this order before it goes in the envelope. Mail it (do not email it — the notary signatures must be originals). Allow up to 30 days.
6License issued — start dealing
When your place of business is ready (parking for at least 5 vehicles, a lockable office, your dealer sign), a Motor Vehicle Investigator contacts you to schedule the inspection
Declare your business hours in writing — ITD asks for a minimum of one hour per week
After the inspection ITD mails the license
Order plates on the forms the investigator gives you at inspection — ITD 3635 for dealer plates, ITD 3169 for loaner plates (prorated to your license year). Use the price printed on the form; ITD updates it without notice. Plates go only on vehicles you hold for sale
Salesperson license on ITD 3171 for anyone you hire to sell — $36.00 with an Idaho driver’s license or ID. No Idaho driver’s license or ID card: $26.00 on the form, then $10.00 for the photo at the county sheriff’s DMV office
The investigator also emails you how to sign up for the dealer portal and how to order plates. A copy of the signed and submitted ITD 3171 acts as the temporary salesperson license for 60 days.
7Stay compliantOngoing
Every year — renew the license for $175.00, plus $300.00 ICAR with the initial application and at each renewal (wholesale-only dealers are exempt), plus the plate renewal fees on ITD’s current order form. One renewal payment covers the license, the plates and ICAR
Every owner or responsible party listed on the license — the 4-hour course before each renewal application. Our renewal class is open
Never late — a renewal more than thirty days past the end of the license period is processed as an initial application
Your bond — stays in force all year
Moving — notify Dealer Operations before you move; the fee is $44.00 and a new ITD 3170 is completed for the new location
ITD Dealer Operations · dealers@itd.idaho.gov · itd.idaho.gov
Secretary of State · business entity and assumed name
Idaho State Tax Commission · seller's permit
Key forms · ITD 3170 · ITD 3171 · ITD 3635 · ITD 3169
Education, not legal advice. Requirements, fees, and forms change, so always confirm current rules with ITD Dealer Operations and your city or county. Figures reflect Idaho requirements as of 2026.