12 permits · verified 2026-10-09
What permits do you need to open a auto repair shop in Nashville Davidson?
In short
A auto repair shop in Nashville Davidson, TN has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety charges $55 per use and occupancy permit or certificate of compliance where no building permit has been issued (Metro Code § 16.28.110 E) for the use and occupancy (u&o) permit / certificate of occupancy. 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Nashville Davidson
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Marshal Operational Permits (assembly, open flames, repair garages, spraying and others)only if it applies to you | Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office | Per Metro Code § 10.64.018 as amended by Ordinance BL2026-1328: places of assembly by occupant load — 50–1,000 persons $150; 1,001–5,000 $250; 5,001–20,000 $500; over 20,000 $750. Open flames and candles $151. Repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities $151. Spraying and dipping $151. Hot work operations $151. High-piled storage $151. Day care operation $151. Re-inspection $65. Expedite fee $175 for applications filed fewer than ten business days ahead; at least triple the fee if operations start before the permit. | most operational permits run 12 months or the duration of the event (Fire Marshal's Office permit table) | 2026-10-09 |
| Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Tennessee Positiononly if it applies to you | Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Division of Regulatory Boards | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Nashville Davidson
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Business Tax License | Davidson County Clerk, Business Tax Division | Varies — formula on the Nashville Davidson page | annual, tied to the state business tax return | 2026-09-05 |
| Use and Occupancy (U&O) Permit / Certificate of Occupancy | Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety | $55 per use and occupancy permit or certificate of compliance where no building permit has been issued (Metro Code § 16.28.110 E) | one-time, per occupancy or change of use | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit and Plans Examination (Metro Codes) | Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety | Varies — formula on the Nashville Davidson page | per permit | 2026-10-09 |
| Sign Permit (Metro Codes)only if it applies to you | Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety | Varies — formula on the Nashville Davidson page | per permit | 2026-10-09 |
| Burglar and Fire Alarm Registration Permitonly if it applies to you | Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office | Varies — formula on the Nashville Davidson page | one year; renewals due on or before the end of the month in which the permit was issued | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
TN 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 | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | no expiry, but an annual report on the same per-member scale is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| For-Profit Corporation Charteronly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $20 annual report is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Standard or Minimal Activity Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Department of Revenue | $15 per jurisdiction per location — charged again by the city if it has enacted the tax | annual for a standard license, renewed free when the tax return is filed | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | annual — due the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Tennessee Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiry stated | 2026-09-03 |
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 Nashville Davidson?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a auto repair shop in Nashville Davidson, TN, 4 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.
Of the 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $55.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Fire Marshal Operational Permits (assembly, open flames, repair garages, spraying and others): Per Metro Code § 10.64.018 as amended by Ordinance BL2026-1328: places of assembly by occupant load — 50–1,000 persons $150; 1,001–5,000 $250; 5,001–20,000 $500; over 20,000 $750. Open flames and candles $151. Repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities $151. Spraying and dipping $151. Hot work operations $151. High-piled storage $151. Day care operation $151. Re-inspection $65. Expedite fee $175 for applications filed fewer than ten business days ahead; at least triple the fee if operations start before the permit.
The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Nashville Davidson permits page and the TN state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Nashville Davidson?
Permits for a auto repair shop in Nashville Davidson, TN come from 6 separate offices: Davidson County Clerk, Business Tax Division, Metro Department of Codes and Building Safety, Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Division of Regulatory Boards, Tennessee Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Davidson County Clerk, Business Tax DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Metro Business Tax License700 2nd Ave S, Suite 220, Nashville, TN 37210 · (615) 862-6254www.nashvilleclerk.com/business/obtaining-a-business-license
- Metro Department of Codes and Building SafetyIssues 3 permits on this page: Use and Occupancy (U&O) Permit / Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit and Plans Examination (Metro Codes), Sign Permit (Metro Codes)(615) 862-6500www.nashville.gov/departments/codes
- Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: Fire Marshal Operational Permits (assembly, open flames, repair garages, spraying and others), Burglar and Fire Alarm Registration Permit615-862-5421 (Fire Marshal); 615-862-6779 (alarm registration)epermits.nashville.gov/#
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), For-Profit Corporation Charter, Annual Report312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 6th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243-1102 · (615) 741-2286tncab.tnsos.gov
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Division of Regulatory BoardsIssues 1 permit on this page: Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Tennessee Position500 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243-0565 · (615) 741-2241www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards.html
- Tennessee Department of RevenueIssues 2 permits on this page: Standard or Minimal Activity Business License, Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration500 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37242 · (800) 342-1003www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
What does a auto repair shop need in Nashville Davidson that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a auto repair shop here applies to no other business type we cover in Nashville Davidson: Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Tennessee Position.
Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Tennessee Position
The Department of Commerce and Insurance publishes the complete list of every programme its regulatory boards division runs — twenty-one of them, accountancy through scrap metals — and that list names no automotive repair programme, so no state repair-shop license fee applies; the Secretary of State's index of every agency holding administrative rules likewise has no chapter for automotive or motor vehicle repair. The only vehicle-trade chapter belongs to the Motor Vehicle Commission, whose fee rule enumerates every category it licenses and includes no repair shop. What does bite is selling or dismantling rather than repairing: a dealer license is $600 for two years, an automotive dismantler and recycler the same, an auction $1,200. Business tax applies to repair services, but that is a tax registration rather than a license.
Shared with other businesses in Nashville Davidson
- Fire Marshal Operational Permits (assembly, open flames, repair garages, spraying and others) — Nashville Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, Per Metro Code § 10.64.018 as amended by Ordinance BL2026-1328: places of assembly by occupant load — 50–1,000 persons $150; 1,001–5,000 $250; 5,001–20,000 $500; over 20,000 $750. Open flames and candles $151. Repair garages and motor fuel-dispensing facilities $151. Spraying and dipping $151. Hot work operations $151. High-piled storage $151. Day care operation $151. Re-inspection $65. Expedite fee $175 for applications filed fewer than ten business days ahead; at least triple the fee if operations start before the permit., most operational permits run 12 months or the duration of the event (Fire Marshal's Office permit table). Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, childcare centres and retail stores; 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 Nashville Davidson, TN; what each one involves is set out on the Nashville Davidson permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TN and are covered on the TN state page.
How does a auto repair shop compare with other businesses in Nashville Davidson?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Tennessee Position. A fitness studio needs nothing here that 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 9 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Restaurants | 9 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 7 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
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 Nashville Davidson permits page and the TN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance — the complete list of regulatory boards and licensed programmesTennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.