State guide — Missouri
The sale, barter, exchange, lease or rental with option to purchase of six or more motor vehicles in a calendar year is prima facie evidence of intent to make a profit, and the person is deemed to be acting as a motor vehicle dealer without a license; § 301.570(1) separately makes it unlawful to sell or display with intent to sell six or more motor vehicles in a calendar year (with exceptions) unless licensed.
The sale, barter, exchange, lease or rental with option to purchase of six or more motor vehicles in a calendar year is prima facie evidence of intent to make a profit, and the person is deemed to be acting as a motor vehicle dealer without a license; § 301.570(1) separately makes it unlawful to sell or display with intent to sell six or more motor vehicles in a calendar year (with exceptions) unless licensed.
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.
Class A misdemeanor for a first violation of § 301.570(1) (§ 301.570(4)).
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.570 — Sale of six or more motor vehicles in a year without license · Checked October 18, 2026. Verified against the primary state source during our build.
The legal way past the limit is a dealer license from Missouri Department of Revenue — Motor Vehicle Bureau, Dealer Licensing — start at the official source: Missouri Department of Revenue — Motor Vehicle Bureau, Dealer Licensing. Our deep path data currently covers Texas, Florida, California, New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Illinois; Missouri's full path page rolls in as its requirement rows finish primary verification. The Dealer Playbook covers the eight deep states in full.
The Am I Legal? checker applies Missouri'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. The sale, barter, exchange, lease or rental with option to purchase of six or more motor vehicles in a calendar year is prima facie evidence of intent to make a profit, and the person is deemed to be acting as a motor vehicle dealer without a license; § 301.570(1) separately makes it unlawful to sell or display with intent to sell six or more motor vehicles in a calendar year (with exceptions) unless licensed.
Class A misdemeanor for a first violation of § 301.570(1) (§ 301.570(4)).
The rule is cited on this page to Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.570 — Sale of six or more motor vehicles in a year without license. The licensing authority is Missouri Department of Revenue — Motor Vehicle Bureau, Dealer Licensing. Figures checked October 18, 2026.