The Pennsylvania Department of State's Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers, and Salespersons rates as your best source for finding information about becoming a licensed motor vehicle dealership and running your business. For information about titling and registering the vehicles you buy and sell, consult the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Services division.

Knowing the rules of business is strongly recommended before you open a dealership. Violations are not only monitored by the State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers, and Salespersons, but also by Pennsylvania's Attorney General.

Some of the more carefully watched violations follow:

Advertising

Avoid making false promises with your advertising. Do not make any rebate offers or money-back guarantees that you can't deliver on. Pennsylvania's Attorney General recently prosecuted a dealership near Philadelphia for misleading advertising, selling defective vehicles, and failure to honor warranty agreements. More on this can be found in Pennsylvania Code Chapter 19.

Submitting Forms

The state requires all car forms relating to sales tax and transfer and registration fees to be submitted in a timely fashion to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). A pattern of late submissions could lead to a suspended license.

Unfair Sales Practices

The State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers, and Salespersons will come knocking if they receive complaints that you or any of your staff have made the sale of a vehicle contingent upon the buyer purchasing accessories that they did not request.

Deceptive Pricing

Pennsylvania's Attorney General will slam down hard on any dealership suspected of shady pricing tactics.

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