Texas Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Compliance Handbook

Preface:

Texas independent used-motor-vehicle dealer operations, including licensing, inventory, retail sales, titles, metal plates, webDEALER, tax, dealer-arranged sales finance, privacy, fraud controls, and examinations. Excludes franchise law, manufacturer/distributor disputes, commercial truck finance, full salvage-business operations, and individualized consumer litigation.

Each chapter is organized around a distinct control point. Read the legal baseline first, then apply the workflow, retain the listed records, and use the failure controls as stop-work rules. The source map at the end of each chapter identifies the authorities that should be rechecked before a high-risk decision.

Update protocol: verify the cited law and current agency page whenever a deadline, fee, form, portal field, or licensing requirement will affect an actual transaction.

Chapter List:

• Part I - Dealer Regulatory Map
• Chapter 1. Using This Handbook and Defining the Dealer Business
• Chapter 2. Who Needs a Texas Dealer License
• Chapter 3. Choosing the Correct GDN and Related Licenses
• Chapter 4. Dealer License Versus Motor Vehicle Sales Finance License
• Part II - Applying and Building the Dealership
• Chapter 5. Entity, Ownership, Stakeholders, Fingerprints, and Responsible Persons
• Chapter 6. Established Place of Business
• Chapter 7. Surety Bond and Insurance Controls
• Chapter 8. Pre-Licensing Education and eLICENSING Application Workflow
• Chapter 9. Amendments, Relocation, Ownership Changes, Additional Locations, and Renewal
• Part III - Acquiring and Controlling Inventory
• Chapter 10. Buying at Auction, Trade-In, Wholesale, and Private Sale
• Chapter 11. Title, Lien, Ownership, and Power-of-Attorney Review
• Chapter 12. Salvage, Nonrepairable, Rebuilt, Flood, and Brand Controls
• Chapter 13. Inventory Records, Dealer Plates, and Demonstration Use
• Part IV - Advertising and Sale Preparation
• Chapter 14. Advertising, Price Claims, Add-Ons, and Deceptive Practices
• Chapter 15. FTC Buyers Guide, Warranty Status, and Service Contracts
• Chapter 16. Vehicle Inspection Disclosures, Emissions Counties, and Bexar County's 2026 Start
• Part V - Closing the Retail Sale
• Chapter 17. Buyer Identity, Signature Authority, Contract Package, and Deal Jacket
• Chapter 18. Title Assignment, Form 130-U, Odometer Disclosure, and Supporting Documents
• Chapter 19. webDEALER Title and Registration Processing
• Chapter 20. Metal Plate Inventory, ePLATE Assignment, Buyer Delivery, and Exceptions
• Chapter 21. Vehicle Transfer Notifications, Unwinds, Corrections, and Failed Deals
• Chapter 22. Motor Vehicle Sales Tax, Trade-Ins, Exemptions, and Resale Certificates
• Part VI - Financing and Collections
• Chapter 23. When a Sale Is a Motor Vehicle Installment Trans