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Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act: A Shop Owner's Guide

What Florida's Motor Vehicle Repair Act requires of repair shops: FDACS registration and fees, the written estimate and waiver disclosure over $150, the $10/10%/$50 overrun rule, invoices, parts, signs, records and penalties.

Ijharul Islam October 21, 2026 10 min read

The Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act (sections 559.901 to 559.9221 of the Florida Statutes) is the law every Florida repair shop works under, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) enforces it. It covers registration, the written estimate and the waiver form, how far a bill can go over the estimate, the invoice, replaced parts, signs and records.

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

We read every section on the Florida Senate's site (2025 statutes) in October 2026. Below is what each requires, with the exact wording where the law prescribes it, a worked overrun example and a checklist for your counter.

The short answer

The Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act, in short: register with FDACS ($50 to $300 a year per location, renewed every two years), give a written estimate before any work over $150 unless the customer signs a waiver option, get approval before exceeding it by more than $10 or 10% (capped at $50), and itemize the invoice.

Key takeaways

Any business repairing other people's vehicles for pay registers with FDACS before doing business; the fee depends on how many employees do repairs.
Over $150, including diagnostics, you need a written estimate and a signed disclosure where the customer picks one of three options.
You must get approval before exceeding the estimate by more than $10 or 10%, whichever is greater, but never more than $50.
The invoice needs the date, odometer reading, itemized labor and parts, parts condition, the guarantee and your registration number.
Violations can bring an FDACS fine of up to $1,000 each, and customers can sue for damages and attorney's fees.

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.

Who does the Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act cover?

It covers "any person who, for compensation, engages or attempts to engage in the repair of motor vehicles owned by other persons" (559.903). That includes mobile repair, dealers' service departments, garages, service stations, self-employed mechanics, truck stops, paint and body shops, brake, muffler and transmission shops, and glass shops. "Motor vehicle" covers cars, trucks, buses, RVs, motorcycles and scooters, but not trailers, mobile homes, boats, aircraft or special mobile equipment.

How do you register with FDACS, and what does it cost?

Register with FDACS before you do business in Florida, and renew every two years (559.904). The fee is charged per location, "calculated on a per-year basis":

Employees who perform repairs (per location)	Fee per year	Per two-year registration
1 to 5	$50	$100
6 to 10	$150	$300
11 or more	$300	$600

The two-year column is our arithmetic; confirm the amount on your FDACS renewal. A late renewal adds $25. An individual with no employees and no established place of business doesn't file an application or pay a fee, licensed motor vehicle dealers don't pay the fee, and some veterans and military families have fees waived. Your county or city will ask to see an active registration certificate before it issues a local business tax receipt.

Your registration number must appear in your repair advertisements, announcements and directory listings (559.916), and on every invoice (559.911). Repairing for pay without registering is itself an unlawful act (559.920).

When is a written estimate required in Florida?

Whenever the work, including diagnostic work, will cost more than $150, you must prepare a written estimate before you start (559.905). It must include:

Your shop's name, address and phone; the customer's name, address and phone; the date and time.
The vehicle's year, make, model, odometer reading and tag number, and the proposed completion date.
A general description of the problem or the work requested, and whether you bill flat rate, hourly or both.
The estimated cost, including any shop supplies or waste charge with this statement: "This charge represents costs and profits to the motor vehicle repair facility for miscellaneous shop supplies or waste disposal."
Your charge for making the estimate, or how it will be calculated.
The customer's intended payment method, and the name and phone of anyone else they authorize to approve work.
Any guarantee, with its time and mileage.
Whether the customer wants replaced parts saved or returned.
Your daily storage charge after you notify the customer the car is ready. It can't accrue until 3 working days after that notice.

You may charge for the estimate only if you disclose the charge and get it authorized on the written estimate before you prepare it, and it can't be "clearly excessive" for the work involved (559.907). Our shop supplies fee guide covers that line in more detail.

What are the Florida estimate waiver options?

