Pontiac, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Section 2.509(A) of the Pontiac Zoning Ordinance treats automobile repair and service as a distinct commercial use category, Automobile Service, and requires that all repair or service work be conducted within a completely enclosed building; the same chapter's automobile service station standards separately cap operating hours and require an enclosed building for all equipment and service bays. Because auto repair is defined as commercial, running it from a residence falls under the home occupation rules in Section 2.536 rather than as a matter of right.

Section 2.536(D) prohibits any outside storage of any kind related to a home occupation, which forecloses keeping vehicles awaiting repair, parts, or tires outdoors. Section 2.536(F) further requires that mechanical or electric equipment used in a home occupation be comparable to what is customarily found in a home in connection with a hobby or avocation, a standard that a lift, compressor, or diagnostic bay used for paying customers does not meet. The home occupation rules also cap employees at two non-family members, limit traffic increases to one additional vehicle at a time, and prohibit noise, fumes, or vibration beyond what an ordinary residence in the district would produce.

Pontiac's Zoning Board of Appeals decides disputed questions of whether an activity qualifies as a home occupation under Section 2.536(I), and can enjoin or refer for prosecution any use that exceeds those limits.