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15 permits · verified 2026-09-30

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

In short

A auto repair shop in Salt Lake County, UT has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 13 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services charges $150 a year (12-month license term) for the general business license — home-based, with on-site visitors or customers. 4 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-30 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a auto repair shop in Salt Lake County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Vehicle Emissions I/M Station Permitonly if it applies to youSalt Lake County Health Department$190.00 I/M Station Permit; $60.00 metal sign; $50.00 plan review; $25.00 per I/M test; $20.00 inspector certificate; $155.00 inspector certification exam and course; $20.00 per hour of inspector training; $10.00 inspector transfer/multi-station. Per the SLCoHD fee schedule published September 1, 2026.annual2026-09-30
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 County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — Home-Based, With On-Site Visitors or Customersonly if it applies to youGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services$150 a year (12-month license term)12 months2026-09-30
Building Permitonly if it applies to youGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Salt Lake County pageone-time, per permit2026-09-30
Plan Check Feeonly if it applies to youGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Salt Lake County pageone-time, per project2026-09-30
Site Plan Reviewonly if it applies to youGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Salt Lake County pageone-time, per application2026-09-30
General Business License — Commercial LocationGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services$150 a year (12-month license term)12 months2026-09-30
General Business License — Home-Based, No On-Site Visitors or Customersonly if it applies to youGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development ServicesNo fee12 months2026-09-30
General Business License — Per-Employee Feeonly if it applies to youGreater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services$6 per employee, billed alongside the base license feecoincides with the 12-month business-license term2026-09-30

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 County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a auto repair shop in Salt Lake County, UT, 2 apply to every business of this type and 13 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 2 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $150.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 15 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:

Vehicle Emissions I/M Station Permit: $190.00 I/M Station Permit; $60.00 metal sign; $50.00 plan review; $25.00 per I/M test; $20.00 inspector certificate; $155.00 inspector certification exam and course; $20.00 per hour of inspector training; $10.00 inspector transfer/multi-station. Per the SLCoHD fee schedule published September 1, 2026.

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 County permits page and the UT state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake County?

Permits for a auto repair shop in Salt Lake County, UT come from 5 separate offices: Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, Planning & Development Services, Salt Lake County Health Department, 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 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 Salt Lake County: Vehicle Emissions I/M Station Permit, Motor Vehicle Body Shop License and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Position.

Vehicle Emissions I/M Station Permit

An auto-repair business operating a vehicle-emissions inspection/maintenance station anywhere in Salt Lake County needs this SLCoHD permit, priced at $190.00 for the station permit plus separate fees for a metal sign ($60.00), plan review ($50.00), each I/M test ($25.00), an inspector certificate ($20.00), the inspector certification exam and course ($155.00), inspector training ($20.00 per hour), and an inspector transfer or multi-station fee ($10.00), all per the fee schedule published September 1, 2026, under Health Regulation #22. SLCoHD's Regulations index page shows Regulation #22 currently has a proposed amendment, with a public-comment period ending Thursday, October 29, 2026, and a public hearing the same day; the fees above are from the currently adopted regulation and fee schedule and remain in force as of this record's verified date. SLCoHD's coverage is county-wide — all 23 incorporated municipalities plus the unincorporated area.

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.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Salt Lake County, UT; what each one involves is set out on the Salt Lake County 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 County?

The closest match is a childcare centre, which shares 0 of these permits. A auto repair shop also needs Vehicle Emissions I/M Station Permit, Motor Vehicle Body Shop License and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Utah MVED Position. A childcare centre needs Residential (Child)Care Food Service Inspection, Simple Land Use Permit and Child Care Centre License, which a auto repair shop does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Salt Lake County, UT, compared with a auto repair shop
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a auto repair shopOnly a auto repair shop needsOnly it needs
Childcare centres3033
Coffee shops6036
Contractors and trades4034
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks8038
Restaurants8038
Retail stores6036
Salons and barbers7037
Veterinary clinics3033

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

  1. Salt Lake County Health Department Fee Schedule, published September 1, 2026Salt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  2. SLCoHD Regulations index (regulation numbers/titles; states Regulation #22's proposed amendment and comment period ending October 29, 2026)Salt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  3. SLCoHD Health Regulation #22, Vehicle Emissions Control ProgramSalt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  4. Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division — business license fees, including the body shop licenseUtah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  5. 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.