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14 permits · verified 2026-09-12

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

In short

A auto repair shop in Concord, NH has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Concord, Code Administration Division charges $50 one-time, per application for the change of occupancy (certificate of occupancy) fee. 5 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Concord

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Concord, Code Administration DivisionA $30.00 nonrefundable application fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus $2.25 per square foot of sign area (as measured under the Zoning Ordinance); a further $30.00 fee applies where the sign requires Planning Board approval, and $18.00 where it requires approval over or within the public right-of-way. A temporary sign permitted for no more than 15 days is a flat $20.00 and is exempt from the base application fee. A Sandwich Board Sign is $25.00 per year.not stated in the published fee schedule (Sandwich Board Sign: annual)2026-09-12
Municipal Business License — City of Concord Licensing Services Positiononly if it applies to youCity of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing ServicesNo feenot applicable2026-09-12
Vehicle Inspection Station Licenseonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles$25 a yearannual — renews by 30 September2026-09-04
Repairer Registrationonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles$48 for the first plate; each additional plate is $18 — a further $250 applies only if the shop also sells vehicles2 years, on an even-year renewal cycle, prorated for an odd-year start2026-09-04

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 Concord

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Change of Occupancy (Certificate of Occupancy) FeeCity of Concord, Code Administration Division$50 one-time, per applicationone-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business use2026-09-12
Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)only if it applies to youCity of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Varies — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per application2026-09-12
Planning Board Site Plan Review / Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment)Varies — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per application2026-09-12
Building PermitCity of Concord, Code Administration DivisionVaries — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Fire Suppression / Alarm System Plan Review and InspectionConcord Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Concord pageone-time, per project or system2026-09-12

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

NH 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
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 a year; a late fee of $50 is added after 1 Aprilannual — due 1 April every year2026-09-04
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division$100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Taxonly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationNo feethe filing thresholds are adjusted for inflation every two years2026-09-04
General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Positiononly if it applies to youNew Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

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 Concord?

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 Concord, NH, 3 apply to every business of this type and 11 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 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 14 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:

Sign Permit: A $30.00 nonrefundable application fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus $2.25 per square foot of sign area (as measured under the Zoning Ordinance); a further $30.00 fee applies where the sign requires Planning Board approval, and $18.00 where it requires approval over or within the public right-of-way. A temporary sign permitted for no more than 15 days is a flat $20.00 and is exempt from the base application fee. A Sandwich Board Sign is $25.00 per year.

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Concord permits page and the NH state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Concord?

Permits for a auto repair shop in Concord, NH come from 7 separate offices: City of Concord, Code Administration Division, City of Concord, Planning Division (Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment), Concord Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services, New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. 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 Concord that other businesses do not?

2 of the 4 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Concord: Vehicle Inspection Station License and Repairer Registration.

Vehicle Inspection Station License

This is optional business a repair shop can take on, not a condition of repairing vehicles at all. Twenty-five dollars a year covers the license itself, but qualifying is not just a matter of paying the fee: a station must also be registered with the Secretary of State, approved for occupancy by the local town or city, and visited on site by the state police before it can operate. Roughly 2,400 stations hold this license statewide.

Repairer Registration

A repair dealer is defined precisely as someone principally in the motor vehicle business who repairs vehicles for others, is not a dealer, and has an established place of business in the state — the registration covering that activity is priced by the plate rather than as a flat license fee, $48 for the first and $18 for each additional or supplemental one, on a two-year cycle. The state's own application form is confusingly headed as though it were a dealer application, which makes the boundary easy to miss: the extra $250 license fee and the $25,000 dealer's surety bond apply only once a repair shop crosses into also buying, selling or exchanging vehicles. A shop that sticks to repair alone never reaches that additional cost.

Shared with other businesses in Concord

  • Sign Permit — City of Concord, Code Administration Division, A $30.00 nonrefundable application fee accompanies every sign permit application, plus $2.25 per square foot of sign area (as measured under the Zoning Ordinance); a further $30.00 fee applies where the sign requires Planning Board approval, and $18.00 where it requires approval over or within the public right-of-way. A temporary sign permitted for no more than 15 days is a flat $20.00 and is exempt from the base application fee. A Sandwich Board Sign is $25.00 per year., not stated in the published fee schedule (Sandwich Board Sign: annual). Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Municipal Business License — City of Concord Licensing Services Position — City of Concord, Code Administration Division, Health & Licensing Services, No fee, not applicable. Also required for retail stores, veterinary clinics, fitness studios and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Concord, NH; what each one involves is set out on the Concord permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NH and are covered on the NH state page.

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

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 2 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Vehicle Inspection Station License and Repairer Registration. A retail store needs nothing here that a auto repair shop does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Concord, NH, compared with a auto repair shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a auto repair shopOnly a auto repair shop needsOnly it needs
Retail stores2220
Fitness studios3221
Salons and barbers3221
Veterinary clinics3221
Coffee shops6135
Restaurants6135
Childcare centres3043
Contractors and trades3043
Food trucks3043

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 coffee shops page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Concord permits page and the NH state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. New Hampshire DMV — vehicle inspection station licensing, $25 a yearNew Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  2. New Hampshire DMV form RDMV 720 — repairer registration, and the boundary with dealer licensingNew Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles · 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.