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14 permits · verified 2026-09-28

What permits do you need to open a auto repair shop in Broward County?

In short

A auto repair shop in Broward County, FL has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations charges $125 one-time filing for the articles of organization (llc). 10 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Broward County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Hazardous Materials Licenseonly if it applies to youBroward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD)Broward County Code §27-356 cross-references a separately adopted Environmental Permitting Division fee schedule for this license rather than stating a dollar figure directly in the exemption section, §27-354. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the amount currently set by that schedule.confirm the license term with the issuing division2026-09-28
Air Quality License (surface coating / paint booth)only if it applies to youBroward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD)Broward County Code Ch. 27, Art. IV, §§27-175 and 27-176 govern licensing for surface-coating operations; the fee is set on EPD's air-licensing fee schedule. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division, Air Licensing and Permitting program, for the current fee.confirm the license term with the issuing division2026-09-28
Storage Tank Facility Licenseonly if it applies to youBroward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD)Broward County Code Ch. 27, Art. X, §27-306 governs this license but does not itself state a dollar figure. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the current fee.confirm the license term with the issuing division2026-09-28
Motor Vehicle Repair Shop LicenseBroward County Consumer Protection DivisionBroward County Code §20-176.77 sets the fee for this license by a separate administrative order or resolution of the County Administrator or Board of County Commissioners, rather than stating a dollar amount in the ordinance text itself. Contact the Consumer Protection Division for the amount currently set by that administrative order.annual, October 1-September 302026-09-28
Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint Shop LicenseBroward County Consumer Protection DivisionBroward County Code §20-176.43 sets the fee for this license by a separate administrative order or resolution of the County Administrator or Board of County Commissioners, the same mechanism as the Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License, rather than stating a dollar amount in the ordinance text itself. Contact the Consumer Protection Division for the amount currently set by that administrative order.annual, January 1-December 31 - a different cycle than the Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License's October-September year, which matters for a combined shop holding both2026-09-28

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Broward County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Use (CU)Broward County Planning and Development Management Division (Building Services and Zoning)Varies — formula on the Broward County pageone-time, unless ownership, the occupant or the business name changes, which triggers a new CU2026-09-28
Local Business Tax Receipt (LBTR)Broward County Tax Collector, Local Business Tax SectionVaries — formula on the Broward County pageannual; tax year October 1-September 302026-09-28
Fire-Rescue Operational / Life-Safety InspectionBroward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Broward County pageannual life-safety inspection; typically bundled into the Certificate of Use inspection in unincorporated Broward2026-09-28

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

FL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of Corporations$70 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due every year by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (LLC)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Annual Report (Corporation)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsVaries — formula on the FL pageannual, due by 1 May2026-09-03
Business Tax Application (Sales and Use Tax)only if it applies to youFlorida Department of RevenueNo fee — no fee to registerno fixed expiry2026-09-03
Local Business Tax ReceiptFlorida Department of State, Division of CorporationsNo feeannual — every receipt expires on 30 September2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a auto repair shop in Broward County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a auto repair shop in Broward County, FL, 6 apply to every business of this type and 8 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

10 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Hazardous Materials License: Broward County Code §27-356 cross-references a separately adopted Environmental Permitting Division fee schedule for this license rather than stating a dollar figure directly in the exemption section, §27-354. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the amount currently set by that schedule.

Air Quality License (surface coating / paint booth): Broward County Code Ch. 27, Art. IV, §§27-175 and 27-176 govern licensing for surface-coating operations; the fee is set on EPD's air-licensing fee schedule. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division, Air Licensing and Permitting program, for the current fee.

Storage Tank Facility License: Broward County Code Ch. 27, Art. X, §27-306 governs this license but does not itself state a dollar figure. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the current fee.

Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License: Broward County Code §20-176.77 sets the fee for this license by a separate administrative order or resolution of the County Administrator or Board of County Commissioners, rather than stating a dollar amount in the ordinance text itself. Contact the Consumer Protection Division for the amount currently set by that administrative order.

Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint Shop License: Broward County Code §20-176.43 sets the fee for this license by a separate administrative order or resolution of the County Administrator or Board of County Commissioners, the same mechanism as the Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License, rather than stating a dollar amount in the ordinance text itself. Contact the Consumer Protection Division for the amount currently set by that administrative order.

The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Broward County permits page and the FL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Broward County?

Permits for a auto repair shop in Broward County, FL come from 7 separate offices: Broward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD), Broward County Planning and Development Management Division (Building Services and Zoning), Broward County Tax Collector, Local Business Tax Section, Broward County Consumer Protection Division, Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention Bureau, Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Florida Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a auto repair shop need in Broward County that other businesses do not?

