17 permits · verified 2026-09-11
What permits do you need to open a auto repair shop in Hawaii County?
In short
A auto repair shop in Hawaii County, HI has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 12 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission) charges $500 one-time, per application, paid via EPIC for the use permit. 4 of the 17 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-11 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Hawaii County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building Division | Hawai'i County Code §3-24(a) (Chapter 3, Signs): $25 for each sign for a new sign permit, and $100 for each sign for a permit for a sign erected before a sign permit was obtained. Under §3-24(b) a sign variance is $100 for each sign or 10% of the total value of the sign(s), excluding installation costs, whichever is greater. The fees are nonrefundable. | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-11 |
| Use Permitonly if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission) | $500 one-time, per application, paid via EPIC | one-time, per application | 2026-09-11 |
| Special Permitonly if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission) | $500 one-time, per application, paid via EPIC | one-time, per application | 2026-09-11 |
| Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth) Permitonly if it applies to you | Hawai'i Fire Department, Fire Prevention Branch | $200 annual | annual | 2026-09-11 |
| Auto Repair Shop County License (not found)only if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i, Department of Finance, Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-11 |
| Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License | Hawaii DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division | $224–$368 for a new license, depending on whether it is issued in an even or odd year | biennial — every license renews by 30 June of odd-numbered years regardless of issue date | 2026-09-04 |
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 Hawaii County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Hawaii County positiononly if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i, Department of Finance, Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-11 |
| Commercial Building Permit | County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building Division | Varies — formula on the Hawaii County page | one-time, per project — the permit itself expires 6 years after issuance (HCC §5-5-4) | 2026-09-11 |
| Special Management Area (SMA) Use Permit (Major)only if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission) | $500 one-time, per application, paid via EPIC | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Building Plan Review Fee | County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building Division | Varies — formula on the Hawaii County page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building Division | $200 one-time — applies only to a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy authorizing partial occupancy before project completion; the standard Certificate of Occupancy issued at final inspection carries no additional published fee beyond the Building Permit fee already charged | one-time, no expiration once issued | 2026-09-11 |
| Plan Approvalonly if it applies to you | County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission) | No fee | one-time, per project — remains valid so long as the approved plan is followed | 2026-09-11 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
HI registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Hawaii positiononly if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | $51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives fee | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | $51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives fee | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | $15 a year on paper; a $10 late fee applies per year delinquent | annual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the entity's own original registration date | 2026-09-04 |
| General Excise Tax License | Hawaii Department of Taxation | $20 one-time registration | no expiration — remains active until closed, surrendered or revoked for abandonment | 2026-09-04 |
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 Hawaii County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 17 records listed for a auto repair shop in Hawaii County, HI, 5 apply to every business of this type and 12 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 5 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $220.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 17 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: Hawai'i County Code §3-24(a) (Chapter 3, Signs): $25 for each sign for a new sign permit, and $100 for each sign for a permit for a sign erected before a sign permit was obtained. Under §3-24(b) a sign variance is $100 for each sign or 10% of the total value of the sign(s), excluding installation costs, whichever is greater. The fees are nonrefundable.
Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License: $224–$368 for a new license, depending on whether it is issued in an even or odd year
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Hawaii County permits page and the HI state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Hawaii County?
Permits for a auto repair shop in Hawaii County, HI come from 7 separate offices: County of Hawai'i, Department of Finance, Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division, County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building Division, County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission), Hawai'i Fire Department, Fire Prevention Branch, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division, Hawaii Department of Taxation, Hawaii DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- County of Hawai'i, Department of Finance, Vehicle Registration & Licensing DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: General Business License — Hawaii County position, Auto Repair Shop County License (not found)101 Pauahi Street, Suite 5, Hilo, HI 96720 · (808) 961-8351www.vrl.hawaiicounty.gov/other-services/business-occupation-licensing
- County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Sign Permit, Building Plan Review Fee, Certificate of Occupancy101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720 · (808) 961-8321www.hawaiicounty.gov/departments/public-works/building
- County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission)Issues 4 permits on this page: Use Permit, Special Management Area (SMA) Use Permit (Major), Special Permit, Plan Approval101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3, Hilo, HI 96720 · (808) 961-8288www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov
- Hawai'i Fire Department, Fire Prevention BranchIssues 1 permit on this page: Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth) Permit25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2501, Hilo, HI 96720 · (808) 932-2911www.hawaiicounty.gov/departments/fire/fire-prevention-branch
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Hawaii position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report335 Merchant Street, Room 201, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 586-2727cca.hawaii.gov/breg
- Hawaii Department of TaxationIssues 1 permit on this page: General Excise Tax License830 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 587-4242tax.hawaii.gov/geninfo/licensing
- Hawaii DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License335 Merchant Street, Room 301, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 586-3000cca.hawaii.gov/pvl
What does a auto repair shop need in Hawaii County that other businesses do not?
