Pick your state. We checked all fifty plus DC against the actual statutes and regulations, not against a directory, and we say plainly when the rule reaches a one-person mobile operation.
Eight jurisdictions license general automotive repair: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada, New York and the District of Columbia. Fourteen states license only a subset, such as inspections, body work or salvage. Eight states license nothing but still impose binding written-estimate duties that reach you anyway. Twenty states have no state-level requirement at all.
Alabama does not license repair shops. It levies a privilege license tax on garages, assessed per person per location. The handbook exempts mobile work outright.
Exempt. "Mechanics working exclusively from a truck doing repairs at the customer’s location are not subject to this license."
Alaska has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair. Local business licensing and federal rules still apply.
No state requirement.
Arizona licenses emissions inspection stations. General automotive repair is not licensed at state level.
Not reached unless you do emissions testing.
Arkansas has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Every automotive repair dealer must register with the Bureau of Automotive Repair. The definition has no premises element, so a one-person mobile operation is covered. Since 1 October 2025 a shop doing mobile work more than 50 miles from its registered address needs a separate registration.
Covered, by name. The application asks for the "motor vehicle license plate number, if engaged in mobile automotive repairs."
Colorado licenses nothing, but the Motor Vehicle Repair Act imposes binding estimate and invoice duties. The Act contains no licensing section at all.
Covered by the conduct rules once a repair exceeds $100.
Connecticut DMV licenses motor vehicle repairers. In practice the license is gated on premises, so a purely mobile operation struggles to qualify.
Hard. The application requires a "suitable place of business."
Delaware has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
DC requires a Basic Business License for auto repair. The Certificate of Occupancy requirement makes a premises-free operation difficult.
Difficult. Gated on a Certificate of Occupancy.
Florida requires motor vehicle repair shops to register with FDACS. The statute names mobile shops and self-employed individuals directly. A narrow exemption exists only for someone with no employees and no established place of business.
Named in statute. A repair shop "includes, but is not limited to: mobile motor vehicle repair shops ... self-employed individuals."
Georgia licenses used-parts and salvage dealers. General repair is not licensed at state level.
Not reached unless you deal in salvage or used parts.
Hawaii registers repair dealers and separately certifies mechanics. The rules cover a mechanic whether self-employed or employed by another, and reference mobile repair facilities directly.
Covered twice over. Rules reference "each mobile repair facility, as registered with the board."
Idaho has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Illinois licenses "repairers", but exempts work done as an incident to the servicing of vehicles and requires an established place of business.
Effectively excluded. The license requires "an established place of business."
Indiana has no state-level licensing for general automotive repair. The "mechanic license" that appears in search results is an elevator mechanic license and is unrelated.
No state requirement.
Iowa licenses nothing, but the Motor Vehicle Service Trade Practices Act imposes estimate and disclosure duties.
Covered by the conduct rules above $50.
Kansas has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Kentucky has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Louisiana R.S. 32:1252 could not be verified against a working primary source during our audit. Treat this state as unconfirmed and check with the state directly before relying on it.
Unknown. Verify locally.
Maine licenses inspection stations. General repair is not licensed. A widely repeated claim that Maine requires a $50/yr repair shop registration traces to LD 362, a bill that was never enacted.
Not reached unless you perform state inspections.
Maryland licenses nothing, but its repair statute reaches "any person who diagnoses or corrects malfunctions ... for financial profit."
Covered by the conduct rules above $50, with no premises element.
Massachusetts licenses shops that repair damaged motor vehicles. Routine mechanical work is outside the license.
Covered if you do collision or damage work. "No person shall engage..."
Michigan is the only state that requires both a repair facility registration and a personal state mechanic certification. ASE alone is not sufficient. The exemption list contains no mobile carve-out.
Covered. The exemptions are prefaced "unless ... adopted for the purposes of evading this act."
Minnesota licenses nothing, but its motor vehicle repair statute reaches anyone who "derives income, in whole or part" from repair.
Covered by the conduct rules above $100.
Mississippi has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Missouri has no state-level licensing for automotive repair. A widely repeated claim that the Department of Revenue issues a repair shop license is false.
No state requirement.
Montana has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Nebraska has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Nevada DMV registers garages. The statute reaches mobile operators, though the registration process is oriented to fixed locations.
