Who requires it
Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services — Manufactured Home Unit
License & permit · Wisconsin
Wisconsin Manufactured Home Dealer Bond
Wisconsin manufactured home dealers licensed under Wis. Stat. § 101.951 must show financial responsibility to the Department of Safety and Professional Services. SPS 305.323 lets an applicant file either a surety bond on Form SBD-10679 or a financial statement on Form SBD-10678 that demonstrates the scheduled net worth. The surety is therefore optional—an alternative to the net-worth statement—not a bond every dealer must buy. Amounts come from Table 305.323-1 for non-brokers ($50,000 for new dealers and for two to fifty homes sold per year; $100,000 for fifty-one or more) and Table 305.323-2 for brokers and broker-restricted dealers ($25,000 for new dealers and for two to fifty homes; $50,000 for fifty-one or more). The bond, when used, is payable for the benefit of persons who sustain loss from licensee acts that constitute grounds for suspension or revocation under § 101.951(6).
Common bond amount
$25,000–$100,000 by class and annual sales
Optional surety alternative to net-worth statement; non-broker $50,000 / $100,000; broker $25,000 / $50,000 per SPS 305.323 tables.
How you file
File Form SBD-10679 surety, or Form SBD-10678 net-worth statement
Renewal
Four-year license; resubmit bond or financial statement at renewal
Who requires it
Businesses that sell manufactured homes (including mobile homes) to consumers or the retail market in Wisconsin and that need a manufactured home dealer license—generally when two or more homes are sold in a calendar year. Non-brokers carry inventory and a sales lot; brokers (also called broker-restricted) sell without a lot, inventory, or ownership in the homes. This DSPS credential is separate from a WisDOT motor vehicle dealer license.
How much is required
SPS 305.323(3)(a) sets the minimum net worth or surety face from the code tables. Non-brokers use Table 305.323-1: $50,000 for a new dealer or for two through fifty manufactured homes sold per year, and $100,000 when fifty-one or more homes are sold per year. Brokers and broker-restricted dealers use Table 305.323-2: $25,000 for a new dealer or for two through fifty homes, and $50,000 for fifty-one or more. Match your broker classification and annual sales count—do not invent a per-branch add-on.
How to get and file it
If you choose the surety path, have a Wisconsin-licensed bonding company execute Form SBD-10679 for the table amount that matches your class and sales tier, then file it with the manufactured home dealer application through LicensE as DSPS directs. If you instead demonstrate net worth, file Form SBD-10678 (or an equivalent GAAP statement dated within the rule’s timing limits) for the same scheduled amount—no surety is required on that path. Manufactured home dealer licenses renew on the DSPS four-year cycle under SPS 305.07. Renewal is contingent on again providing the SPS 305.323(2)(d) security—either an updated bond or an updated financial statement. Branch locations need their own branch licenses and fees; the financial-responsibility tables do not add a separate bond multiplier for each branch. Keep the chosen security current while licensed; statute treats failure to keep a required bond in force as grounds for discipline when a bond is the path you use.
Cost note
Table amounts are required bond amounts (or matching net-worth targets if you use the financial-statement path), not premiums. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Security election
- Surety bond (SBD-10679) or financial statement / net worth (SBD-10678)—not both required
- Non-broker faces
- $50,000 (new or 2–50 homes/year); $100,000 (51+ homes/year)
- Broker / broker-restricted faces
- $25,000 (new or 2–50 homes/year); $50,000 (51+ homes/year)
- Beneficiary
- Persons sustaining loss from acts that are grounds for suspension or revocation under § 101.951(6)
- Branches
- Separate branch license and fee; no verified per-branch bond add-on
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to buy a bond if my financial statement already meets the table?
No. SPS 305.323 lets you satisfy the minimum with either a surety bond or a qualifying financial statement showing the scheduled net worth. Choose one path and keep that proof current through renewal.
Is this the same as the WisDOT motor vehicle dealer bond?
No. Manufactured home dealers are licensed by DSPS under chapter 101 and SPS 305.323. Motor vehicle dealers bond with WisDOT under chapter 218 on Form MV2511. Selling cars and selling manufactured homes are separate programs.
Does each branch need its own bond amount?
Branches need separate branch licenses and fees, but SPS 305.323’s net-worth or bond tables size the dealer’s financial-responsibility showing by broker class and homes sold per year—not by multiplying a face for each branch.
Related Wisconsin bond guides
WisDOT Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond
$50,000 retail; $5,000 motorcycle-only; $25,000 wholesale
Wisconsin motor vehicle dealers must maintain a bond or irrevocable letter of credit under Wis. Stat. § 218.0114(5). Retail dealers generally post at least $50,000; dealers that sell or propose to sell motorcycles and not other types of motor vehicles post at least $5,000. Wholesalers and wholesale dealers post at least $25,000. Security is executed in the name of the Department of Transportation for the benefit of persons who sustain loss because of dealer acts that constitute grounds for license suspension or revocation. WisDOT’s retail application materials specify Form MV2511 for the dealer bond or Form MV1046 for a letter of credit.
Dwelling Contractor Bond
$5,000+ bond (restricted) or $25,000+ / $250,000 GL
Before obtaining a building permit for a one- or two-family dwelling, Wisconsin generally requires a Dwelling Contractor or Dwelling Contractor Restricted certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services, plus a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. Wis. Stat. § 101.654 requires proof of financial responsibility: either a surety bond of at least $5,000 endorsed by a Wisconsin-authorized surety, or a general liability insurance policy of at least $250,000 per occurrence. A bond under $25,000 yields a restricted certification—the contractor may not perform dwelling work whose estimated completion cost exceeds the bond amount. A bond of at least $25,000 (or qualifying liability insurance) supports the unrestricted Dwelling Contractor path. The bond is executed in the name of the state for persons who sustain loss from dwelling-code or related ordinance violations.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Wisconsin application
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Last verified 2026-08-10. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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