Auto Repair Shop Storage Fees: Rules and Rates

Auto repair shop storage fees are what you charge when a finished car sits on your lot after the customer has been told it's ready. Done right, a storage fee is rarely collected: its job is to get cars picked up. Done wrong (undisclosed, charged while the car was still being repaired, or above what your state allows), it's a complaint waiting to happen.

More on this topic: Auto repair laws and compliance, every guide in one place.

This guide covers how to set a daily rate and grace period, where to disclose it, the rules we checked in California, Florida and Rhode Island, and a pickup notice you can copy. For what to do when the car still isn't collected, see abandoned vehicle at a repair shop.

The short answer

Auto repair shop storage fees, in short: charge a flat daily rate matching local shops, start it only after the repair is finished and the customer is told, and put it on the signed estimate. Florida requires the daily rate on the estimate and a 3-working-day grace period; California's BAR allows only reasonable storage after a lien arises.

Key takeaways

• Storage is for finished cars that aren't collected, not for cars waiting on parts or your schedule. California's BAR says it can't accrue until all approved repairs are complete.
• Disclose the daily rate before work starts, on the estimate the customer signs, and repeat it in the ready-for-pickup notice.
• Give a grace period; Florida requires 3 working days after notice, Rhode Island body shops wait until the seventh day after certified notice is received.
• "Reasonable" usually means comparable to other repair shops nearby; call three and match them rather than inventing a number.
• A storage fee also feeds your lien in many states, so its paperwork has to be right if you ever need a lien sale.

Disclosure: we make BayRobin, an AI receptionist and front office for independent repair shops, and show where it fits. Everything here works without it. Figures from other companies come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.

Can a repair shop charge storage fees?

Yes, in most states, if the charge is disclosed in advance, starts after the work is done and the customer is told, and is reasonable. Some states spell it out:

Other states range from detailed rules to nothing specific beyond "reasonable." Ask your state's auto repair regulator or attorney general's consumer office what applies to you before you set a rate.

How much can a mechanic charge for storage?

There's no national cap, and we found no reliable public average for repair-shop storage, so we won't quote one. The workable standard, and the test California's BAR points to, is what other repair businesses near you charge. To set yours:

1. Call three nearby independent shops and a dealer and ask their daily storage rate for a finished car.
2. Check whether your city or state publishes a tow-and-storage rate for police tows; in Rhode Island that rate is the ceiling for body shops, and elsewhere it's a useful sanity check.
3. Pick one flat daily rate for passenger vehicles (and a higher one for large trucks if you take them). Avoid stacking extra fees: California now treats admin, security and gate fees as presumptively unreasonable.
4. Decide your grace period (at least what your state requires) and whether you count calendar days or business days.
5. Write it once and use it everywhere: estimate, authorization form, ready notice, invoice.

Where should you disclose storage fees?

In three places, every time:

Our auto repair authorization form guide and the estimate laws by state show where storage terms sit alongside the other required disclosures. Many shops print a short line like the one below on every estimate:

Storage: vehicles not picked up within [3] business days after we notify you that work is complete, or that an estimate is ready and not authorized, are charged [$X] per calendar day.

What should the storage notice say?

Keep it factual: the car is ready, what's owed, when storage starts and how much it is. A template you can adapt:

Hi [name], your [year make model] is ready at [shop name]. Total due: [amount]. Per your signed estimate, storage of [$X] per day begins on [date] if the vehicle hasn't been picked up. We're open [hours]. Call [number] with any questions.

Send it the day the work is finished, by text and email, and keep a copy. If the car is still there when storage begins, send a second notice that day. If your state requires a formal notice (Florida within 7 business days after storage starts, if you may need to enforce a lien; Rhode Island by certified mail before storage starts), send that by the method named in the law. More wording in our auto repair text message templates.

How do storage fees add up? A worked example

Example only, using made-up numbers: a shop in a state with a 3-working-day grace period charges $40 a day. The repair is finished and the customer is notified on Monday.

Two things to check against your state. First, whether the grace period runs in working or calendar days (Florida says working days). Second, whether there's a cap against the lender: in California, a lienholder can't charge the legal owner more than $1,025 in storage ($1,250 if a lien-sale application is filed within 30 days after storage begins) without its prior written consent, and storage after 60 days is invalid unless the Vehicle Code 10650 and 10652 reports were made.

Should you waive storage fees?

Sometimes, on purpose. A storage fee is a nudge, so waiving it for a customer who was in hospital or whose insurer was slow costs little and keeps the relationship. What hurts is waiving it for anyone who complains, which makes the policy meaningless. Decide who can waive it (the owner or service manager) and note why on the invoice.

Do collect it from the parties who expect it: lenders, insurers and fleet managers usually budget for reasonable storage once they're notified.

This isn't legal advice. Lien and storage law is state law, it changes, and a mistake can void the lien or the sale; have a local attorney or your state DMV check your process once before you rely on it.

Frequently asked questions

How much do auto repair shops charge for storage per day?

It varies by area and there's no reliable national average. Set a flat daily rate comparable to other repair shops near you, the comparison California's BAR uses for a reasonable fee, and check whether your state or city caps storage rates.

When can a mechanic start charging storage?

After the repair is finished and the customer has been notified, plus any grace period your state sets. Florida requires 3 working days after notice; California's BAR says not until all approved repairs are complete and a lien has arisen.

Can a shop charge storage while waiting for parts?

Generally no. Storage is for cars that are finished or waiting on the customer, not for cars waiting on the shop. California's BAR says storage can't accrue until all estimated and approved repairs are completed.

Do storage fees have to be in writing?

In Florida the daily rate must be on the written estimate. Elsewhere, putting it on the signed estimate is your best evidence the customer agreed, and it's what a court or regulator will look for.

Can I charge storage after a customer declines the estimate?

Often yes, if your estimate said so. California allows storage after a visual inspection or tear down when the customer doesn't authorize repairs or collect the car within the stated time, but not until the tear down is complete.

Where BayRobin fits

A Ready for pickup text from BayRobin tells the customer the vehicle is ready with the total and a pay-by-card link, so the clock starts with a dated message; if a text can't go out, the same message goes by email. BayRobin doesn't calculate or track storage fees; add storage to the repair order as a fee line when it applies. BayRobin is free until your first 10 booked jobs, no card up front. Start free or see pricing.

Related: abandoned vehicle at a repair shop, the mechanic's lien in auto repair, how to write an auto repair estimate, inspections, estimates and invoices.

Sources

Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.

• California Bureau of Automotive Repair: automotive repair dealers and storage fees (updated Nov 2025)
• California Bureau of Automotive Repair: Write It Right
• California Civil Code 3068: lien for repair and storage (california.public.law)
• Florida Statutes 559.905 (2025): written repair estimates
• Florida Statutes 713.585 (2025): enforcement of a repair lien by sale of a motor vehicle
• Rhode Island 230-RICR-30-05-1: automobile body shop storage rates (effective Jan 2022)