Getting Your Dealer's License

OFFICES FOR AUTO DEALERS

We are preparing 10 steps to getting your license.......please pardon work on the website until complete......last updated November 9, 2024

We have offices in the price range of $295-325.   We have three locations, so inquire for prices and available offices!!
CALL or text today for AVAILABILITY.....Friedrich at 770 912 5701


10 STEPS to GET YOUR DEALER'S LICENSE

1.    DECIDE  that you want to get your dealer's license.  Like any business, buying and selling cars is not an easy business and there are not guarantees.  But owning your own business WILL be much more fullfilling than working for someone else!!!  You must have the entrepreneural spirit, a good work ethic, ability to focus and make good decisions, and have the financial resrources to not only get your license, but also to buy a small inventory to buy.  You may want to take the required prelicensing seminar to learn more about the business and meet with other people also wanting to get their license.     Part of getting your license is taking that prelicensing seminar.   You can register 4 hour seminar at the Georgia Independent Auto Dealer's Association www.giada.org or at Ron Widener Motor Vehicle Dealer Services www.ronwidener.com  The seminar costs $159 at either organization.   

2.  DOWNLOAD  DEALER APPLICATION.  Download and review the application.  Dealers license application:Used Motor Vehicle Dealers License Application (Click on preceeding link to download the application). The application  appears long, but it actually is not that complicated.    Review the application after reading these 10 Steps to GET YOUR DEALER'S LICENSE and the application will be simpler to understand.   If you would like someone to process you license application, you can join GIADA and they will then process the application at no charge.  It does cost $250 to join GIADA (Georgia Idependent Auto Dealer's Association), but it is quite worthwhile, as they will not only assist you with processing you license application before you are a dealer, but are there to help with questions and give assistance AFTER you have your license, which may be very important in your first year in business.   I highly recommend you join in the first year.

3.   RENT an office.   For ALL of your paperwork and application, you must have a legal properly zoned business location which later will be inspected by the State before issuing your license.   Call or text Friedrich at 770-912-5701.   We have offices mostly in the price range of $295 to $315 for small offices and $350 to $485 for large offices.  An office must be an independent office with separate entrance from any other business, not inside someone else's office suite.  You cannot share office space, even if the other business also belongs to you.   The office must have a land-line phone service that cannot be moved. so nolhotspot phones, no voice over IP,  nor cell phones, etc).  You must have a locking file cabinet.  Your company name must be properly displayed by your door or at the front directory of the building.  All of our offices are furnished with a desk, file cabinete, chair and corkboard where you are required to hang your state license, proof of insurance, copy of bond, copy of sales tax id, and the local city or county occupational business license.

4.  Set up your Company.    The is the second thing you MUST have before you can process your license application as all documents have your company name and the business address. A coporation or LLC protects you from personal liability.   Setting up your LLC or corporation is very simple, just go to the GA Secretary of State website, https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov.  To be able to see the menu to create your LLC or corporation, you must login, and do to that you have to create a Username and password, https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/Account.  Once you login, the menu is easy and straightford.   You could think of three names you may consider and submit them for approval, which costs $25.  Names are only refused if they are too similar to someone elses name or if they are obscene.  Then when your name is approved, you have to go back within 30 days to set up the LLC or corporation, which costs $100.   OR....you can go directly and immediately set up the company with a name, but if the name is turned down, you will have to start over.  It normaly takes 10 to 14 days for approval or setting up company unless you pay an extra $100.   We are NOT attorney or cpa, so you may want legal and financial advice before doing this, but most of our dealers set up an LLC.

5.  Set up Phone Service in your office.  The office must have a land-line phone service that cannot be moved (such as hotspots, VOIP such as fonage or majjik jack, cell phones, etc).  The phone company should also set up your interenet service with a static IP address.   The static IP address is a state requirement if you want to log on to the state system to print out temporary tags to car buyers.  The static IP address MUST come from your office as that way the state computer system will know that print requests are coming from your office.  At our buildings contact Teletopia and they will connect phone, internet service that can be hardwired or wifi for $70 per month plus furnishing both the phone and static IP address.   Contact Darwin  at Teletopia at 678-599-5550.

6.  Obtain Zoning Certificate.   Part of you state license application is submitting a Zoning Certificate.  The local city or county government issue this certificate, never a landlord.  The certficate will state that you can have a dealer's license at your office.  If you are renting an office, YOU CANNOT store or display cars at the facilty and your zoning certificate with state so.  If you want to store or display vehicles at a facility, then you must rent a property that is zoned as a car lot.   If a landlord tells you that you can part 2 or 3 cars, he/she does NOT have the authority to allow that and eventually code enforcement of the local city or county WILL shut you down.  F

For our Marietta location, we will obtain your zoning certitificate, tenant office occupany permit and apply for your local business license.  It has a total cost of $350, so slightly cheaper than other buildings.   