Statutorily covered, practically gated.
New Hampshire has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
New Jersey licenses auto body repair facilities. General mechanical repair is not licensed at state level.
Not reached unless you do body work.
New Mexico has no state-level repair licensing. NMSA 57-16A, sometimes cited as a repair licensing article, is actually the lemon law.
No state requirement.
New York registers motor vehicle repair shops. The regulation reaches "any person" repairing for compensation, with no receipts threshold and no mobile carve-out. Mobile units are a named category with their own signage rule. New York does not certify individual mechanics.
Named category. "A mobile unit shall have the official indoor repair shop sign firmly affixed to the mobile unit."
North Carolina licenses inspection stations and inspection mechanics. The program moved to the State Highway Patrol, and older NCDOT links are dead.
Not reached. Inspection stations need 45 lineal feet of floor space.
North Dakota has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Ohio licenses nothing, but an administrative rule imposes estimate duties. The rule was amended effective 21 March 2026.
Covered above $25, though the trigger may not attach to driveway work.
Oklahoma has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Oregon has no state repair shop license. The frequently cited "DOJ Repair Shop Certificate" does not exist in Oregon’s own license directory. DEQ’s recognized repair shop program is voluntary recognition, not a license.
No state requirement.
Pennsylvania licenses inspection stations and inspection mechanics. General repair is not licensed.
Not reached unless you perform state inspections.
Rhode Island licenses auto body and collision repair; mechanical repair is explicitly excluded. Notably, the Paintless Dent Repair special use license has no fixed-location requirement.
PDR license holders "are not required to have a fixed location."
South Carolina has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
South Dakota has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Tennessee has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
Texas licenses inspection stations and salvage/rebuilder dealers above five vehicles a year. General repair is not licensed. TDLR does not license vehicle air conditioning; its A/C program is building HVAC.
Reached only if you rebuild salvage. That test is by volume, with no premises exemption.
Utah licenses body shops. There is no Utah Motor Vehicle Repair Act; Title 13 Chapter 30 does not exist in the official compilation.
Not reached for mechanical work. A body license needs a principal place of business.
Vermont licenses inspection stations. General repair is not licensed at state level.
Not reached unless you perform state inspections.
Virginia licenses nothing, but the Automobile Repair Facilities Act imposes estimate duties on request.
Covered by the conduct rules.
Washington licenses nothing, but chapter 46.71 RCW imposes estimate and authorization duties, and a violation is a per se Consumer Protection Act violation.
Covered. The statute has no premises element.
West Virginia licenses inspection stations. General repair is not licensed at state level.
Not reached unless you perform state inspections.
Wisconsin licenses nothing, but ATCP 132 imposes estimate and invoice duties.
Covered by the conduct rules above $50.
Wyoming has no state-level licensing or registration for automotive repair.
No state requirement.
State licensing is only half the picture. If you service vehicle air conditioning for money anywhere in the United States, EPA Section 609 certification is required before you touch a refrigerant line, and taking the work mobile removes nothing. The regulation states that approved recycling equipment may be transported off-site, and that any such servicing must meet all the requirements that would apply on-site. Topping off counts. R-1234yf counts.
Every row below was verified against the state's own statute, regulation or licensing page in September 2026. Click a state for the full guide.
