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21 permits · verified 2026-09-19

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

In short

A auto repair shop in Kauai County, HI has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 15 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. County of Kaua'i Planning Department charges $300 one-time, per application — doubled for an after-the-fact application for the use permit. 9 of the 21 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-19 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Kauai County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire Permit — Application of Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth)only if it applies to youKaua'i Fire Department, Prevention Bureau$50 per yearannual2026-09-19
Auto Repair Licensing — State License Applies (Kauai County)only if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Department of FinanceNo feenot applicable2026-09-19
Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer LicenseHawaii DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division$224–$368 for a new license, depending on whether it is issued in an even or odd yearbiennial — every license renews by 30 June of odd-numbered years regardless of issue date2026-09-04

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 Kauai County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Use Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Planning Department$300 one-time, per application — doubled for an after-the-fact applicationone-time, per application; the permit itself runs subject to the conditions the Planning Commission imposes2026-09-19
Special Permit (State Land Use Agricultural and Rural Districts)only if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Planning Department$150 one-time, per petition (nonrefundable filing and processing fee)one-time, per petition2026-09-19
Zoning Permit (Class I, II, III or IV)County of Kaua'i Planning DepartmentVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per application2026-09-19
Variance Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Planning Department$300 one-time, per application — doubled for an after-the-fact applicationone-time, per application2026-09-19
Special Management Area (SMA) Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Planning DepartmentVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per project2026-09-19
Commercial Building PermitCounty of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per project2026-09-19
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Feeonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Department of FinanceVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per development2026-09-19
Sewer Connection Charge and Wastewater Treatment Capacity Assessmentonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Division of Wastewater ManagementVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per connection; further charges apply if a later change of use intensifies it2026-09-19
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per sign2026-09-19
General Business License — Kaua'i County Code Position (Kauai County)only if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Department of FinanceNo feenot applicable — under Kaua'i County Code §23-4.1 the County's licenses are only those Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 445 requires2026-09-19
Certificate of OccupancyCounty of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Building DivisionNo fee — no issuance fee — the County charges nothing to issue a certificate of occupancyone-time; no expiration once issued2026-09-19
Building Plan Review FeeCounty of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per project; an application for which plan review fees have been paid and no permit issues within 365 days expires2026-09-19
Electrical Permitonly if it applies to youCounty of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Kauai County pageone-time, per permit2026-09-19

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — Hawaii positiononly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives feeperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives feeperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division$15 a year on paper; a $10 late fee applies per year delinquentannual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the entity's own original registration date2026-09-04
General Excise Tax LicenseHawaii Department of Taxation$20 one-time registrationno expiration — remains active until closed, surrendered or revoked for abandonment2026-09-04

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 Kauai County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 21 records listed for a auto repair shop in Kauai County, HI, 6 apply to every business of this type and 15 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 6 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $20.00. That is a floor, not a total. 9 of the 21 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

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 8 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Kauai County permits page and the HI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Kauai County?

Permits for a auto repair shop in Kauai County, HI come from 8 separate offices: County of Kaua'i Planning Department, County of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Building Division, County of Kaua'i Department of Finance, County of Kaua'i Department of Public Works, Division of Wastewater Management, Kaua'i Fire Department, Prevention Bureau, 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.

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

3 of the 3 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Kauai County: Fire Permit — Application of Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth), Auto Repair Licensing — State License Applies (Kauai County) and Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License.

Fire Permit — Application of Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth)

The permit an auto body or repair shop with a paint booth needs. Ordinance No. 1167 (Bill No. 2938), the County's 2025 Fire Code amendments, lists 'Application of Flammable Finishes. Annual permit fee: 50.00,' with permit requirements in the Fire Code's Section 43.1.1.4. It is an annual permit rather than a one-time installation fee. The ordinance took effect sixty days after the Mayor approved it in January 2025. Apply through the Prevention Bureau at (808) 241-4985 or kfdpreventionbureau@kauai.gov.

Auto Repair Licensing — State License Applies (Kauai County)

Kaua'i County Code §23-4.1 limits the County's business licenses to those Chapter 445 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes requires, and the business-license list in the County's fiscal year 2024-25 Revenues — Fees, Rates, Assessments and Taxes schedule (Appendix A) names no auto repair license, so the County charges no fee for general auto repair. Three County licenses on that list do touch vehicles, and a shop should check whether it falls into one: Wrecking Salvage ($10 a year), Purchase/Sell Used Parts ($10 a year) and Scrap Dealer ($10 a year, Kaua'i County Code Chapter 23, Article 2). Those cover vehicle wrecking, used-parts dealing and scrap metal, not repair work, and the Department of Finance's Rule 5 on the same subject is captioned 'Pertaining to Used Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories.' A shop that wants to perform Hawaii's motor-vehicle safety inspections works under a separate official inspection station permit, whose suspension and revocation the Department of Finance's Rule 9 governs; confirm the current issuing office and requirements with the Department of Finance at (808) 241-4200. Hawaii's state Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer license, recorded at the state layer, is the trade credential. A shop's Kaua'i County obligations are the Zoning Permit, Commercial Building Permit, Electrical Permit, Certificate of Occupancy and, if it runs a paint booth, the $50-a-year Fire Permit for Application of Flammable Finishes, all recorded separately for Kaua'i County.

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.

The other 13 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Kauai County, HI; what each one involves is set out on the Kauai 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 Kauai County?

The closest match is a childcare centre, which shares 0 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Fire Permit — Application of Flammable Finishes (Spray Booth), Auto Repair Licensing — State License Applies (Kauai County) and Motor Vehicle Repair Dealer License. A childcare centre needs Childcare Facility Licensing — State License Applies (Kauai County) and Child Care License, which a auto repair shop does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Kauai County, HI, compared with a auto repair shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a auto repair shopOnly a auto repair shop needsOnly it needs
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops4034
Contractors and trades4034
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks5035
Restaurants5035
Retail stores5035
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics2032

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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Kauai County permits page and the HI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Ordinance No. 1167 (Bill No. 2938), amending Chapter 15A, the Kaua'i County Fire Code, to adopt the 2021 State Fire Code, approved January 2025 and effective sixty days after approval — including the annual places-of-assembly and flammable-finishes permit feesCounty of Kaua'i, County Council · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  2. Kaua'i County Code 1987, as amended — ecode360's own print view of the complete codified Code, with amendments through Ordinance No. 1193County of Kaua'i, via General Code (ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  3. Permits, Licenses, and Access/Water Supply Forms — the Prevention Bureau's own current page naming the permits it issuesCounty of Kaua'i, Kaua'i Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  4. Business Resources / Guide to Starting a Business — the County's own guide, whose licensing step routes applicants to State of Hawaii agencies (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing, Department of Health, Department of Human Services)County of Kaua'i, Office of Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  5. Index of Rules and Regulations, Department of Finance — the numbered list of the rules the Department has adoptedCounty of Kaua'i, Department of Finance · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  6. County of Kaua'i Revenues — Fees, Rates, Assessments and Taxes, Appendix A, fiscal year July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, within the Mayor's budget transmittal C 2024-75 (March 15, 2024), printing "Certificate of Occupancy Issuance Fee … $0"County of Kaua'i, Office of the Mayor · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  7. 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.