For our Norcross location, you have to get your zoning certificate IN PERSON at the  Gwinnett County Planning Division, 446 West Crogan Street, Suite 300 Lawrenceville, GA 30046.     It has to be done in person as you have to sign and notarize and affidavit that states you can get an administrative office for auto dealer with NO onsite parking.   The zoning certificate costs $300.  They will give the certificate to you on the spot.   Then after you get your state dealers license, you MUST go back and get your Gwinnett County business license, or they will fine you!  Ask us for a copy of the occupancy permit when getting the business license as they will require it!!  Business license costs about $90. 

For our Peachtree Corners location, you have to get your zoning certificate IN PERSON at the  City Hall of Peachtree Corners, 310 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092.   Go there in person,  otherwise if you download from the website, they will require a survey of the land and application to get an occupancy permit, which we have already done for you.     The zoning certificate costs $300.  They will give the certificate to you on the spot but sometimes may take a few days.  Peachtree Corners will REQUIRE you to apply for your local business license BEFORE you apply for the zoning certificate, which costs around $90.

You will need the local business license to comply with the local city or county government no matter where you rent in Georgia from the local city ore county where the office is located, regardless of where you live.  You will then also need the local business license to obtain the dealer tags from the DMV after you have your state license.

7.  OBTAIN INSURANCE  & BOND.   The state requires you to have insurance, known as Garage Insurance or Dealers insurance which essentially is a  liability insurance.   The minimum amount of liability is $XXX,XXX.  Bear in mind this insurance is NOT general business liability NOR does it cover you vehicles.   Common sense should tell you you need those coverages plus the state requirement is a minimum you really should have additional liability coverage; however, that is your business decision.    The cost will depend on the amount of coverage, your driving record, how many people you are putting on the coverage and the location.  Expect to pay $2000 to $3600 per year usually payable around $180 to $300 per month.     If you are just getting quotes, just use any of our three addresses, but do not buy insurance until you have leased and office so you can include the suite number in your address.    The bond is required to be in the amount of $35,000.   If you have good credit, it should cost around $300-$500 for a 2 year period, but $1000 to $5000 if you have bad credit.  

If you have a Georgia drivers license or are getting a Georgia drivers license, and want a quote for  insurance and bond, go to www.ronwidener.com or call a different agent for a 2nd quote, Chris Eels at 770-653-7808.  If you do NOT live in Georgia or do not plan on getting a Georgia driver's license, contact Rosa at 469-638-7500.

8.  ORDER YOUR DOOR SIGN.   Your office must have a sign by your door with your company name.   The name also must be posted at the front entrance of the building.   For our buildings, please email the name of your company to Atloffices@yahoo.com.  We will not make a sign until we receive an email and do not want it handwritten, texted etc, as to reduce chances of error, we printout your email and process the sign order with the print out.   Please make sure you include your name, your suite number and the building address with your email so we know who you are!   We prefer if you simply email us a copy of your Secretary of State Certificate of Organization of your company.   That certificate will have your name spelled correctly which eliminates errors on the signage, as people often have typos  or ommissions of part of the name like LLC  or commans when they email us the name of their company.  The name on the sign and directory MUST match EXACTLY with the name on your state application, zoning certificate, insurance and bond.  Once we put up the signage, we will text or email you all the photos that are required to be submitted with your state application, a photo of the sign, a photo of the directory, a photo or two of the office showing a phone and locking file cabinet.  You then must print out those photos and submit them with your state application.

9.  Get Fingerprinting & Background Check.  The state requires a fingerprint and background check. 

10,  Submit Your APPLICATION.  Before submitting it, carefully make sure everything is included and everything is completely filled out.  Make sure everything is signed and you also submit the check in the amount of $xxx .  Go over the checklist!!

PAGE  STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION November 9, 2024

NOT YET COMPLETED...STAY TUNED......

We hope you can see from all this advice, you can see that we are VERY helpful in assisting you with your license and business. We hope to have you as our tenant very soon! We are here to HELP you BEFORE you sign a lease, WHILE you are processing the license, and AFTER you have you the license....a DIFFERENT kind of landlord!!


For more information, or a viewing, please
Call or text Friedrich Matthies at 770-912-5701

*Prices and availabilities are subject to change.

Quotes from our Tenants:
"You have personally been a tremendous help, especially when we were starting out three years ago. We really appreciate what you do for all of us “Auto Brokers" and wish you all the best in all your endeavors. THANK YOU! "
"Friedrich, I want to thank you so much!! I texted you last week about parking.....You've helped me with advice from day one and its appreciated."
"When I called you, I knew I called the right place"
"You are the go-to man"