Deep state — Illinois
The full Illinois path for the license most new dealers need — the Used Vehicle Dealer — Certificate of Authority — with every requirement cited and the Year-1 cost built from published figures, not copied from a roundup. Sellers of cars to the public start here; selling to dealers only? The path checker prices the wholesale route too.
| Requirement | Illinois rule |
|---|---|
| Education | An 8-hour pre-license training class run by the Secretary of State itself is required for first-time used dealers (625 ILCS 5/5-102.5), completed before the license issues. At least one owner, officer, member, or partner attends. There is no class fee. |
| Exam | Illinois has no separate dealer exam. |
| Surety bond | $50,000 — $50,000 per location (625 ILCS 5/5-102). Required for your first 60 consecutive months in business. Illinois also mandates liability insurance on top: $100,000 / $300,000 / $50,000. You pay a premium (estimated $500–$1,500/yr), not the bond amount. The $50,000 bond is required for your first 60 months in business (ilsos.gov), provided your title and tax transmittals stay clean. |
| Place of business | An established place of business inspected by the Secretary of State — it cannot be your residence, and the dealership address and phone cannot be the same as your home's. |
| Renewal | Annual — every Illinois dealer license expires December 31, and renewal is another $1,000 Certificate of Authority fee. Renewal notices go out in September; the Secretary of State asks for renewals by November 15 to have plates and certificates back by January 1. First registrations from June 15 to December 31 cost $500 instead of $1,000. |
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Authority — annual (full year) | $1,000 |
| State-approved pre-licensing course The 8-hour class is taught by the Secretary of State itself and is free — you prepay the $1,000 license fee at least two weeks before your class date to attend. | $0–$0 |
| Bond premium, first year (estimate) | $500–$1,500 |
| Estimated Year-1 license-layer total | $1,500–$2,500 |
This is the license layer only: state fees, course, and bond premium. Rent, inventory, garage insurance where your state requires it, and local permits sit on top and vary too much to print honestly. The total above sums exactly the lines above it.
DealerSteps is a navigation guide, not a course provider. An 8-hour pre-license training class run by the Secretary of State itself is required for first-time used dealers (625 ILCS 5/5-102.5), completed before the license issues. At least one owner, officer, member, or partner attends. There is no class fee. Take that course only from a provider on your state's official approved list — our job is everything before, around, and after it: the packet, the lot, the bond, the auctions, and your first 90 days.
One payment, yours to keep. The Playbook is a navigation guide — it is not the state-approved course (where your state requires one, it walks you to the approved providers).
Not licensed yet and still selling? Check your count first on the Illinois car-sale limit page.
The license layer — state fees, the state-approved pre-licensing course where the state requires one, and the first-year bond premium — totals an estimated $1,500–$2,500 for the retail path, summed line by line from the published figures on this page (checked October 18, 2026). Lot rent, inventory, and insurance sit on top.
An 8-hour pre-license training class run by the Secretary of State itself is required for first-time used dealers (625 ILCS 5/5-102.5), completed before the license issues. At least one owner, officer, member, or partner attends. There is no class fee. DealerSteps is a navigation guide, not a course provider — where a course is required, take it from a provider on the state's official approved list.
$50,000 for the retail path. $50,000 per location (625 ILCS 5/5-102). Required for your first 60 consecutive months in business. Illinois also mandates liability insurance on top: $100,000 / $300,000 / $50,000. You pay an annual premium — estimated $500–$1,500 — not the bond amount.