Who requires it
Idaho Transportation Department — Vehicle dealers
License & permit · Idaho
Idaho Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond
Idaho vehicle and vessel dealers must file a performance bond with the Idaho Transportation Department before the dealer license issues. Idaho Code § 49-1608 sets three amounts: ten thousand dollars for dealers that sell only motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, motorbikes, ATVs, utility-type vehicles, truck campers, and snow machines; forty thousand dollars for wholesale-only used-vehicle dealers; and twenty thousand dollars for all other dealers. A surety bond from an Idaho-licensed company, a certificate of deposit, or a cash deposit with the director may satisfy the requirement.
Common bond amount
$10,000 / $20,000 / $40,000
Powersports-only $10,000; retail $20,000; wholesale-only $40,000 (Idaho Code § 49-1608).
How you file
File an ITD dealer bond, or a CD or cash deposit with the director
Renewal
Maintain while licensed; 30-day surety termination notice to ITD
Who requires it
Applicants for and holders of an Idaho vehicle or vessel dealership license under chapter 16, title 49. Wholesale dealers in used vehicles of all types use the $40,000 tier and are exempt from Idaho consumer asset recovery fund participation under sections 49-1608B through 49-1608F.
How much is required
Section 49-1608 assigns the amount by business class. Exclusive powersports and related specialty dealers use $10,000. Wholesale-only used-vehicle dealers use $40,000. Every other dealer uses $20,000. Claims cannot exceed the statutory amount.
How to get and file it
Have an Idaho-authorized surety execute the dealer bond naming the State of Idaho in the amount that matches your dealer class, with ownership names, DBA, and location exactly as on Form 3170. File the original signed bond with the ITD dealer application package, or arrange an accepted CD or cash deposit instead. Maintain the bond while licensed. A surety may terminate by giving thirty days’ written notice by certified mail to ITD and a copy to you. Replace coverage before the effective date so the license does not fall out of compliance.
Cost note
Ten thousand to forty thousand dollars is the required bond amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Powersports / specialty exclusive
- $10,000 (motorcycle, ATV, UTV, truck camper, snow machine dealers)
- Retail dealers
- $20,000
- Wholesale-only used vehicles
- $40,000
- Alternatives
- Surety bond, certificate of deposit, or cash deposit with the director
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Which Idaho dealer bond amount do I need?
Use $10,000 only if the dealership exclusively sells the motorcycle, ATV, UTV, truck-camper, and snow-machine class described in § 49-1608(1)(a). Wholesale-only used-vehicle dealers use $40,000. All other dealers use $20,000.
Can I post cash instead of a surety bond?
Yes. Section 49-1608 allows a surety bond, a certificate of deposit in a form the director prescribes, or a cash deposit with the director. ITD materials note that cash or CD deposits remain on deposit until five years after the dealership goes out of business.
Related Idaho bond guides
HVAC Contractor Bond
$2,000
Idaho HVAC contractors and HVAC specialty contractors must provide a two-thousand-dollar compliance bond—or acceptable corporate industry group bond coverage—under Idaho Code § 54-5007. The Idaho Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Board, administered through DOPL, treats the bond as a condition of the contractor certificate of competency. This instrument is not the plumbing contractor bond; plumbing uses a separate board statute and application path.
Plumbing Contractor Bond
$2,000
Idaho plumbing contractors and plumbing specialty contractors must maintain a two-thousand-dollar compliance bond for the certificate period. Idaho Code § 54-2606 authorizes the Plumbing Board to require that bond (or acceptable industry group coverage). IDAPA 24.39.20 implements the operative $2,000 amount and requires proof of bond renewal when the certificate renews. The Plumbing Board path is separate from the HVAC Board’s $2,000 HVAC contractor bond.
Money Transmitter Bond
$10,000–$500,000
Idaho money transmitter applicants and licensees must maintain a surety bond, irrevocable letter of credit, or similar security the director accepts under Idaho Code § 26-2908. The floor is ten thousand dollars. Each additional location or authorized-representative path adds five thousand dollars, up to a five-hundred-thousand-dollar maximum. The security runs to the state for people with claims against the licensee’s money-transmission obligations.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Idaho application
Idaho will be preselected. Choose your bond type in the application—we confirm the correct product against your agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-11. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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