State-by-state guide

How many RVs can you sell before you need a dealer license? As few as 3 in six states, including Florida

Name: How many RVs can you sell before you need a dealer license? As few as 3 in six states, including Florida
Creator: RV Dealerships
Published: 2026-10-25
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We read dealer licensing statutes and motor vehicle agency pages for every state and DC to find how many vehicles a private person can sell in a year before the law treats them as an unlicensed dealer. We confirmed a number in 36 states, and in 13 states and DC the law sets none. The trigger ranges from 3 sales in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Utah and Wyoming to 12 in Indiana and Vermont, and in several states RVs fall under separate rules.

By the RV Dealerships research desk · Published October 25, 2026

Key findings

Six states set the lowest bar we found: 3 vehicles a year. Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Utah and Wyoming. In Maryland, even offering 3 for sale creates the presumption.
Five is the most common trigger, used in 16 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
Indiana and Vermont are the most lenient: Indiana requires a used dealer license at 12 vehicles in 12 months, and Vermont's car dealer rule starts at 12 sales a year.
RVs count toward the limit in 14 of the 36 states with a number, including Indiana, New York, Tennessee and Texas, where trailers or RVs are counted with cars.
Florida takes RVs out of its car dealer rule entirely and licenses RV dealers separately; Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington and West Virginia also have separate RV or trailer dealer rules.
13 states and DC set no number in the law we read, including California, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Washington, so the question is whether you are "in the business". Georgia's Secretary of State says the often-quoted "5 cars a year" is only a tax-agency screening flag.

The limits at a glance

Each dot is the sale at which a state's law requires a dealer license or presumes you are acting as one. Selling one fewer than that number is generally safe if the vehicles are titled in your name and you bought them for your own use. Selling cars and RVs bought to flip, at any number, is dealing in most states, and so is selling a vehicle not titled in your name.

36 states where an official source states a number. Some states count sales, some count offers, and the period varies (12 months, calendar year or fiscal year).

Where RVs and trailers fit

Most dealer laws were written for cars, and states handle RVs in different ways. Some count every titled vehicle, so selling a travel trailer and two cars adds up to three sales. Others pull RVs into their own licensing category. Florida's dealer definition excludes recreational vehicles outright, Kentucky's excludes them and regulates RV dealers in a separate chapter, and South Carolina's excludes new RVs.

Blank states: the sources we read did not settle how RVs and trailers are counted.

The full state table

"Trigger" is the sale that brings the dealer rule into play. "Private sales allowed" is one fewer. Each row links to the statute or agency page we read. "None stated" means the law we read sets no number; Missouri's row says "Not confirmed" because its 8-sale rule is a licensing test, not a private-seller limit.

