13 permits · verified 2026-09-14
What permits do you need to open a auto repair shop in Aberdeen?
In short
A auto repair shop in Aberdeen, SD has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department charges $NaN per sign permit for the sign permit. 3 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Aberdeen
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City of Aberdeen Positiononly if it applies to you | City of Aberdeen Finance Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-14 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department | $NaN per sign permit | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-14 |
| Auto Repair Shop — Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (South Dakota)only if it applies to you | South Dakota Department of Revenue | No fee | not applicable | 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 Aberdeen
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Variance, Special Exception, Appeal and Rezoningonly if it applies to you | City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Department | Varies — formula on the Aberdeen page | the approval runs with the use or property unless conditioned otherwise | 2026-09-14 |
| Fire Permits and Commercial Fire Inspectiononly if it applies to you | Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Fire Prevention Division | Varies — formula on the Aberdeen page | per permit or event; routine inspections recur on the department's own cycle | 2026-09-14 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department | No fee | one-time, issued after final inspection | 2026-09-14 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department | Varies — formula on the Aberdeen page | as set in the adopted building code | 2026-09-14 |
| General Business License — City of Aberdeen Positiononly if it applies to you | City of Aberdeen Finance Office | No fee | not applicable to a general license | 2026-09-14 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
SD registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | $150 filed online; paper filing costs $165 | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | $150 filed online; paper filing costs $165 | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | $55 a year filed online; paper filing costs $70 | annual — due the first day of the entity's anniversary month of formation | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — State of South Dakota positiononly if it applies to you | South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax License | South Dakota Department of Revenue | No fee | no stated expiration | 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 Aberdeen?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a auto repair shop in Aberdeen, SD, 3 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
3 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Aberdeen permits page and the SD state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Aberdeen?
Permits for a auto repair shop in Aberdeen, SD come from 6 separate offices: City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Department, Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Fire Prevention Division, City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department, City of Aberdeen Finance Office, South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services, South Dakota Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Zoning Variance, Special Exception, Appeal and Rezoning123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7025www.aberdeen.sd.us/170/Planning-Zoning
- Aberdeen Fire and Rescue, Fire Prevention DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Permits and Commercial Fire Inspection104 South Main Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7010www.aberdeen.sd.us/165/Fire-Rescue
- City of Aberdeen Building Inspection DepartmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit, Sign Permit123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7013www.aberdeen.sd.us/168/Building-Inspection
- City of Aberdeen Finance OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City of Aberdeen Position, General Business License — City of Aberdeen Position123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401 · (605) 626-7025www.aberdeen.sd.us/191/Licenses-Permits
- South Dakota Secretary of State, Business ServicesIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report, General Business License — State of South Dakota position500 E Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501 · (605) 773-4845sdsos.gov/business-services/default.aspx
- South Dakota Department of RevenueIssues 2 permits on this page: Sales Tax License, Auto Repair Shop — Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (South Dakota)445 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501 · 1-800-829-9188dor.sd.gov
What does a auto repair shop need in Aberdeen that other businesses do not?
2 of the 3 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Aberdeen: Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City of Aberdeen Position and Auto Repair Shop — Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (South Dakota).
Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City of Aberdeen Position
Revised Ordinances Chapter 14 (Businesses and Business Regulations), as published on the City's municode page, names no auto repair license, so the City charges no fee for one — the same position as Rapid City, and a contrast with Sioux Falls, which charges an annual fire license of $46.00 or $58.00 by bay count for the same premises. The obligations that do bind an Aberdeen shop sit in the fire, zoning and environmental layers: the $120.00 tank permit under Chapter 24 (Fire Prevention and Protection) where fuel or waste oil is stored above ground, a $200.00 special exception where the district treats repair as conditional rather than permitted, spray booth review under the building and fire codes, and South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources rules on solvents and used oil. A shop that also sells vehicles needs a state dealer license under SDCL ch. 32-6B, with its own bonding and premises requirements.
Auto Repair Shop — Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (South Dakota)
No fee applies. The Department of Revenue's dealer-licensing page requires a motor vehicle dealer license of 'people who engage in the business of selling vehicles', and every dealer-license trigger in the motor vehicle statutes cited is tied to selling, exchanging or offering vehicles for sale, not to repairing them. A shop that only services and repairs vehicles, without buying or selling them, falls entirely outside the Division of Motor Vehicles' dealer-licensing requirements; a shop that also sells several used vehicles a year would separately cross into needing a Used Vehicle Dealer license for that distinct activity.
Shared with other businesses in Aberdeen
- Sign Permit — City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department, $NaN per sign permit, one-time, per sign. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, veterinary clinics 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 Aberdeen, SD; what each one involves is set out on the Aberdeen permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across SD and are covered on the SD state page.
How does a auto repair shop compare with other businesses in Aberdeen?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Auto Repair Shop Licensing — City of Aberdeen Position and Auto Repair Shop — Dealer Licensing Covers Vehicle Sales Only (South Dakota). A fitness studio needs Fitness Studio Licensing — City of Aberdeen Position, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Aberdeen permits page and the SD state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Revised Ordinances of the City of Aberdeen — Chapter 14 (Businesses and Business Regulations, including Article II licence procedure, §14-128 home day care licences and §14-135 special exception), Chapter 12 (Buildings and Building Regulations, including contractor licensing and building permit fees), Chapter 42 (Signs), Chapter 60 (Zoning), Chapter 24 (Fire Prevention and Protection), Chapter 38 (Peddlers, Solicitors and Itinerant Merchants — §38-1 definitions, §38-29 transient and itinerant merchant applications and §38-34 fees) and §50-77 (municipal gross receipts tax)City of Aberdeen, codified by Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Licenses and Permits — the City of Aberdeen's own current page listing the licenses and permits the City issues and the departments that issue themCity of Aberdeen · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Fire and Rescue — the department's own current page for fire prevention, commercial inspections and the permits the department issuesAberdeen Fire and Rescue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
- South Dakota Department of Revenue — motor vehicle dealer licensing, triggered by selling vehicles rather than repairing themSouth Dakota Department of Revenue · 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.