Question for mobile detailers regarding local business registration

smitty5150

smitty5150

RMS Customs LLC
Here is the situation. As I start out, I am going to be detailing part time on evening and weekends. I am going to do both fixed location and mobile services. I plan to use my home garage as needed, until the point in which I need to rent commercial space. My house is a rental and my city can be a bit strict about zoning. I am going be legal concerning taxes and state regulations, but I am on the fence about registering with the municipality. If I apply and get denied, it could put a stop to it before I even start, but if I do nothing and get caught, it could be just as bad. How have other mobile detailers handled this?
 
For one. Is your landlord ok with this?
Two. Have you checked the requirements for your local zoning of Home Based Businesses?

This will give you insight on the guidelines to meet.

In my experience I have to meet a couple things. I cant advertise what im doing and I cant hinder parking. So no through traffic in a residential area and no signs in my yard.

Any work that is done on my property is done over the weekend and is on an apt basis.

Since you can pull it into the garage and are not advertising your still putting off the appearance of a residential district, this is what the zoning code is for. When you start piling up cars,this is when you get the dirty looks.

Any work you do keep to a low roar and try not to disturb anyone around you. If code enforcement doesn't get called out then you should be fine. You might want to make a call to them to see what they say about your endeavors. From what I have been told, even if they come out and have no proof that you are doing anything out of spec then they wont do anything.

Your neighbors are key in this. If they get upset, they are the ones that call to complain.
 
Landlord is ok with it, I even offered to do her car. I live in a seasonal town, so I have no neighbors in the winter months and only weekly tenants during the summer. The lines drawn a very vague in my city concerning guidelines for home-based businesses. However, it is one of the one of the more strict cities as far as zoning is concerned. If I was doing something like basket weaving or baking, there would be no issue. Not sure if mobile detail sits under the same umbrella and I would hate to find out the hard way that they don't approve when I could've just done it without saying anything. I am going to be appointment based and don't intend on having a pile up of cars waiting. It will more or less look like I am cleaning cars for friends or family when I do the work at home.

I sent an email over the weekend and my questions weren't really answered, but haven't had the opportunity to call this week. I think I will make some time this afternoon to get in touch with someone.

Thank you for the pointers. These are all thing I was considering and it is good to know someone with experience isn't bringing up anything I haven't thought about.
 
All of the above plus you'll need to find out how your city or county addresses wash water entering the storm drain. Waste water is usually prohibited by most sewer districts.

A violation can be costly,.

On taxes, if you are going to file local taxes they will automatically require you to register with the municipal tax district.

There are some exceptions here. If your invoice is less than $250 with any one customer, registration isn't required.
 
Mr. Gloss said:
All of the above plus you'll need to find out how your city or county addresses wash water entering the storm drain. Waste water is usually prohibited by most sewer districts.

A violation can be costly,.

On taxes, if you are going to file local taxes they will automatically require you to register with the municipal tax district.

There are some exceptions here. If your invoice is less than $250 with any one customer, registration isn't required.
Click to expand...

This is a great way to start being eco-friendly, if not just conscious of how much water you use. Wash mats can get expensive but you could probably get away with just a berm which isn't too terribly expensive if its a requirement.

Unsure how other places are on taxes. I have to report tax on anything that becomes a part of the vehicle aka Wax/ Sealants/ Dressing. Kiind of a bummer but I look at it as an opportunity to have a reason to go one step further. If your already having to collect tax might as well offer products to sell to customers.

Ive been looking at getting kits put together to help get clients in habit of proper wash technique for times they dont have me out to wash. .... Speaking of it would be sweet if A-CC gave discounts for this.
 
All good points. Looks like the city will have no issues, but they were friendly enough to warn me that there could be federal or state regulations because of the car washing. With the abundance of self serves in my area, it almost might behoove me to make a deal with them for usage of bays. Maybe offer waterless washing as well.
 
The only state/fed guidelines I am aware of that would impact a car wash is the waste water.

Read a recent article from a city in Washington :

• Wash on an area that absorbs water, such as gravel or grass

• Use a small amount of phosphate-free soap

• Use a flow-control nozzle to minimize water use and runoff

• Always empty leftover buckets of wash water into a sink or toilet where it can be treated in the sewer system
 
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