Private vehicle sale limits before a dealer license is required


Alabama	5	4	Dealing in 5 or more vehicles not previously titled or registered in your name makes you a used motor vehicle dealer; vehicles titled in your name don't count	Calendar year	Yes. Titled trailers count; trailers that don't need a title are excluded	Ala. Code § 40-12-390
Alaska	5	4	Selling or arranging the sale of 5 or more vehicles defines a dealer; vehicles you actually used yourself or for family use are excluded	Any 12 consecutive months	Not confirmed. Counts motor vehicles that must be registered	AS 08.66.350
Arizona	7	6	7 or more used vehicles defines a used motor vehicle dealer	Continuous 12 months	Motor homes are motor vehicles; trailer dealers are defined separately	A.R.S. § 28-4301
Arkansas	5	4	Selling or attempting to sell 5 or more used vehicles creates a rebuttable presumption of dealing; offering or advertising a vehicle counts as a sale. A vehicle titled in your name and used only as a personal vehicle is excluded	Calendar year	Counts motor-driven vehicles; trailers are not in the definition	Ark. Code 23-112-602 (Arkansas State Police statute PDF)
California	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition. Selling a vehicle you acquired and used in good faith for personal or business use is excluded	None stated	Yes. The dealer definition covers registered vehicles and trailers subject to identification	Cal. Veh. Code § 285; § 286
Colorado	3	2	Selling 3 or more used vehicles (or offering more than 3 from one address or phone number) is prima facie evidence of dealing	Calendar year	Not confirmed	Colorado Auto Industry Division, quoting C.R.S. 44-20-102
Connecticut	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a used car dealer is anyone engaged in the business of selling used motor vehicles	None stated	Not confirmed	Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-51, 14-52
Delaware	5	4	Buying, selling or offering 5 or more vehicles makes you a dealer	12 months	Yes. "Vehicle" includes recreational vehicles and recreational trailers	21 Del. C. ch. 63
District of Columbia	None stated	None stated	No number. A dealer is anyone "engaged in the business" of buying, selling or dealing in motor vehicles or trailers, and only registered dealers may carry on that business. A separate law makes anyone who sells 5 or more vehicles a year keep buyer records, but it is not a license trigger	None stated	Yes. The dealer definition covers motor vehicles and trailers	D.C. Code § 50-1501.01(5); 18 DCMR 500.2; 18 DCMR 9901; D.C. Code § 50-1501.31
Florida	3	2	Selling or offering 3 or more is presumed to be dealing	Any 12 months	No. RVs are excluded from the motor vehicle dealer definition; RV dealers hold a separate license (s. 320.771)	Fla. Stat. 320.27
Georgia	None stated	None stated	No number. The Secretary of State says selling with intent to profit requires a license, and that "5 cars a year" is only a Department of Revenue screening flag. Selling a car titled in your name that you drove personally needs no license	None stated	Not confirmed	Georgia Secretary of State: used motor vehicle dealer FAQ (O.C.G.A. 43-47-2)
Hawaii	3	2	Anyone who sells 3 or more vehicles is a dealer	Calendar year	Partly. Trailers are excluded from the dealer law's motor vehicle definition	HRS § 437-1.1
Idaho	5	4	A dealer license is required at 5 or more titled vehicles or vessels	Calendar year	Yes. Counts any vehicle or vessel that must be titled	Idaho Transportation Dept.: vehicle dealers
Illinois	5	4	Selling 5 or more used vehicles requires a used vehicle dealer license	During the year	Counts used vehicles of any make; house trailers are carved out	625 ILCS 5/5-102
Indiana	12	11	Selling, offering or advertising at least 12 used vehicles requires a used dealer license	12 months	Yes. The count includes trailers and recreational vehicles	Indiana Secretary of State: dealer license (IC 9-32)
Iowa	7	6	Selling more than 6 at retail may be presumed to be in the business	12 months	Iowa issues a separate towable RV dealer license	Iowa Code § 322.2; Iowa DOT: towable RV dealer license