| State | Status | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Only for certain work | Privilege license tax only, and mobile is exempt |
| Alaska | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Arizona | Only for certain work | Emissions inspection stations only |
| Arkansas | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| California | License required | Registration required, and mobile is named explicitly |
| Colorado | No license, but rules apply | No license, but written-estimate law applies |
| Connecticut | License required | Repairer license required |
| Delaware | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| District of Columbia | License required | Basic Business License required |
| Florida | License required | Registration required, and mobile is named in statute |
| Georgia | Only for certain work | Used-parts and salvage dealers only |
| Hawaii | License required | Both the shop and the mechanic must be registered |
| Idaho | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Illinois | Only for certain work | Repairer license, but premises-gated |
| Indiana | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Iowa | No license, but rules apply | No license, but a trade practices act applies |
| Kansas | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Kentucky | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Louisiana | Unverified | We could not verify this one |
| Maine | Only for certain work | Inspection stations only |
| Maryland | No license, but rules apply | No license, but a repair statute applies |
| Massachusetts | Only for certain work | Damage repair only |
| Michigan | License required | Both the facility and the mechanic must be certified |
| Minnesota | No license, but rules apply | No license, but a repair statute applies |
| Mississippi | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Missouri | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Montana | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Nebraska | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Nevada | License required | Garage registration required |
| New Hampshire | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| New Jersey | Only for certain work | Auto body only |
| New Mexico | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| New York | License required | Registration required, and "mobile unit" is a defined category |
| North Carolina | Only for certain work | Inspection stations only |
| North Dakota | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Ohio | No license, but rules apply | No license, but a consumer rule applies |
| Oklahoma | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Oregon | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Pennsylvania | Only for certain work | Inspection stations only |
| Rhode Island | Only for certain work | Body and collision only, but PDR has no premises rule |
| South Carolina | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| South Dakota | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Tennessee | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
| Texas | Only for certain work | Inspection and salvage only |
| Utah | Only for certain work | Body shops only |
| Vermont | Only for certain work | Inspection stations only |
| Virginia | No license, but rules apply | No license, but a repair facilities act applies |
| Washington | No license, but rules apply | No license, but violations are Consumer Protection Act violations |
| West Virginia | Only for certain work | Inspection stations only |
| Wisconsin | No license, but rules apply | No license, but a consumer rule applies |
| Wyoming | Nothing at state level | No state repair license |
We read the primary source for every jurisdiction: the statute, the administrative rule, or the licensing authority's own application form. We did not rely on aggregator sites, and that mattered. Several widely repeated claims turned out to be false. Oregon does not issue a Department of Justice repair shop certificate; no such credential appears in Oregon's own license directory. Utah has no Motor Vehicle Repair Act; Title 13 Chapter 30 does not exist in the official compilation. New Mexico's NMSA 57-16A is the lemon law, not a licensing article. Missouri's Department of Revenue does not issue a repair shop license. Maine's often-cited fifty dollar registration traces to LD 362, a bill that was never enacted. The Indiana mechanic license that surfaces in search results is an elevator mechanic license.
There is no authoritative federal list of which states license auto repair. The tool most often cited, CareerOneStop, is sponsored by the Department of Labor but is not a government domain, and we found it misses both Utah's body shop license and the District of Columbia's auto repair business license. It indexes individual occupational licenses, while auto repair is almost always a business or facility license. That is why we verified state by state.
Where we are not certain, we say so. Louisiana is marked unverified because we could not reach a working primary source for R.S. 32:1252. Illinois' statute is verified but the Secretary of State's repairer page would not respond to us, so confirm that one directly. Massachusetts shows a fee conflict between the statute and the licensing page, and we could not locate the instrument that reset it.
This is general information for working mechanics, not legal advice. Licensing rules change. Verify with the linked authority before you rely on it, and treat the linked source as the truth if it ever disagrees with this page.
It depends entirely on your state. Eight jurisdictions license general automotive repair: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada, New York and the District of Columbia. Fourteen states license only a subset such as inspections, body work or salvage. Eight states license nothing but still impose binding written-estimate duties. Twenty states have no state-level requirement at all.
Four. California requires the repair dealer application to state the vehicle plate number if you are engaged in mobile automotive repairs. Florida's statute defines a repair shop to include mobile motor vehicle repair shops and self-employed individuals. New York regulation makes a mobile unit a named category with its own signage rule. Hawaii references each mobile repair facility as registered with the board.
No. The tool most often cited for this, CareerOneStop, is sponsored by the Department of Labor but is not a government domain, and it misses both Utah's body shop license and the District of Columbia's auto repair business license, because it indexes individual occupational licenses while auto repair is a business or facility license. State-by-state verification against primary sources is the only reliable method.
No. Eight states with no license at all still impose binding duties on written estimates, authorization before extra work, invoices and returning old parts. In Washington a violation is a per se Consumer Protection Act violation. Federal rules also apply regardless of state, most importantly EPA Section 609 certification before you service vehicle air conditioning for money.
Yes, in a specific case. Regulations effective 1 October 2025 require a separate registration when an existing repair dealer performs mobile work more than 50 miles from its registered address. This is the only rule of its kind in the country and it is why California is the one state where mobile operations can actually be counted.
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