How to Start an Auto Detailing Business in Georgia: Licenses, Wash Water and Mobile Setup

October 29, 2026

Starting an auto detailing business in Georgia is a paperwork and setup project, not a licensing exam. Georgia has no state detailing license, board or test. You do need a registered business entity, the right tax registration, a local occupation tax certificate, and a plan for wash water. The steps below run in order of importance, then cover insurance, equipment, pricing and filing costs.

Disclaimer: This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and local rules change, and each city and county sets its own requirements. Confirm current figures with the agency named in each step. For entity choice, out-of-state work or your sales tax mix, consult a qualified attorney or CPA.

Materials to Gather Before You File

• A business name that meets Georgia name rules, checked in the Secretary of State's business search
• Your home or shop address, and a list of every city and county where you plan to work
• A registered agent with a Georgia street address (required for an LLC or corporation)
• A Georgia Tax Center account, if you will sell taxable goods or have employees
• A budget covering filing fees, insurance, equipment and a wash water capture system

Step 1: Get the Right Licenses

Georgia issues no general statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and a Department of Revenue sales tax registration is not a business license either. You need three things: an entity registered with the Secretary of State (costs are in Step 7), a Georgia Tax Center registration if you sell taxable goods or have employees (Step 2), and a local occupation tax certificate, which many people call a business license.

The occupation tax certificate comes from the city if your business is inside city limits, or from the county for unincorporated areas (O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13). Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities, and each sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for many detailers the county is the issuer. Employers with more than 10 employees must file an E-Verify affidavit to get the certificate (O.C.G.A. 36-60-6).

For a mobile detailer: ask the licensing office of the city or county where the business is based whether a mobile detailer needs anything more. Then ask whether any city or county where you regularly work requires a certificate or other approval. Get the answers in writing when you can.

If you add a regulated service, such as work overseen by a professional board, that trade has its own licensing path. Detailing itself has no state board. Check any board requirement through the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division before you add the service.

Step 2: Set Up Sales Tax Correctly

Georgia taxes services only when they are listed as taxable. Department of Revenue letter ruling LR SUT-2019-11 (2019) found that car washing and waxing fall outside the listed taxable services, so the labor you charge for detailing is generally not taxed.

Products are different. A bottle of sealant or a microfiber kit you sell separately is a taxable retail sale. The state rate is 4%, and combined state and local rates run from 6% to 9% by county and city (Atlanta is 8.9%). Many packages mix labor and products, so confirm your own mix with the Department of Revenue before you send your first quote. Do not assume every job is tax-free, and do not assume every job is taxable.

Register through the Georgia Tax Center. Registration is free. Georgia issues no separate resale permit. If you buy products to resell, give your supplier Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption. If you sell products online and ship into Georgia from another state, remote seller collection applies once you reach $100,000 of Georgia sales or 200 separate transactions.

Step 3: Plan Wash Water Before You Buy Equipment

The federal Clean Water Act bars discharging polluted wash water to storm drains, ditches or streams. Wash runoff carries soap, road grime, wax residue and wheel cleaner. Your plan needs three parts:

1. Capture: a wash mat, berm or reclaim tank that catches water under every vehicle you wash.
2. Disposal: a sanitary sewer connection if your local utility allows it, or a hauler. Confirm the rule with your sewer authority before you dump anything.
3. Permit check: ask the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and your local stormwater office whether a permit or approval applies to your specific setup. Do not assume you need one, and do not assume you are exempt.

Mobile work follows the same rule. Waterless or rinseless methods reduce water use but still leave residue to wipe up and dispose of properly. Take used water and towels back to your base or to a disposal point you have confirmed.

Step 4: Check Zoning Before You Set Up at Home

Zoning and home occupation rules differ by city and county. Before you file, ask the zoning office for your address about four things: parking a work van or trailer at home, storing chemicals on site, customer visits and on-site work, and signs or vehicle lettering. HOA covenants and lease terms are separate from zoning and can restrict the same activities, so check those documents too.

For a mobile setup, plan the vehicle and equipment together. You will likely need secured racks, a water supply, a generator or inverter, and locked chemical storage. Keep products in their labeled containers and keep safety data sheets in the vehicle.

Step 5: Insurance and Risk Coverage

Customers hand you their vehicles, so insurance matters more here than for many service businesses. Plan for four coverages:

• Garage keepers, or care, custody and control coverage: damage to customer vehicles while they are in your possession. Confirm the policy also covers work at the customer's location.
• General liability: third-party injury and property damage claims tied to your operation.
• Commercial auto: for the work vehicle. A personal auto policy often excludes business use.
• Workers' compensation: required in Georgia at three or more workers, including part-time workers.

Compare quotes on coverage limits, deductibles and exclusions, not just the monthly cost. Ask each agent how the policy handles a scratch or a dropped polisher on a customer's car.