3 of the 5 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Broward County: Air Quality License (surface coating / paint booth), Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License and Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint Shop License.

Air Quality License (surface coating / paint booth)

A body/paint shop applying surface coatings is exempt from this county Air Quality License only if its total use of coatings that are more than 5% VOC by volume is 6 gallons per day or less, averaged monthly; above that threshold the shop needs a license from EPD's Air Licensing and Permitting program under §§27-175 and 27-176. A typical small auto-body paint booth plausibly uses more than 6 gallons of VOC-containing coating a day and would likely be captured by this licensing requirement rather than falling under the exemption, so an auto-body shop should not assume it qualifies for the exemption without checking its actual coating volume. Contact EPD's Air Licensing and Permitting program for the current license fee before applying.

Storage Tank Facility License

A facility with an above-ground storage tank holding more than 550 gallons, or an underground storage tank holding more than 110 gallons, of a regulated substance needs a Storage Tank Facility License from EPD, countywide. This most often reaches an auto-repair shop's waste-oil or fuel tanks, and can conditionally reach a contractor's yard fuel tanks or, more rarely, a restaurant's on-site fuel storage. A new facility or a facility modification requires four sets of plans sealed by a Florida-registered professional engineer. The license fee is not stated as a dollar figure in §27-306 itself; confirm the current fee with EPD before budgeting for a new tank installation or modification.

Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License

Any person or entity performing motor vehicle repair for compensation in Broward County — including motorcycles and RVs — must obtain and maintain this license, countywide, and the shop must employ at least one ASE-certified (or approved equivalent) technician per licensed repair category. §20-176.77 states that the fee is set by a separate administrative order or resolution of the County Administrator or Board of County Commissioners, not as a fixed dollar figure written into the ordinance, so the Code text states no amount; contact the Consumer Protection Division directly for the currently effective figure. The license year runs October 1 through September 30. This requirement is separate from, and in addition to, the disclosure requirements of the state Motor Vehicle Repair Act (Fla. Stat. Ch. 559, Part IX), and is also distinct from the Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint Shop License recorded as a separate requirement, which runs on a different annual cycle.

Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint Shop License

This is a distinct license from the Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License, administered by the same Consumer Protection Division under a different code division (Div. 3, not Div. 4): any person or entity performing vehicle body repair or painting for compensation as a regular business in Broward County must be licensed and must maintain at least one certified body or paint technician before advertising or opening, on top of, or instead of, the general repair license depending on the services actually offered. Like the general repair license, the fee here is set outside the Code: §20-176.43 states the fee is set by a separate administrative order or resolution of the County Administrator or Commission, not as a fixed dollar figure in the code; contact the Consumer Protection Division for the current amount. The license year for this license runs January 1 through December 31 — a different cycle than the general repair license's October-September year, a compliance trap worth flagging for any shop that holds both licenses at once.

Shared with other businesses in Broward County

  • Hazardous Materials License — Broward County Resilient Environment Department, Environmental Permitting Division (EPD), Broward County Code §27-356 cross-references a separately adopted Environmental Permitting Division fee schedule for this license rather than stating a dollar figure directly in the exemption section, §27-354. Contact the Resilient Environment Department's Environmental Permitting Division for the amount currently set by that schedule., confirm the license term with the issuing division. Also required for veterinary clinics, retail stores and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Broward County, FL; what each one involves is set out on the Broward County permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across FL and are covered on the FL state page.

How does a auto repair shop compare with other businesses in Broward County?

The closest match is a restaurant, which shares 2 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Air Quality License (surface coating / paint booth), Motor Vehicle Repair Shop License and Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint Shop License. A restaurant needs Industrial Pretreatment / Fats-Oils-Grease (FOG) Discharge Compliance, Unincorporated-Area Alcoholic Beverage Zoning Layer (separation distances), Restaurant / Coffee Shop Food-Safety Permit — State Preemption under Fla. Stat. §509.032 (Broward) and 2 more, which a auto repair shop does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Broward County, FL, compared with a auto repair shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a auto repair shopOnly a auto repair shop needsOnly it needs
Restaurants7235
Retail stores2141
Contractors and trades3142
Veterinary clinics3142
Childcare centres2052
Coffee shops5055
Fitness studios0050
Food trucks4054
Salons and barbers2052

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the veterinary clinics page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Broward County permits page and the FL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Air Licensing and PermittingBroward County Resilient Environment Department — EPD · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  2. Broward County Code of OrdinancesMunicode / Broward County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Storage Tank ProgramBroward County Resilient Environment Department — EPD · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  4. Motor Vehicle Repair — program pageBroward County Consumer Protection Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  5. Motor Vehicle Body Repair and Paint — program pageBroward County Consumer Protection Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.