Davidson County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Article III's Table of Permitted Uses classifies Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair as a 'D' use, defined as a use 'permitted upon demonstrating compliance with specific development standards,' rather than an 'X' use permitted by right. 1(N), is short but binding: open storage of wrecked vehicles is not permitted wherever the use operates, including at a residence. 2(E), capping the operation at 25% of the dwelling or 500 square feet and barring accessory buildings, outside storage, and any noise, fumes, or vibration detectable at the lot line, which rules out most engine, exhaust, or body work done in a driveway or open carport.

The county's own definitions section draws the line explicitly: a SERVICE STATION, which may do minor work like spark plugs, batteries, tires, mufflers, and brake fluid, is 'not a repair garage, nor a body shop,' and excludes major mechanical and body work, painting, welding, glass work, upholstering, and storing inoperable vehicles. That same exclusion applies with equal force to a residential operation; anything beyond minor, enclosed servicing exceeds what the ordinance allows outside a licensed repair or body shop use.