Pasco, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited activity
- Vehicle repair, maintenance, and motor rebuilding
- Also banned
- Vehicle painting, welding, sheet metal, kenneling
- Governing section
- PMC 25.150.020
- Decision timeline
- 10 working days, up to 30 calendar days
- Appeal body
- City Hearing Examiner
Summary
Pasco outright prohibits vehicle repair, maintenance, motor rebuilding, painting vehicles, and welding as licensed home occupations, treating them as hazardous or nuisance-generating uses incompatible with residential neighborhoods under PMC 25.150.020.
Due to the increased possibility for generating hazardous or nuisance conditions, the following uses and those similar in nature shall not be permitted as home occupations: dog boarding/kenneling; vehicle repair and/or maintenance; rebuilding motors; painting vehicles; welding; sheet metal shops; upholstering; firewood cutting and any group H Occupancy as defined in the International Building and Fire Code adopted by the City.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
150, but a defined list of activities can never qualify, no matter how small-scale. 020 states these uses and any similar in nature are barred due to their increased potential for hazardous or nuisance conditions: dog boarding and kenneling, vehicle repair and/or maintenance, rebuilding motors, painting vehicles, welding, sheet metal shops, upholstering, firewood cutting, and any Group H Occupancy as defined under the International Building and Fire Code the City has adopted. Because the ordinance also reaches uses 'similar in nature,' a resident cannot sidestep the ban by rebranding auto repair as detailing, mobile mechanic dispatch, or small-engine work performed from the garage. and 45 dBA overnight. 050. 070.
Violations & Fines
Because vehicle repair and painting are listed as categorically prohibited under PMC 25.150.020, the City will deny a home occupation license application outright rather than issue one with conditions. Anyone who files a complaint under PMC 25.150.080 triggers a City Planner investigation, and an existing license found to cover a prohibited activity or to have become a nuisance is revoked under PMC 25.150.070, with the operator entitled to appeal that revocation to the Hearing Examiner via PMC 25.150.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a home occupation license to fix cars in my garage in Pasco?
Does it matter if the auto repair is small-scale or occasional?
What happens if someone operates an unlicensed auto repair business from home in Pasco?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
Compare Pasco to another location·View the Washington business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.