North Carolina — statewide
North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Investigative Services Unit
In short
North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Investigative Services Unit issues 2 permits we publish for North Carolina — statewide, last verified 2026-09-03. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety Inspection Station Licenseonly if it applies to you | North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Investigative Services Unit | No fee | perpetual for the station; four years for a safety inspection mechanic | 2026-09-03 |
| Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — North Carolina Positiononly if it applies to you | North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Investigative Services Unit | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Safety Inspection Station License
The only state credential a North Carolina repair shop is likely to want, and it is entirely optional — a shop that does not perform state inspections needs nothing at all. There is no application, new-license or renewal fee for the station, and the license is perpetual; the only charge on the application form is $45 for a pre-determination hearing, which is a due-process step rather than a licensing cost. The people expire even though the station does not: a safety inspection mechanic recertifies every four years and an emissions mechanic every two. Emissions inspection applies only in designated counties, and a self-inspection station must run a fleet of at least ten vehicles and may inspect only its own.
Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — North Carolina Position
There is no state fee to record here. The state's Business and Occupational License Database, the statutory clearinghouse of licenses required by North Carolina statute, lists over nine hundred license types, and its list names no motor vehicle repair shop license; its motor vehicle entries are safety and emissions inspection stations and inspection mechanics. The Highway Patrol Investigative Services Unit's documents page groups its forms into dealer, transportation network company, safety and emissions inspection, and notice-and-storage sections, and lists no repair-shop license application. The North Carolina Motor Vehicle Repair Act (G.S. 20-354 onward) is a consumer-protection statute whose text contains no license or fee provision: it requires written estimates, customer authorisation, a ten per cent overage cap, itemised invoices and the right to inspect replaced parts, with the estimate duties applying to repairs over $350.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- North Carolina — statewide
- Phone
- (919) 615-8997
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- North Carolina Business and Occupational License Database — the statutory clearinghouse of every license required by North Carolina statuteNorth Carolina Department of Commerce · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- North Carolina State Highway Patrol form ISU-300 — inspection station application, revised February 2026North Carolina State Highway Patrol · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other North Carolina statewide offices
- North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section
- North Carolina Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners
- North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners
- North Carolina Department of Revenue
- North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education
- North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors
- North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board
North Carolina jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.