=============================================================================== CAR DETAILING BUSINESS LICENSE CHECKLIST Detail Compass - local research worksheet Companion guide: /guides/car-detailing-business-license =============================================================================== HOW TO USE THIS FILE 1. Save a copy as my-detailing-license-checklist.txt. 2. Fill in your facts before you search: base address, service area, service method, water use, employees, and target start date. 3. Create one row for each authority and each jurisdiction. A mobile business may need more than one city or county row. 4. Record the official source, scope, fee and date, renewal, evidence, open question, and next action. Do not mark a row complete if a material answer is still open. 5. Recheck each official page before you apply, pay, or begin work. This file does not calculate fees, check laws, or create reminders. This is a research aid. It is not legal, tax, immigration, zoning, environmental, or accounting advice. Requirements and fees depend on the activity, service method, property, and jurisdiction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. YOUR FACTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legal owner name: ____________________________________________________________ Business name / DBA: _________________________________________________________ Legal structure (if chosen): _________________________________________________ Home base street address: ___________________________________________________ Home base city, county, state, ZIP: __________________________________________ Cities and counties where you will work: _____________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Fixed site, mobile, or both: __________________________________________________ Will you wash with water outdoors? YES / NO / UNKNOWN Will you use rinseless or waterless products? YES / NO / UNKNOWN Where will wash water go at the base? ________________________________________ Where will wash water go at customer sites? __________________________________ Will you store chemicals, wastewater, or a water tank at the base? ____________ Will you hire employees or use contractors? ___________________________________ Target date for first paid work: ______________________________________________ Date this worksheet was started: ______________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. THE SEVEN PERMISSION QUESTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Use a separate tracker row for every authority and jurisdiction. The CSV seeds extra rows for separate tax accounts and fixed-site building, fire, sign, and chemical or waste checks. Delete or add rows to match your jurisdictions. [ ] ENTITY REGISTRATION OR DBA State business filing office and any county or city trade-name office. Record whether you formed an entity and whether the name needs a filing. [ ] TAX ACCOUNTS IRS EIN, state tax account, and sales-tax account if your state taxes the service or products. A tax ID is not a business license. [ ] INDUSTRY OR GENERAL BUSINESS LICENSE City, county, or state office. Ask whether the rule covers detailing, exterior washing, mobile work, a fixed bay, and your service address. [ ] ZONING, SITE, OR HOME-OCCUPATION PERMISSION Planning, zoning, building, or fire office. Ask about storage, customer visits, vehicle parking, signage, deliveries, noise, and change of use. [ ] WASTEWATER AND STORMWATER Wastewater utility, sewer authority, stormwater office, or state environmental agency. Ask about storm drains, sanitary sewer, ground discharge, capture, pretreatment, separators, and mobile work. [ ] WORKER REGISTRATION AND EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE State labor, workers compensation, and unemployment agencies. Ask what applies when you hire, and what records or notices are required. [ ] IMMIGRATION WORK AUTHORIZATION If your work permission depends on immigration status, verify it with USCIS or a qualified immigration lawyer. A local license and EIN do not create immigration work authorization. Do not write document numbers here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. ONE TRACKER ROW PER AUTHORITY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Category: _____________________________________________________________________ Jurisdiction: ________________________________________________________________ Authority and office: ________________________________________________________ Official page or contact: ____________________________________________________ Question asked: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Scope: what activity, site, and service method does the rule cover? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Application, registration, or approval name: __________________________________ Fee amount and currency: __________________ Fee date checked: ________________ Page or answer checked on: _____________________________________________________ Renewal term or expiry date: __________________________________________________ Renewal fee or requirement: ___________________________________________________ Status (open / waiting / complete): ___________________________________________ Evidence (reference, email, call name and date, or saved page): ________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Unanswered question: _________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Next action, owner, and date: _________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Copy this block for every row. If a fee is unknown, write UNKNOWN and record the question that will obtain it. Never enter a zero unless the authority says the fee is zero. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. WASTEWATER QUESTION SET ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ask the authority these questions using your actual service method and address: 1. Can wash water enter a storm drain at this location? 2. Can wash water enter a sanitary sewer? If yes, is pretreatment, a separator, an interceptor, or a discharge permit required? 3. Is capture and recovery required for mobile or outdoor washing? 4. Are there special rules for a driveway, street, parking lot, fleet yard, dealership, apartment property, or customer-owned site? 5. How must recovered water, filters, sludge, and used chemicals be stored and disposed of? 6. Who is the issuing authority, and what rule or page should I retain? Do not assume that grass, gravel, a bucket, a waterless product, or a sanitary sewer is automatically lawful. Keep the row open until the responsible authority answers the material question. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. BOUNDED EXAMPLE RECORDS - NOT UNIVERSAL RULES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These examples show how to write a record. They are not a conclusion about your location. Recheck each page before filing. NEW YORK CITY - CAR WASH LICENSE (EXAMPLE ONLY) Authority: New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Scope found: Page describes a license for fixed or mobile businesses that wash, detail, dry, polish, or vacuum cars. Fee/date found: On 2026-09-18, the schedule showed $550 for a full 24-month term; applications filed May 1 to October 31, 2026 pay $412.50 for up to 18 months. The fee depends on the application date. Source: https://nyc-business.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/description/car-wash-license Open question: Does the exact service method and base address fit this page? Status: WAITING - confirm current fee, insurance, bond, tax ID, and renewal. CALIFORNIA - CAR WASHING AND POLISHING REGISTRATION (EXAMPLE ONLY) Authority: California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Scope found: Labor Code 2051 counts detailing and defines an employer as a car washing and polishing business that engages any other individual. Labor Code 2054: every employer shall register annually. Defined exceptions. Fee/date found: Page states $300 per location for annual registration and assessment fees; accessed 2026-09-18. Page is marked April 2020. Source: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Car_Wash_Polishing.htm Open question: Does the business engage any other individual? Does the activity fit the definition or an exception? Status: WAITING - confirm current rule, fee, exceptions, and local approvals. Neither example is a national rule. Do not copy either fee into your budget without checking the current issuing authority. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. FINAL REVIEW BEFORE PAID WORK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ ] Every base address and work jurisdiction has a named authority. [ ] Entity or DBA research is recorded separately from tax research. [ ] EIN and state or sales-tax research are recorded separately from licenses. [ ] Business license scope covers the actual service and service method. [ ] Zoning or home-occupation answer covers the base and storage. [ ] Wastewater and stormwater answers cover the actual discharge path. [ ] Worker registration and employment insurance questions are closed before hiring or using workers where the rule requires it. [ ] Work authorization is verified separately when it applies to the person. [ ] Every fee has an amount or UNKNOWN plus a date checked. [ ] Every renewal has a term, date, or UNKNOWN plus a next action. [ ] Every completed row has evidence that another person can find. [ ] Every open material question has an owner and a follow-up date. [ ] I rechecked official pages before filing, paying, or taking paid work. Next review date: _____________________________________________________________ Person responsible: __________________________________________________________