Step 6: Equipment, Products and Pricing

Buy by category and get your own prices from suppliers. Equip for the packages you plan to sell first, not every tool on the market.

• Wash: pressure washer, foam cannon or foam gun, wash buckets with grit guards, mitts, drying towels, wheel brushes and a dependable water source
• Water capture: wash mat or berm, holding or reclaim tank, pump, filter and disposal containers
• Interior: wet and dry vacuum or hot-water extractor, upholstery and carpet tools, detail brushes and surface-matched cleaners
• Paint and protection: dual-action polisher, pads, compounds, polishes, sealants or coating supplies and an inspection light
• Storage and mobile gear: locked chemical cabinet, labeled dilution bottles, shelving and a power source
• Safety: nitrile gloves, eye protection, a fire extinguisher and a safety data sheet for every product

Price by vehicle size and package. A workable structure has four parts:

• Packages with defined scope: for example, an exterior wash, an interior clean and a full detail. Write down what each includes so you and your crew deliver the same job.
• Size tiers: small car, midsize SUV or truck, and large SUV or van. Larger vehicles take more product and more time.
• Condition surcharges: heavy pet hair, severe staining or heavy contamination add time. Assess these from photos or an intake form before you arrive.
• Mobile travel fee and minimum job size: base the fee on drive time, fuel, and the water and power you bring.

Time each package on a test vehicle, then work backward from the hourly rate you need to cover supplies, insurance, vehicle costs and your own pay.

Step 7: Choose an Entity and Understand the Filing Costs

A sole proprietorship has no formation filing with the Secretary of State, but operating under a name other than your own requires a trade name filing. An LLC or corporation is a separate legal entity. Many small detailers choose an LLC to separate business liability from personal assets, but a CPA or attorney should help you decide.

LLC: Articles of Organization

• Filing fee: $110 total, which is the $100 fee plus a $10 service charge. File online through eCorp or on paper. Online filings take about 7 to 10 business days, and paper filings about 15 business days.
• Expedited review: $120 for 2 business days, $275 for same day if received by noon, or $1,200 for one hour on business days.
• Name: include a limited liability company designator such as LLC or L.L.C., and make sure the name is distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records. Check the business search first. A name can be reserved for 30 days for $35.
• Registered agent: a Georgia street address, not a P.O. box. For an LLC the agent must be a Georgia-resident individual or a corporation authorized to do business in Georgia, and the entity cannot be its own agent. Changing the agent costs $5 per entity (minimum $20) plus the $10 service charge.

Annual registration

Annual registration costs $60 ($50 plus a $10 service charge) and is due between January 1 and April 1 each year. An LLC files its first one in the year after it forms. Late filings carry a penalty, so check the Secretary of State for the current amount before the deadline. A delinquent entity can be administratively dissolved after notice, and reinstatement costs about $260.

Taxes that apply to the entity

Georgia levies no franchise tax on a typical single-member or partnership LLC. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, owe a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000 depending on net worth. Income passes through at the individual rate. For current rates, see Georgia business taxes.

Corporation: Articles of Incorporation

Articles of Incorporation also cost $110 total, online or on paper. A new corporation files its first annual registration within 90 days of incorporating, then each year between January 1 and April 1. Corporations also owe the net worth tax described above.

Trade name (DBA)

A trade name is filed with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the business is chiefly carried on, not with the Secretary of State. Notice runs in the county legal organ once a week for two weeks. The clerk fee is about $165 plus the newspaper charge, so confirm the total with your county clerk. See the Secretary of State business FAQ for details.

For a plan review, the Georgia Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia can help you check your numbers and filings.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Looking for a state detailing license. Georgia has none, so your real checklist is the entity, the tax registration and the local certificate.
• Forming an LLC but operating under a different name without filing the trade name with the county clerk.
• Applying one sales tax answer to every job. Your labor and product mix decides what is taxed.
• Letting rinse water run into a storm drain or gutter, or washing on a driveway that slopes toward the street.
• Buying chemicals and building a bay before checking zoning and HOA rules.
• Using a personal auto policy on a work van, or going without garage keepers coverage.
• Missing the January 1 to April 1 annual registration window.
• Hiring a third worker, including part-time help, before workers' compensation is in place.

Expected Results and How to Describe Them

Customers judge detailing by the result, so describe what each process is designed to do and what it may help with. A clean two-bucket wash with fresh mitts is designed to reduce wash marks. A properly applied sealant may help water bead and make later washing easier. Results vary with paint condition, the products used, weather and technique.

Keep claims hedged. Say a product may help or is designed to help, not that it cures, removes or permanently protects. Avoid guarantees, and do not promise an outcome for a vehicle you have not inspected. Before and after photos and written condition notes protect you and let you show results honestly.