State licensing boards · verified July 2026
Do auto mechanics need a license?
The short answer
In most of the United States, no. As of July 2026, 47 states require no license at all to work as an auto mechanic, 0 leave licensing to cities and counties, and 3 regulate the trade at state level. Where no license exists, the credential employers actually look for is ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) certification.
47states with no license
0city or county licensing
3state-level licensing
50/50states checked
Which states license auto mechanics?
3 states regulate this trade at state level. Some license the individual worker; others regulate only the contracting business, which means an employee works under someone else's credential rather than holding one personally. The distinction matters if you plan to work for yourself.
| State | What is regulated | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| California | The contracting business | California Bureau of Automotive Repair (Department of Consumer Affairs) |
| Hawaii | The individual worker | Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Board, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division |
| Michigan | The individual worker | Michigan Department of State, Business Licensing Section |
Which states require nothing?
47 states impose no licensing requirement on auto mechanics at all. Their occupational licensing directories list the trades they regulate, and this one is not among them. That is a positive finding rather than missing research: each of these states was checked against its own published list.
| State | What the state publishes |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama does not license auto mechanics as individuals: there is no state exam, training-hour, or competency requirement to work as an automotive service technician. The only state requirement tied to auto repair is a small annual business privilege |
| Alaska | Alaska does not license auto mechanics. The Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (DCCED) publishes the complete list of all professions licensed by the state, and no automotive mechanic, technician, or vehicle-repair license appears on it |
| Arizona | Arizona does not license auto mechanics and does not issue or require any general state business license. The Arizona Commerce Authority's official business-licensing guidance lists state-regulated occupations (construction contracting, transporting for hire, massage, pest control) |
| Arkansas | Arkansas does not license auto mechanics. The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing's roster of occupational licensing boards contains no board for automotive repair or mechanics, and the state's official 2025 Directory of Licensed, Certified, and Registered Occupations (419 pages) |
| Colorado | Colorado does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians at any level of government. The state's Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) regulates roughly 60 professions, and no automotive repair occupation appears among them. Certification is voluntary |
| Connecticut | Connecticut does not license or certify individual auto mechanics - the CT DMV states explicitly that the state does not certify mechanics except emissions technicians. However, the repair BUSINESS must hold a DMV-issued General Repair Shop or Limited Repair Shop license |
| Delaware | Delaware does not license auto mechanics. The Division of Professional Regulation's 37 licensing boards include no automotive repair occupation, and there is no state repair-shop registration specific to mechanical repair. ASE certification is the voluntary industry-standard credential. |
| Florida | Florida does not license individual auto mechanics. Instead, the Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act (F.S. 559.901-559.9221) requires every motor vehicle repair SHOP to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services |
| Georgia | Georgia does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians. The Georgia Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division administers the state's 42 licensing boards |
| Idaho | Idaho does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians at the state level. The Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), which administers Idaho's roughly 44 occupational licensing boards, has no board or program for automotive repair |
| Illinois | Illinois does not license auto mechanics. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's official list of licensed professions contains no auto mechanic, automotive technician, or motor vehicle repair occupation. The Illinois Automotive Repair Act |
| Indiana | Indiana does not license auto mechanics. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's official list of regulated professions (about 50 boards, from accountancy to veterinary medicine) includes no auto mechanic, automotive technician, or motor vehicle repair occupation |
| Iowa | Iowa does not license auto mechanics. The State of Iowa's official A-to-Z licenses and permits index contains no automotive repair, auto mechanic, or automotive technician license, and none of Iowa's licensing agencies (DIAL Professional Licensing Bureau, Iowa Division of Labor) |
| Kansas | Kansas does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians at any level of state government. The Kansas Legislative Research Department's occupational-licensing briefing, which covers the roughly 100 licenses reported by the state's 21 regulatory bodies |
| Kentucky | Kentucky does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians. The state's official career profile for automotive service technicians (Kentucky Center for Statistics) lists no license or certification requirement |
| Louisiana | Louisiana does not license individual auto mechanics or general independent repair shops. La. R.S. 32:1254(A), read in full on the Louisiana Legislature's site, lists the 19 categories the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission licenses (manufacturers, dealers, brokers, lessors, salesmen) |
| Maine | Maine does not license auto mechanics: the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation's list of regulated professions includes trades like electricians and plumbers but no automotive repair occupation. The one related state credential is the Maine State Police inspection technician license |
| Maryland | Maryland does not license auto mechanics: the Maryland Department of Labor's Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing regulates 25 professions (electricians, HVACR, plumbers) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts does not license individual auto mechanics; anyone may work as an automotive technician without a state credential. The state instead regulates the business side: every motor vehicle repair shop must register with the Massachusetts Division of Standards under M.G.L. Chapter 100A |
| Minnesota | Minnesota does not license auto mechanics or automotive technicians at the state level - the state's official License Minnesota A-Z occupational licensing portal lists no license for vehicle repair professionals (motor vehicle dealers are licensed) |
| Mississippi | Mississippi does not license auto mechanics - no state board or agency issues an occupational license for automotive repair technicians, and there is no statewide repair-shop registration requirement either. The Mississippi Motor Vehicle Commission regulates only the sales side |
| Missouri | Missouri does not license auto mechanics - the Missouri Division of Professional Registration's official list of regulated professions (41 boards) contains no license for automotive technicians or motor vehicle repair. The only state credential in the field is the Missouri State Highway Patrol's |
| Montana | Montana does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians at any state level. The occupation does not appear anywhere on the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's complete list of 39 professional licensing boards and programs |
