Auto Repair Shop Permit Requirements in Aberdeen, SD

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. South Dakota Department of Revenue - Sales Tax License

   Any business with a physical presence in South Dakota must be licensed for sales tax collection, and South Dakota taxes services as well as tangible personal property and products transferred electronically. The state sales and use tax rate is 4.2 percent (reduced from 4.5 percent), and municipal sales and use tax of generally 1 to 2 percent applies where the purchaser receives the product or service. Remote sellers and marketplace providers with more than $100,000 in gross sales into South Dakota in the previous or current calendar year must also license and remit. Register using the Department of Revenue's online Tax License Application.

   Official government source

   Free - there is no fee for a South Dakota sales tax license·Apply online through the Tax License Application; the license is typically issued within a few business days

   Free - there is no fee for a South Dakota sales tax license

   Apply online through the Tax License Application; the license is typically issued within a few business days

2. South Dakota DANR - Hazardous Waste and Used Oil Requirements

   Auto repair shops must manage used oil, solvents, antifreeze, brake cleaner, and shop waste under South Dakota hazardous waste law - SDCL ch. 34A-11, ARSD 74:28, and 40 CFR Parts 260-279 - administered by the DANR Hazardous Waste Section (605-773-3153), which assigns generator identification numbers, inspects, and investigates complaints. First determine your generator category (very small, small, or large quantity generator) from the waste you produce, then file the Notification of Regulated Waste Activity (EPA Form 8700-12) with DANR or electronically through EPA's myRCRAid system to obtain an EPA identification number. Small Quantity Generators must re-notify every four years using the same form, and must also notify if their generator status changes. Used oil that is recycled is regulated under the 40 CFR Part 279 used oil standards rather than as hazardous waste, but still requires proper labeled containment, no mixing with hazardous waste, and a permitted transporter or recycler. Shops must not discharge fluids to storm drains or the ground - SDCL 34A-2-21 separately prohibits causing pollution of waters of the state.

   Official government source

   $0 - DANR does not charge a fee to assign a generator identification number or to accept the Notification of Regulated Waste Activity. Disposal, transport, and recycling costs are set privately by the vendor you use.·File the notification before generating regulated waste; there is no published processing time. Small Quantity Generators must re-notify every four years. Contact the Hazardous Waste Section at 605-773-3153.

   $0 - DANR does not charge a fee to assign a generator identification number or to accept the Notification of Regulated Waste Activity. Disposal, transport, and recycling costs are set privately by the vendor you use.

   File the notification before generating regulated waste; there is no published processing time. Small Quantity Generators must re-notify every four years. Contact the Hazardous Waste Section at 605-773-3153.

1. No Aberdeen General Business License Required

   Aberdeen does not issue a general business license. The City Finance Office (Auditor Division, 605-626-7023) issues licenses only for a specific enumerated list of activities: ambulance driver, ambulance service, garbage hauler, community event, day care, junk dealer, lottery notice, mobile home park, pawn broker, street use, shooting gallery, special event alcohol, taxi/motorbus company, taxi/motorbus driver, transient merchant/solicitor, and alcohol. Trades such as plumbing, HVAC, and pest control are not on that list and need no city business license. Their state-level licensing applies instead: plumbing through the SD Plumbing Commission, pesticide application through SD DANR, and there is no statewide HVAC or mechanical contractor license. A South Dakota sales tax license from the Department of Revenue is still required.

   Official government source

   $0 - no general business license exists·N/A - no application

   $0 - no general business license exists

   N/A - no application

2. City of Aberdeen Zoning Approval and Certificate of Occupancy

   An auto repair shop must operate in a commercial or industrial zone. Zoning approval and the Certificate of Occupancy inside Aberdeen city limits are issued solely by the City of Aberdeen - Brown County has no role within the city. The Planning and Zoning Department (123 S. Lincoln St., 605-626-7025) establishes and enforces zoning; requests for variances, special exceptions, and appeals go to the Board of Zoning Adjustment, which meets the second Thursday of each month, and rezoning requests go to the Planning Commission. The Building Inspection Department (605-626-7017) reviews plans and inspects, and City Code Sec. 60-220 requires the zoning inspector to issue the Certificate of Occupancy within 10 days of a satisfactory final inspection. Auto repair also triggers South Dakota DANR used oil and hazardous waste requirements.

   Official government source

   Building permit fees follow Aberdeen's 2026 Building Fee Schedule, which is valuation-based on the total contract price: $35 for work valued up to $500, $99.91 at $2,001-$3,000, $605.68 at $50,001, and $929.18 plus $5.88 per additional $1,000 above $100,000. A Board of Zoning Adjustment application (variance, special exception, or appeal) is $200 non-refundable.·Certificate of Occupancy issued within 10 days of final inspection (City Code Sec. 60-220). The Board of Zoning Adjustment meets monthly; representation at the hearing is required.

   Building permit fees follow Aberdeen's 2026 Building Fee Schedule, which is valuation-based on the total contract price: $35 for work valued up to $500, $99.91 at $2,001-$3,000, $605.68 at $50,001, and $929.18 plus $5.88 per additional $1,000 above $100,000. A Board of Zoning Adjustment application (variance, special exception, or appeal) is $200 non-refundable.

   Certificate of Occupancy issued within 10 days of final inspection (City Code Sec. 60-220). The Board of Zoning Adjustment meets monthly; representation at the hearing is required.

Official Sources

• City of Aberdeen City Finance Office
• South Dakota DANR — Used Oil and Hazardous Waste

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