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Florida Mobile Mechanic Registration: FDACS Rules, Fees and Sales Tax (2026)

Updated 2026-10-17. Sources are listed at the end.

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This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by state and change often. Confirm with the official source linked in each section, or with a licensed attorney, CPA or insurance agent, before you act.

Florida regulates repair businesses, not individual mechanics. There’s no state mechanic license, but under the Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act, “anyone who is paid to repair motor vehicles owned by other individuals” must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) (FDACS). The statute specifically covers mobile shops.

Who has to register

Section 559.904 says each motor vehicle repair shop “must register with the department prior to doing business in this state” (Fla. Stat. §559.904). For a mobile motor vehicle repair shop, the application and certificate use the home address of the owner if it differs from the business address.

The solo exemption, and the catch for mobile shops. Subsection (9) says no application or fee is required “for an individual with no employees and no established place of business.” The same subsection then says that for a mobile shop, “the established place of business shall be considered the home address of the owner.” Read together, a solo mobile tech shouldn’t assume the exemption applies. Ask FDACS before relying on it (1-800-HELP-FLA, or the ConsumerCompliance portal below). Once you hire anyone who does repairs, you’re clearly covered.

What it costs

The statute sets the fee per location, per year. FDACS bills it as a two-year registration (§559.904(3); FDACS-10900 application):

People who perform repairs at the locationTwo-year fee
1-5$100
6-10$300
11 or more$600

The application lists exceptions with no FDACS fee:

Active-duty military, honorably discharged veterans, military spouses and surviving spouses may qualify for a fee waiver (form FDACS-10991) (FDACS).

How to apply

FDACS has moved registration to its online portal, ConsumerCompliance.FDACS.gov (FDACS). You’ll need your business name, the location (or your home address if you’re mobile), the number of people who do repairs, and payment. The rules are in Florida Statutes 559.901-559.9221 and Florida Administrative Code chapter 5J-12.

Registration isn’t the only Florida rule. The Act also controls estimates and invoices, including when a bill can exceed the estimate. See what must be on an auto repair estimate and invoice, which covers Florida’s 10% / $50 rule.

Sales tax: if you supply any part, the whole job is taxable

This catches many new Florida techs. Florida’s Department of Revenue says that when a repairer supplies any parts or materials, the total charge, labor included, is taxable, even when the parts are free. Labor-only repairs are not taxable, but you have to keep records showing nothing was added to the vehicle (FDOR GT-800010). The state rate is 6% plus any county discretionary surtax. A September 2025 Technical Assistance Advisement held that even separately stated sublet labor is taxable when it’s on a repair invoice with parts (TAA 25A-007; Rule 12A-1.006).

The flip side: parts that become part of the customer’s vehicle aren’t taxed when you buy them for resale, but shop supplies you use up yourself are taxable to you as overhead (TAA 18A-007). Register with FDOR to collect tax. You can model Florida’s treatment in the job quote & profit calculator by ticking “tax labor & service fees.” For other states, see sales tax on auto repair.

Tire and battery fees

If you sell new tires or lead-acid batteries at retail in Florida, you owe state fees on top of sales tax:

Both are paid to the Department of Revenue. Battery swaps are a common mobile job, so build the fee into your price. See battery, alternator and starter pricing.

Checklist for a new Florida mobile tech

  1. Ask FDACS whether your setup is exempt. If not, register (fee by headcount; county program instead in Broward or Miami-Dade).
  2. Register with FDOR for sales tax, and charge it on the whole job whenever you supply parts.
  3. Use written estimates and invoices that meet the Act (guide).
  4. Charge and remit the tire and battery fees.
  5. Check your city or county business tax receipt and home-business zoning. These are local, so ask your county.
  6. Insure before the first job: mobile mechanic insurance types.

More on this topic

Sources