Kansas	5	4	Selling 5 or more requires a dealer license	Calendar year	Yes. Kansas dealer rules cover travel trailers and trailers	Kansas DOR: dealer licensing; Kansas DOR Pub. KS-1526
Kentucky	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a motor vehicle dealer is anyone engaged in the business of selling vehicles or holding them for resale	None stated	No. "Motor vehicle" in the dealer law excludes recreational vehicles; RV dealers fall under a separate chapter (KRS ch. 190A)	KRS 190.010
Louisiana	5	4	Selling 5 or more used vehicles creates a presumption of dealing; vehicles registered to and insured by you or your household don't count	Any 12 months	Counts motor-driven vehicles; trailers are not in the definition	La. R.S. 32:781
Maine	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a dealer is a person engaged in the business with an established place of business	None stated	Not confirmed	29-A M.R.S. § 851
Maryland	3	2	Offering 3 or more is presumed to be buying for resale	Any 12 months	Not confirmed	Md. Transp. Code § 15-101
Massachusetts	4	3	Selling more than 3 used vehicles in 12 months means you are deemed in the business of selling used vehicles (used vehicle warranty law); the dealer license law (c. 140, § 57) sets no number	Preceding 12 months	Partly. The warranty law's vehicle definition excludes auto homes (motor homes)	M.G.L. c. 90, § 7N¼; M.G.L. c. 140, § 57
Michigan	5	4	Dealing in 5 or more creates a rebuttable presumption of being in the business	12 months	Yes. Counts vehicles of a type required to be titled	MCL 257.11
Minnesota	6	5	Up to 5 sales count as casual sales; more than 5 requires a license	12 months	Yes. "Motor vehicle" in the dealer law includes park trailers	Minn. Stat. § 168.27; Minnesota DVS: dealers
Mississippi	None stated	None stated	No number for private sellers. The dealer tag permit law excludes people selling vehicles bought in good faith for their own use and actually used; a licensed dealer must buy and sell at least 24 vehicles of one type a year to qualify for dealer tags	None stated	Trailers, semitrailers and house trailers are a separate type, with a trailer-only dealer permit, and new RV dealers must also be licensed by the Motor Vehicle Commission (63-17-201)	Miss. Code 27-19-303 (Miss. DOR Dealer Tag Permit Law booklet), 63-17-201 (MMVC PDF)
Missouri	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	The statute requires 8 or more motor vehicle or trailer sales a year as evidence that a dealer is eligible for licensure; we did not find a separate private-seller limit	Calendar year	The 8-sale evidence rule counts motor vehicles and trailers together	RSMo 301.550
Montana	None stated	None stated	No number: a license is required to sell vehicles that are not registered in your own name, at any count	None stated	Yes. Travel trailers and trailers are listed in the dealer definition	MCA 61-4-101; MCA 61-1-101
Nebraska	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a dealer is anyone, other than a bona fide consumer, actively and regularly engaged in selling vehicles	None stated	The definition covers motor vehicles and trailers	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-1401.26
Nevada	4	3	Selling not more than 3 personally owned vehicles is exempt; the 4th needs a license	12 months	Nevada also licenses trailer dealers separately	NRS 482.020 (chapter 482)
New Hampshire	5	4	Selling 5 or more vehicles at retail to the public makes you a retail vehicle dealer	Consecutive 12 months	Not confirmed	RSA 259:89-a
New Jersey	None stated	None stated	No number: the Motor Vehicle Commission's rules define a dealer as anyone engaged in the business of buying, selling or dealing in motor vehicles	None stated	Not confirmed	N.J.A.C. 13:21-15 (NJ MVC dealer regulations, PDF)
New Mexico	5	4	Casual sales of your own vehicles are excluded from the dealer definition; a casual sale is one by a registered owner who has not sold more than 4 vehicles that year	Calendar year	The dealer definition covers trailers subject to registration; the casual-sale definition is written for motor vehicles	NMSA 66-1-4.3(D) and 66-1-4.4(C) (NMOneSource, ch. 66 PDF)
