Erie, PA Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

The City of Erie Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 80-2005) regulates uses district by district in Article 2, and the permitted-use lists are exhaustive: a use not named for a district is not allowed there. 2 (R-1A Traditional Single Family Residential) each list the same permitted uses, including Accessory dwelling unit (ADU), Community garage, Essential services, Home occupations, One-family dwellings and Short-term rental, but neither list includes Auto repair shop, Automotive body/repair shop, Gasoline service station or Service garage. 11 (M-2 Heavy Manufacturing District) expressly list 'Auto repair shop' among their permitted uses, alongside Auto sales, Chemical processing and Light manufacturing.

including but not limited to engine or transmission repairs, and other minor maintenance items,' which is squarely a commercial use, not the incidental repair work the GARAGE, PRIVATE definition allows an owner to do on their own registered vehicle. A resident cannot convert that limited allowance into a repair business by calling it a home occupation, because a repair operation involves equipment, noise, fumes and customer vehicle traffic that fall outside what the zoning use tables permit in residential districts. 3 authorizes a civil judgment of up to $500 per day, plus court costs and the City's attorney fees, for noncompliance, with each day of continued operation counted separately after the initial determination.