3 of the 6 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Hawaii County: Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth) Permit, Auto Repair Shop County License (not found) and Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License.
Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth) Permit
Required for the application of flammable or combustible finishes in a spray booth, spray area, or spray room — the situation an auto-body or auto-repair shop with a paint booth would face — priced at $200/year on both current Fire Department fee pages.
Auto Repair Shop County License (not found)
No fee applies. The Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division's own current, complete list of individually named business licenses (Auctioneer, Bicycle Tours, Firearms to Sell, Electric Guns, Purchasing/Wrecking/Rebuilding Cars, Pawnbroker, Scrap Dealer, Second Hand Dealer) has no general auto-repair category anywhere in it — its 'Purchasing, Wrecking, Rebuilding Cars License' covers used-parts dealers and vehicle wreckers/salvagers specifically, confirmed directly from that license's own description, not repair services for customer vehicles. Hawaii's own state Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License, recorded at the state layer, remains the real trade-specific credential; an auto repair shop's Hawaii-County-specific obligations are otherwise the same Commercial Building Permit and any applicable fire permits (including the Flammable Finishes Spray Booth permit above) recorded elsewhere in this file.
Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License
Hawaii genuinely licenses auto repair shops, under their own board separate from vehicle dealer licensing, and prices the license per repair facility rather than per business — a company running several shops needs one for each. A new license issued in an odd year costs $368 in total once the application, license and compliance resolution fund surcharge are added together, along with a half-cycle renewal fee; issued in an even year it is $224, reflecting the shorter time remaining before the shared 30 June renewal date in the next odd year. Every license, regardless of when it was issued, renews on that same shared date.
Shared with other businesses in Hawaii County
- Sign Permit — County of Hawai'i, Department of Public Works, Building Division, Hawai'i County Code §3-24(a) (Chapter 3, Signs): $25 for each sign for a new sign permit, and $100 for each sign for a permit for a sign erected before a sign permit was obtained. Under §3-24(b) a sign variance is $100 for each sign or 10% of the total value of the sign(s), excluding installation costs, whichever is greater. The fees are nonrefundable., one-time, per sign. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
- Use Permit — County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission), $500 one-time, per application, paid via EPIC, one-time, per application. Also required for retail stores, fitness studios, salons and barbers, veterinary clinics, contractors and trades and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
- Special Permit — County of Hawai'i Planning Department (and Planning Commission), $500 one-time, per application, paid via EPIC, one-time, per application. Also required for retail stores, fitness studios, salons and barbers, veterinary clinics, contractors and trades and childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Hawaii County, HI; what each one involves is set out on the Hawaii County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across HI and are covered on the HI state page.
How does a auto repair shop compare with other businesses in Hawaii County?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 3 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth) Permit, Auto Repair Shop County License (not found) and Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License. A retail store needs Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assembly, which a auto repair shop does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a auto repair shop | Only a auto repair shop needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
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 restaurants page, fitness studios page and contractors and trades page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Hawaii County permits page and the HI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Forms and Applications — the Fire Department's own current page pricing each permit application individually and citing the specific fire-code section for each: Places of Assembly $200/yr (20.1.1); LPG/AST/UST tanks $200 one-time (66.1.5); Flammable Finishes Spray Booth $200/yr (43.1.1.4); Fair/Market/Tents $100 bi-annual and $200 per fair (10.15.1); tents/temporary structures over 700 sq ft $50 one-time (25.1.2)Hawai'i Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Fire Prevention Branch — the Hawai'i Fire Department's own current itemized permit fee table under Hawai'i County Code Chapter 17, §1.12.8: Places of Assembly $200/yr (20.1.1.1), Flammable Finishes Spray Booth $200/yr (43.1.1.4), Carnival/Fair $200 (10.14.1), Farmers/Open/Flea Market $100 bi-annual, Flammable/Combustible Liquids Tank $200 one-time, commercial-cooking-equipment and water-based fire-protection acceptance tests at no initial charge with a $100 subsequent-inspection fee, and fireworks feesHawai'i Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Business & Occupation Licensing — the Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division's own current page naming the complete, fixed list of individual business/occupation licenses it issues (Auctioneer $100/yr, Bicycle Tours $500 initial/$250 renewal, Firearms to Sell $10, Electric Guns $50, Purchasing/Wrecking/Rebuilding Cars $10 each, Pawnbroker $100/yr, Scrap Dealer $10/yr, Second Hand Dealer $10/yr) — no general business license and no peddler/vendor category anywhere in itCounty of Hawai'i, Department of Finance, Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- Hawaii Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Board — application requirements and fee scheduleHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.