New York	6	5	Selling or offering more than 5 vehicles bought for resale makes you a dealer (so does displaying 3 or more at once)	Calendar year	Yes. Counts motor vehicles and trailers; mobile homes are excluded	N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 415
North Carolina	5	4	Selling or offering 5 or more requires a dealer license	Any 12 consecutive months	Yes. "Motor vehicle" includes trailers and semitrailers that must be registered	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-286
North Dakota	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a dealer is anyone engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles, or buying them for resale	None stated	Separate. The motor vehicle dealer chapter does not apply to house car (motor home) dealers, and trailer dealers are licensed under ch. 39-22.1	N.D.C.C. § 39-01-01; N.D.C.C. ch. 39-22
Ohio	6	5	More than 5 casual sales requires a dealer license	12 months	Not confirmed	Ohio Rev. Code 4517.02
Oklahoma	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a used motor vehicle dealer is anyone who sells used vehicles for profit or is engaged in the business	None stated	Not confirmed	47 O.S. § 581
Oregon	6	5	More than 5 shifts the burden to you to prove personal use	Calendar year	Yes. Counts vehicles of all kinds; Oregon also has separate RV dealer provisions	ORS chapter 822 (ORS 822.015)
Pennsylvania	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition: a dealer is anyone engaged in the business of buying, selling or exchanging vehicles	None stated	Not confirmed	Board of Vehicles Act, § 2 definitions (Act 84 of 1983)
Rhode Island	5	4	Selling more than 4 vehicles makes you a motor vehicle dealer	Calendar year	Not confirmed	R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-5
South Carolina	6	5	More than 5 makes you a dealer	Calendar year	Partly. New RVs are excluded from the motor vehicle definition	S.C. Code ch. 56-15
South Dakota	5	4	Selling fewer than 5 is exempt from dealer licensing	12 months	Yes. Counts vehicles and boats	South Dakota DOR: dealer licenses
Tennessee	6	5	Selling or offering more than 5 motor vehicles requires a dealer license	One year	Yes. The Motor Vehicle Commission says the count includes RVs	Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission: dealer license
Texas	5	4	Selling or offering fewer than 5 vehicles of the same type that are owned and registered in your name is excluded from the dealer license (GDN) requirement	Calendar year	Yes. "Vehicle" includes motor vehicles, house trailers and trailers; the count is per vehicle type	Tex. Transp. Code § 503.024
Utah	3	2	Selling, displaying or offering 3 or more vehicles, as part of a business that sells vehicles, defines a dealer	Any 12 months	Partly. Travel trailers and trailers count; park model RVs and mobile homes are excluded	Utah Code § 41-3-102
Vermont	12	11	"Engaged in the business" means at least 12 cars or trucks	Preceding year (or 24 in two years)	Counts cars and motor trucks; RVs not addressed	23 V.S.A. § 4(8)
Virginia	5	4	Offering or selling 5 or more is presumed to be a dealer	Any 12 consecutive months	Not confirmed	Va. Code § 46.2-1500
Washington	None stated	None stated	No number in the definition; an "isolated sale" by the owner is exempt	None stated	Recreational vehicle dealers are a separate dealer class	RCW 46.70.011
West Virginia	10	9	10 or more used vehicles (5 or more new) defines a dealer	Fiscal year	Trailer and house trailer dealers are separate categories	W. Va. Code § 17A-6-1
Wisconsin	6	5	Selling or offering 5 or fewer used vehicles titled in your name is exempt from dealer licensing (state rule); the statutory definition itself has no number	12 months	Not confirmed	Wis. Admin. Code Trans 138.025; Wis. Stat. § 218.0101
Wyoming	3	2	Buying and selling, or exchanging at retail, 3 or more vehicles defines a vehicle dealer	Any 12 consecutive months	Yes. "Vehicle" covers any device that carries people or property on a highway, so trailers and motor homes count	W.S. 31-16-101 (Title 31 PDF)