| Nebraska | Nebraska does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians. The state's official One Stop License Portal (onestop.nebraska.gov), which aggregates Nebraska's state licensing and inspection services across agencies |
| Nevada | Nevada does not license individual auto mechanics - there is no personal license, exam, or hour requirement to work as an automotive technician. However, the repair BUSINESS ('garage') must register with the Nevada DMV under NRS 487.540-487.560, body shops must hold a DMV business license |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire does not license auto mechanics. The NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), which supports the state's 50+ licensing boards |
| New Jersey | New Jersey does not license individual auto mechanics - the trade appears nowhere on the Division of Consumer Affairs' alphabetical list of licensed professions and occupations. Regulation in NJ is at the business level: the Motor Vehicle Commission |
| New Mexico | New Mexico does not license auto mechanics. Automotive service technicians do not appear on the state's official list of professions requiring licenses, certifications, or permits maintained through the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department |
| New York | New York does not license individual auto mechanics - anyone may work as an automotive technician. Regulation happens at the business level: every repair and body shop must be registered with the New York State DMV under the Repair Shop Act |
| North Carolina | North Carolina does not license auto mechanics for general repair work. The one state credential in the trade is the NCDMV License and Theft Bureau's inspection mechanic license, required only to perform the state's annual vehicle safety inspections |
| North Dakota | North Dakota does not license auto mechanics and has no periodic vehicle safety or emissions inspection program for passenger cars, so there is no inspector credential either. Even the one-off inspections required for salvage/reconstructed vehicle titles are performed by any motor vehicle repair |
| Ohio | Ohio does not license individual auto mechanics - anyone may work as an automotive technician, and mechanical repair shops face no state occupational registration. The only state regulation in the sector is business-level: the Ohio Board of Motor Vehicle Repair |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians at the state level. The state's official Occupational Licensing Directory (published on data.ok.gov) contains no license for automotive repair work; the only vehicle-related credentials are business-side licenses such as |
| Oregon | Oregon does not license auto mechanics, automotive technicians, or general auto repair shops. A search of the state's official Business Xpress License Directory |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania does not require a license to work as an auto mechanic. The one state credential in the trade is the PennDOT Certified Safety Inspection Mechanic certification (67 Pa. Code 175.28) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island does not license general auto mechanics; mechanical repair work requires no individual state license. State credentials exist only at the edges of the trade: technicians who perform Rhode Island's mandatory safety and emissions inspections must be state-certified |
| South Carolina | South Carolina does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians. Title 40 of the SC Code (Professions and Occupations), which establishes every profession regulated by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, contains no chapter for automotive repair |
| South Dakota | South Dakota does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians at any level of government. The South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation's directory of all state licensing boards, commissions, and councils contains no board or license for automotive repair |
| Tennessee | Tennessee does not license auto mechanics or automotive repair technicians. The Department of Commerce & Insurance's Division of Regulatory Boards lists no board for vehicle repair; the only vehicle-related board, the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission, licenses motor vehicle manufacturers |
| Texas | Texas does not license auto mechanics or automotive repair technicians, and repair shops need no state repair license. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's list of 50+ regulated programs contains no automotive repair program - its only vehicle-related programs are tow trucks/vehicle |
| Utah | Utah does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians. The Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) publishes the complete list of licensed occupations in the state |
| Vermont | Vermont does not license auto mechanics: the Office of Professional Regulation's list of all ~50 regulated professions includes no automotive repair trade. The one state credential in this field is the Vermont DMV's Inspection Mechanic Certification |
| Virginia | Virginia does not license automotive service technicians or mechanics. The Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) regulates roughly 50 professions and trades (electricians, plumbers, HVAC, elevator mechanics, etc.), but auto repair is not among them |
| Washington | Washington does not license auto mechanics or automotive service technicians. The state Department of Licensing's official list of 105 business and professional licenses includes vehicle dealers and manufacturers but no repair-technician or mechanic credential |
| West Virginia | West Virginia does not license auto mechanics. The WV Division of Labor's licensing section covers contractors, HVAC technicians, plumbers, crane operators |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin does not license auto mechanics or automotive technicians. The Department of Safety and Professional Services' A-Z credential list covers hundreds of professions and trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, elevator, fire sprinkler) |
| Wyoming | Wyoming does not license auto mechanics. The state's official 2025 Directory of Licensed Occupations in Wyoming, published by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (Research & Planning) |
Source: state occupational licensing directories and boards. Verified July 2026.
What do you need instead of a license?
No license does not mean no credential. The qualification employers and inspectors actually ask for is ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) certification. It is issued by an industry body rather than a state, which is why it works across state lines where a license would not, and why it is worth holding even in the 3 states that do regulate the trade.
Why does this vary so much between states?
Occupational licensing is a state power, and states have made genuinely different judgments about which trades carry enough public-safety risk to justify a license. Work that can burn a building down or contaminate a water supply tends to be licensed everywhere. Work whose failures are commercial rather than dangerous is usually left to employers and industry certification. Where a state regulates the contracting business but not the worker, the reasoning is usually consumer protection rather than technical competence: the state wants someone accountable for the contract, not a skills test.
Sources and verification
How this was compiled
All 50 states were checked individually against the state's own occupational licensing directory, licensing board, or statute. Each state's source is linked in the tables above. Records whose sources were ambiguous were independently re-verified before publication.
Last verified July 2026 · 50 state records · Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
See auto mechanics pay and outlook, price a credential with the license cost estimator. Every state page for this trade is listed on the trades index.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm with the board for your state before making decisions. Not legal advice.