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Automotive Dealer Certification Process

Getting your Automotive Dealership Certification to sell cars in Unincorporated Washington County requires applications with the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Washington County.

ProjectDox portal planned outage Monday, April 20, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Washington County’s Building & Development Application Services (BDAS) and ProjectDox portals will be offline from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, April 20th, for system upgrades.

  • During the outage, both customers and County staff will be unable to access the BDAS and ProjectDox portals.
  • Staff will be unable to provide system-related customer support until the portals are back online.

We appreciate your patience.

Where do I get an Oregon DMV Automotive Dealer Certificate?

Contact the State DMV Office for information on how to obtain a DMV Certificate. If your location is in unincorporated Washington County, below are steps and the required County Location Approval for DMV Certificate form.

Getting your DMV Automobile Dealer Certification

The state of Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues Auto Dealer Certificates. The DMV requires the County to sign off on new Automobile Dealer Certificates to approve the location where the Certificate is to be held. The County can only sign a Dealer License Certificate if the property is within the unincorporated area of Washington County.

We'll take you through the process...

Is my business/proposed business in unincorporated Washington County?

We can only assist with Automotive Dealership Certifications for businesses located in unincorporated Washington County. Before starting any part of the application/approval process, visit MetroMap to see where your business is located. Follow these instructions:

  1. Visit MetroMap
  2. Click "I Accept," if needed
  3. Enter your business address in the upper right "Search for a location" box
  4. On the left, click on "Location info" and scroll down to "Political Boundaries."
  5. If the "Jurisdiction" is "Unincorporated Washington County," continue with this application process. If a different jurisdiction is shown, contact that county/city for information.

Your application

  1. Visit Oregon's Department of Motor Vehicle's Instructions for Becoming a Dealer to download the Automotive Dealership Certificate Application.
  2. Download the County's Location Approval for DMV Certificate form.
  3. Complete and sign both documents. Email the first page of the DMV Dealership Certification Application and the county location approval form to [email protected] for review.
  4. Once we receive these two signed documents, we will email you payment information. The fee amount is on the last page of the County schedule of development and review current planning fees.
Location Approval for DMV Auto Dealer Certification form (PDF 189.29 KB)
Development Review-Current Planning FY 2025-26 Fee Schedule (PDF 263.3 KB)
  1. Once you have paid the fee, the documents will be signed by County staff and emailed back to you.
  2. Continue following the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle's Dealership Certificate Application instructions to submit your county-signed documents to them.

FAQs

Contact the State DMV Office for information on how to obtain a DMV Certificate. If your location is in unincorporated Washington County, learn the steps to submit the required County Location Approval for DMV Certificate form as part of this process.

Yes, the County can permit an applicant to hold their DMV Certificate at a residence or commercial property. However, the applicant must meet the requirements. The County does not permit parking or display vehicles for sale, or signage for vehicles for sale at a residence or property located in a commercial zone unless the zoning designation of the property is in the General Commercial (GC) District.

Through exemption rule (OAR 735-150-0030), the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles allows someone to hold DMV Automotive Dealer Certificate without requiring them to park, display, or sell vehicles, or have sales signage at a property. The County requires the applicant to sign a form stating that they will not park, display, sell vehicles or have signage on the property where the Certificate is held.

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