Read October 24-25, 2026. Applies to vehicles titled in the seller's name and bought for personal use. Not legal advice. Download this table (CSV)

Why curbstoning matters to RV buyers

"Curbstoning" is selling vehicles as a business while posing as a private seller. For a buyer, the risk is that the usual protections disappear: no dealer bond to claim against, no dealer license to complain to, and sometimes a title that was never transferred to the seller. RVs are a common target because they are expensive, sit for long periods and are often sold through listings.

Match the name on the title to the seller's ID. A title signed by someone else (an "open" title) is a red flag in every state.
Search the phone number in other listings. The same number on several RVs usually means a dealer.
Ask how long they owned it and why they are selling. Get the service records.
Pay an independent inspector before money changes hands, and do the title transfer at the DMV or a tag agency together.
If it looks like a business, buy from a business. A licensed used RV dealer or consignment dealer handles the title and is regulated.

What it means if you are selling

Count every titled vehicle you sell, not just RVs, in states that count them together.
Keep the paper trail: title in your name, registration history and proof you used the rig.
Consider consignment or a dealer buy offer if you are moving several units. Dealers that buy RVs and consignment lots stay inside the law for you.
Check the tax side too. Private sales are taxed differently from dealer sales in many states. See our RV sales tax guide.

The infographic

How we did this

On October 24-25, 2026 we read state dealer licensing statutes on official legislature websites and, where the statute was not available, the state motor vehicle agency's dealer licensing page or published rules. Each row cites what we read.
"Trigger" is the number of sales (or offers, where the law counts offers) at which the state requires a license or presumes dealing. Where a statute says "more than five", the trigger is 6.
We marked RVs as counted when the dealer law's vehicle definition plainly includes RVs or trailers, as carved out when the definition excludes some RV types, and as separate when the state licenses RV or trailer dealers in a distinct category.
On October 25, 2026 we closed the last two open rows from official agency copies of the statutes. For Arkansas we read Ark. Code 23-112-602 in the statute PDF the Arkansas State Police (which licenses used dealers) publishes on its dealer license page. For Mississippi we read the Dealer Tag Permit Law (Miss. Code 27-19-301 et seq.) in the Department of Revenue's dealer booklet and the Motor Vehicle Commission's statute PDFs; they set no private-seller number, and the 24-sale rule in 27-19-303 is a dealer tag eligibility test. Both states publish their codes only through a commercial viewer we did not use, so a number could still sit elsewhere in their law. New Mexico's limit comes from the Compilation Commission's official chapter 66 PDF. 13 states (California, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Washington) and the District of Columbia have no number in the law we read, and Missouri's 8-sale rule is a licensing eligibility test rather than a private-seller limit; it is the only row still marked "Not confirmed". For the District of Columbia we read the D.C. Code on code.dccouncil.gov (Title 50) and the DMV dealer rules in 18 DCMR chapters 5 and 99 on dcregs.dc.gov on October 25, 2026. None sets a number of sales; the only count is the 5-vehicle record-keeping rule in D.C. Code § 50-1501.31, which we did not treat as a license trigger.
Some limits come from rules or agency pages rather than the statute itself: Colorado, Indiana and Tennessee (agency pages), Wisconsin (administrative code) and Massachusetts (the used vehicle warranty law). Louisiana and Alabama count only vehicles not registered or titled in the seller's name, and Arkansas excludes vehicles titled to the seller and used only as personal vehicles.
Thresholds describe personal vehicles titled in the seller's name. They do not protect anyone who buys vehicles to resell them.

