State guide — Ohio
Ohio's casual-sales exemption, § 4517.02(A)(6): no person may make more than five casual sales in any 12-month period without a motor vehicle dealer license — a casual sale being a retail sale of a motor vehicle or off-highway motorcycle by a person other than a licensed dealer.
Ohio's casual-sales exemption, § 4517.02(A)(6): no person may make more than five casual sales in any 12-month period without a motor vehicle dealer license — a casual sale being a retail sale of a motor vehicle or off-highway motorcycle by a person other than a licensed dealer.
The count is only half the law. Whatever your number, three things turn a private seller into an unlicensed dealer in practice: buying vehicles mainly to resell them, advertising or holding yourself out as a seller, and selling vehicles that were never titled in your name. That last one — title jumping — is illegal on its own in nearly every state, at any count, and it is the violation unlicensed sellers are actually caught on.
Minor misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum $100 fine for a first violation; a subsequent violation is a first-degree misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine (§ 4517.99).
Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 4517.02(A)(6) (casual sales exemption); penalty § 4517.99 · Checked October 18, 2026. Verified against the primary state source during our build.
A license is not a punishment — it is the key to dealer auctions, dealer plates, and selling without counting cars. Ohio is one of the eight states in our deep dataset: see the license types, the itemized Year-1 cost, and the step order on the Ohio dealer license page, or run the License Path Checker.
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).
The Am I Legal? checker applies Ohio's rule to your actual count, titling, and intent — in your browser, with nothing sent anywhere.
Up to 5 vehicles in a 12-month period, under the rule cited on this page. Ohio's casual-sales exemption, § 4517.02(A)(6): no person may make more than five casual sales in any 12-month period without a motor vehicle dealer license — a casual sale being a retail sale of a motor vehicle or off-highway motorcycle by a person other than a licensed dealer.
Minor misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum $100 fine for a first violation; a subsequent violation is a first-degree misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine (§ 4517.99).
The rule is cited on this page to Ohio Rev. Code § 4517.02(A)(6) (casual sales exemption); penalty § 4517.99. The licensing authority is Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles — Dealer Licensing. Figures checked October 18, 2026.