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14 permits · verified 2026-09-09

What permits do you need to open a auto repair shop in Salt Lake City?

In short

A auto repair shop in Salt Lake City, UT has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Salt Lake City Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau charges $294 annual, for a body shop/garage under 5,000 sq ft for the hazardous materials permit — body shop/garage. 4 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Salt Lake City

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Hazardous Materials Permit — Body Shop/Garageonly if it applies to youSalt Lake City Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau$294 annual, for a body shop/garage under 5,000 sq ftannual2026-09-09
Sign PermitCity of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services DivisionPriced on the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule as the general building permit, plus a plan-checking fee of $0.15 per dollar of the calculated building permit fee (roughly a 15% surcharge) and a $17 inspection tag fee per inspection.one-time, per sign2026-09-09
Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related ServicesCity of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division$77 annual, in addition to the base license and employee feesannual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule)2026-09-09
Motor Vehicle Body Shop Licenseonly if it applies to youUtah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division$112 plus a required $20,000 surety bondset by the license renewal cycle2026-09-04
Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Positiononly if it applies to youUtah Motor Vehicle Enforcement DivisionNo 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.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Salt Lake City

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business LicenseCity of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing DivisionVaries — formula on the Salt Lake City pageannual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule)2026-09-09
Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to youCity of Salt Lake City, Planning DivisionVaries — formula on the Salt Lake City pageone-time, no stated expiration2026-09-09
Building Permit (Commercial)City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services DivisionVaries — formula on the Salt Lake City pageone-time, per project2026-09-09
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services DivisionNo feeone-time, no expiration2026-09-09

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

UT 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
Sales and Use Tax LicenseUtah State Tax CommissionNo feeongoing — no fixed expiration, with a filing frequency the state assigns and can revisit2026-09-04
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code$59 one-time filingperpetual, but a renewal is due every year2026-09-04
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code$59 one-time filingperpetual, but a renewal is due every year2026-09-04
General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration)only if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial CodeNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-04
Annual Renewalonly if it applies to youUtah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code$18 a year; a late renewal adds $10annual — due in the calendar month tied to the entity's own formation anniversary2026-09-04

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 Salt Lake City?

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 Salt Lake City, UT, 6 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 6 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $77.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 14 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: Priced on the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule as the general building permit, plus a plan-checking fee of $0.15 per dollar of the calculated building permit fee (roughly a 15% surcharge) and a $17 inspection tag fee per inspection.

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake City?

Permits for a auto repair shop in Salt Lake City, UT come from 7 separate offices: City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division, Salt Lake City Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division, City of Salt Lake City, Planning Division, Utah State Tax Commission, Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division, Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. 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 Salt Lake City that other businesses do not?

4 of the 5 permits particular to a auto repair shop here apply to no other business type we cover in Salt Lake City: Hazardous Materials Permit — Body Shop/Garage, Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services, Motor Vehicle Body Shop License and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Position.

Hazardous Materials Permit — Body Shop/Garage

A named line item on the Fire Prevention Bureau's own hazardous-materials permit table, separate from and in addition to the Business License's Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services fee recorded above. It applies to a body shop or garage that stores or dispenses flammable/combustible materials (paints, solvents, fuels) above the fire code's minimum threshold quantities; an ordinary mechanical repair shop that stays below those thresholds would not trigger it. Those thresholds themselves come from the International Fire Code's own maximum-allowable-quantity tables — set by hazard class, container type, and whether the storage area is sprinklered, rather than a single gallon figure the Fire Prevention Bureau restates on its own fee page — so whether a specific shop's inventory crosses the line depends on its own storage configuration. Confirm applicability with the Fire Prevention Bureau (801-799-3473).

Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services

Risen from $75 before September 2026. A body/collision shop that stores flammable or hazardous materials above the fire code's minimum threshold quantities also owes the Fire Prevention Bureau's separate annual hazardous-materials permit recorded below; an ordinary mechanical shop below that threshold owes only this business-license fee.

Motor Vehicle Body Shop License

A hundred and twelve dollars for the license itself, but the real cost of entry is the $20,000 surety bond every body shop must file on a specific state form before it can operate — tied to the consumer-protection concerns around vehicles that have been in a collision or carry a salvage history, which is why this license exists at all where an ordinary mechanical repair shop needs none. The application must include a photograph of the shop's sign along with the bond and ownership details, submitted directly to the division.

Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Position

There is no state license fee listed for a general repair shop. The Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division's Business License Fees list runs to dealers, motor vehicle body shop, manufacturer, remanufacturer, dismantler, crusher, transporter, distributor and salvage buyer, and lists no category for a plain mechanical repair or service shop; under that list, a shop doing collision or body repair needs the body shop license, while one doing only oil changes, brakes or engine work has no MVED category. See the body shop license record for the collision-repair side of the boundary.

Shared with other businesses in Salt Lake City

  • Sign Permit — City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division, Priced on the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule as the general building permit, plus a plan-checking fee of $0.15 per dollar of the calculated building permit fee (roughly a 15% surcharge) and a $17 inspection tag fee per inspection., 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 retail stores page.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Salt Lake City, UT; what each one involves is set out on the Salt Lake City permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across UT and are covered on the UT state page.

How does a auto repair shop compare with other businesses in Salt Lake City?

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Hazardous Materials Permit — Body Shop/Garage, Business License Add-On — Auto/Truck & Mechanic Related Services, Motor Vehicle Body Shop License and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Position. A fitness studio needs Fitness Studio Business License — City Fee Schedule Position (Salt Lake City), which a auto repair shop does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Salt Lake City, UT, compared with a auto repair shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a auto repair shopOnly a auto repair shop needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios2141
Retail stores3142
Salons and barbers3142
Veterinary clinics3142
Coffee shops6145
Restaurants6145
Childcare centres3053
Contractors and trades5055
Food trucks4054

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 Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Salt Lake City Consolidated Fee Schedule, Amended 06/16/2026 by Ordinance 2026-29 (business license columns 'Effective Sept '26') — business licensing, building/electrical/plumbing/sign permit, zoning and fire fee tablesCity of Salt Lake City · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  2. Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division — business license fees, including the body shop licenseUtah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  3. Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division — body shop licensing requirements and the $20,000 bondUtah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division · 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.