Sources

A.R.S. § 28-4301, accessed October 25, 2026
21 Del. C. ch. 63, accessed October 25, 2026
Fla. Stat. 320.27, accessed October 25, 2026
Idaho Transportation Dept.: vehicle dealers, accessed October 25, 2026
625 ILCS 5/5-102, accessed October 25, 2026
Iowa Code § 322.2, accessed October 25, 2026
Kansas DOR: dealer licensing, accessed October 25, 2026
Kansas DOR Pub. KS-1526, accessed October 25, 2026
29-A M.R.S. § 851, accessed October 25, 2026
Md. Transp. Code § 15-101, accessed October 25, 2026
MCL 257.11, accessed October 25, 2026
Minn. Stat. § 168.27, accessed October 25, 2026
Minnesota DVS: dealers, accessed October 25, 2026
RSMo 301.550, accessed October 25, 2026
NRS 482.020 (chapter 482), accessed October 25, 2026
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-286, accessed October 25, 2026
Ohio Rev. Code 4517.02, accessed October 25, 2026
ORS chapter 822 (ORS 822.015), accessed October 25, 2026
S.C. Code ch. 56-15, accessed October 25, 2026
South Dakota DOR: dealer licenses, accessed October 25, 2026
23 V.S.A. § 4(8), accessed October 25, 2026
Va. Code § 46.2-1500, accessed October 25, 2026
RCW 46.70.011, accessed October 25, 2026
W. Va. Code § 17A-6-1, accessed October 25, 2026
Wis. Stat. § 218.0101, accessed October 25, 2026
Iowa DOT: towable RV dealer license, accessed October 25, 2026
Tex. Transp. Code ch. 503 (§§ 503.001, 503.024), accessed October 25, 2026
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 14-51, 14-52, accessed October 25, 2026
M.G.L. c. 90, § 7N¼, accessed October 25, 2026
M.G.L. c. 140, § 57, accessed October 25, 2026
N.H. RSA 259:89-a, accessed October 25, 2026
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5-5, accessed October 25, 2026
N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 415, accessed October 25, 2026
Utah Code § 41-3-102, accessed October 25, 2026
47 O.S. § 581, accessed October 25, 2026
KRS 190.010, accessed October 25, 2026
La. R.S. 32:781, accessed October 25, 2026
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-1401.26, accessed October 25, 2026
N.D.C.C. § 39-01-01, accessed October 25, 2026
N.D.C.C. ch. 39-22, accessed October 25, 2026
W.S. 31-16-101 and 31-1-101 (Title 31), accessed October 25, 2026
MCA 61-4-101, accessed October 25, 2026
MCA 61-1-101, accessed October 25, 2026
HRS § 437-1.1, accessed October 25, 2026
AS 08.66.350, accessed October 25, 2026
Cal. Veh. Code § 285, accessed October 25, 2026
Cal. Veh. Code § 286, accessed October 25, 2026
Colorado Auto Industry Division: dealer and wholesaler (C.R.S. 44-20-102), accessed October 25, 2026
Pennsylvania Board of Vehicles Act (Act 84 of 1983), accessed October 25, 2026
Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission: motor vehicle/recreational dealer, accessed October 25, 2026
Indiana Secretary of State: dealer - new or used, accessed October 25, 2026
Ala. Code § 40-12-390, accessed October 25, 2026
Georgia Secretary of State: used motor vehicle dealers FAQ, accessed October 25, 2026
Wis. Admin. Code Trans 138.025, accessed October 25, 2026
N.J.A.C. 13:21-15 (NJ MVC dealer regulations), accessed October 25, 2026
New Mexico Statutes 66-1-4.3 and 66-1-4.4 (NMOneSource, ch. 66), accessed October 25, 2026
D.C. Code § 50-1501.01 (dealer definition), accessed October 25, 2026
18 DCMR chapter 5, Motor Vehicle Dealers (§ 500.2), accessed October 25, 2026
18 DCMR § 9901 definitions (dealer, used car dealer), accessed October 25, 2026
D.C. Code § 50-1501.31 (records for 5 or more sales a year), accessed October 25, 2026
Ark. Code 23-112-602, Used Motor Vehicle Buyers Protection (Arkansas State Police statute PDF), accessed October 25, 2026
Arkansas State Police, Used Motor Vehicle Dealer License, accessed October 25, 2026
Mississippi DOR Motor Vehicle Dealer Tag Permit Law booklet (Miss. Code 27-19-301 et seq.), accessed October 25, 2026
Mississippi Recreational Vehicle Franchise Law, Miss. Code 63-17-201 (MMVC PDF), accessed October 25, 2026

Cite this: RV Dealerships, "How many RVs can you sell before you need a dealer license? As few as 3 in six states, including Florida," October 25, 2026, https://rvdealerships.org/rv-curbstoning-laws-by-state/

Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.

Questions people ask

How many cars or RVs can I sell a year without a dealer license?

It depends on the state. Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Utah and Wyoming draw the line at 3 vehicles a year. Five is the most common trigger, used in 16 states including Texas, North Carolina and Virginia. Indiana and Vermont allow the most, with dealer rules starting at 12 sales. 13 states and DC set no number at all.

Does selling a travel trailer count toward the limit?

In many states, yes. Texas, New York, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan and North Carolina count trailers or RVs with other titled vehicles. Florida and Kentucky exclude RVs from their car dealer rules and regulate RV dealers separately, and South Carolina excludes new RVs from its definition. Check your state's row in the table.

What is curbstoning?

Curbstoning is selling vehicles as a business while pretending to be a private seller, usually to avoid dealer licensing, taxes and consumer protection rules. Warning signs include a title not in the seller's name, the same phone number on several listings, and pressure to pay cash quickly.

Is it illegal to flip one RV?

Possibly. Most state limits apply to vehicles you bought and used yourself. Many statutes define a dealer as anyone in the business of buying and selling for profit, so buying an RV specifically to resell it can count as dealing even below the number. Ask your state's dealer licensing office.