All 51 US jurisdictions as structured JSON: whether a repair license exists, and whether it actually reaches a one-person mobile operation. Read from the statutes themselves. Yours to reuse, quote and build on, including in AI systems, as long as you say where it came from.
50 states plus the District of Columbia. Each one read against its own statute, administrative code or license directory, not against a secondary summary of it.
"Does this state license repair?" and "does that reach someone working out of a van?" have different answers more often than not. Every record answers both.
Static JSON. No key, no rate limit, no sign-up. Cache it or hotlink it, whichever suits you.
| Endpoint | Returns |
|---|---|
/data/licensing/index.json |
All 51 jurisdictions, plus corpus metadata and counts. |
/data/licensing/{code}.json |
One jurisdiction by lower-case two-letter code, e.g. oh, ca, dc. |
$ curl -s https://mechanicsalliance.org/data/licensing/ca.json
{
"jurisdiction": {
"state": "California",
"code": "CA",
"tier": "License required",
"tier_key": "license_required",
"verdict": "Registration required, and mobile is named explicitly",
"reaches_solo_mobile_operator": "Covered, by name. The application asks for
the \"motor vehicle license plate number, if engaged in mobile
automotive repairs.\"",
"citation": {
"label": "Bus. & Prof. Code 9884(b)(1)(G)",
"url": "https://www.bar.ca.gov/get-licensed"
},
"verification": "primary_source",
"last_reviewed": "2026-09"
}
}
Published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. You may reuse, quote, redistribute and build on this data, commercially included, and you may use it as input to an AI system. The one condition is credit.
Mechanics Alliance, “State Licensing Requirements for Mobile Automotive Repair”, version 2026.09.
https://mechanicsalliance.org/licensing-data
Each jurisdiction was checked one at a time against the state's own statute, administrative code or license directory. Where a state licenses repair, we then read the definition to see whether it carries a premises element, because that is what decides whether the rule reaches someone with no shop. Findings were sorted into five tiers:
| Tier | Count | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| License required | 8 | A license or registration is required for general automotive repair. |
| Only for certain work | 14 | Only specific work is regulated, typically brakes, emissions or air conditioning. |
| No license, but rules apply | 8 | No license, but binding obligations such as written estimates or disclosure. |
| Nothing at state level | 20 | No state licensing or registration for automotive repair. |
| Unverified | 1 | Could not be confirmed against a working primary source. Treated as unconfirmed. |
Publishing the gaps is part of the method, not an apology for it. Every record carries a verification field so you can weigh it yourself:
State law is the floor, not the whole picture. City and county rules, general business registration, sales tax collection and EPA requirements for refrigerant and waste are separate obligations and are not covered here. This is information, not legal advice. Where money or liability turns on the answer, confirm with the state directly.
The checker gives you a plain answer in one click, no JSON required. Free, no login.
Check your state Read the research