For any job over $150, you must give the customer a disclosure in a box, in capital letters of at least 12-point type, and they check one statement and sign. It is headed "PLEASE READ CAREFULLY, CHECK ONE OF THE STATEMENTS BELOW, AND SIGN" and tells them that state law entitles them to a written estimate if the final bill will exceed $150. The three choices:

I REQUEST A WRITTEN ESTIMATE.
I DO NOT REQUEST A WRITTEN ESTIMATE AS LONG AS THE REPAIR COSTS DO NOT EXCEED $______.
I DO NOT REQUEST A WRITTEN ESTIMATE.

Copy the full disclosure from 559.905(2) rather than this summary. It can sit on the same form as the estimate. If the customer picks the middle option, you can't exceed their amount without their written or oral approval. Two rules surround it: you can't require a customer to waive their rights as a condition of doing the repair (559.907), and a car left after hours or delivered by someone else is treated as a partial waiver, but you must still contact the customer once the diagnosis is done (559.905(5), 559.909(1)).

How much can you go over a Florida estimate?

No more than $10 or 10% of the estimate, whichever is greater, and never more than $50, unless the customer approves it (559.909). When you see the bill will pass that line, notify the customer promptly by phone, mail or other means, tell them the added work and its cost, and let them authorize, change or cancel it, orally or in writing. Some worked examples:

Written estimate	$10 or 10%, whichever is greater	After the $50 cap	Most you can bill without new approval
$80	$10	$10	$90
$300	$30	$30	$330
$450	$45	$45	$495
$1,200	$120	$50	$1,250

The figures are illustrations of the formula. The statute doesn't say how to record the approval, so write down the date, time, who approved, who took it and the new total, as other states require. If the customer cancels, reassemble the car to a condition reasonably similar to how it came in; you can charge for tear-down, destroyed parts and reassembly only if the estimate said so before diagnosis began. And you can't hold the vehicle because the customer won't pay for unauthorized repairs or charges above the allowed amount.

What must a Florida repair invoice include?

Give the customer a legible invoice when the work is done (559.911), showing:

The date and the odometer reading.
What was done to fix the problem, or the service provided.
"An itemized description of all labor, parts, and merchandise supplied and the costs thereof", marking anything free or discounted under a warranty.
Whether each replacement part is used, rebuilt or reconditioned.
Your guarantee, with its time and mileage.
Your FDACS registration number.

The invoice can share a form with the estimate. Substituting used, rebuilt, salvaged or straightened parts for new without telling the owner (and the insurer, if one is paying) is unlawful (559.920). See our auto repair invoice template for a layout.

What are the rules on parts, signs and records?

If the customer asks when they authorize the repair, let them inspect the removed parts, or return them unless you have a warranty or exchange arrangement with the manufacturer or supplier (559.909(5)). Post a sign, conspicuous to the public, with the department's toll-free consumer number and a notice that customers may ask for the return or inspection of replaced parts when the work order is taken; the department sets its specifications by rule (559.916).

Keep written estimates and invoices for at least 12 months, available to the customer to inspect and copy (you can charge a reasonable copy fee) and to FDACS staff during business hours (559.915).

What happens if a shop breaks the act?

FDACS can issue a notice of noncompliance, impose an administrative fine for each violation, order you to stop, or suspend or revoke your registration (559.921). These are Class I fines, which 570.971 caps at $1,000 per violation. FDACS or the state attorney can also sue for injunctions, penalties and restitution, and a customer can sue for damages plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Among the listed unlawful acts (559.920): charging for repairs the customer didn't authorize, misstating that repairs are needed or that a car is dangerous, a work order without the requested repairs or odometer reading, not giving copies of signed documents, subletting without consent, and working from an unregistered address.

Florida's general lien for labor or services on personal property is in 713.58, and the act adds a way to release a repair shop's lien: a customer can post a cash or surety bond with the clerk of court for the invoice plus accrued storage, the clerk orders the car released, and you have 60 days to sue on the bond (559.917). See our mechanic's lien guide.

A Florida counter checklist

Current FDACS registration; number on ads, listings and invoices; sign posted.
Over $150: written estimate with every required item, plus the signed waiver disclosure.
Estimate fee disclosed and authorized before you prepare the estimate.
Approval recorded before exceeding $10 or 10% (max $50).
Invoice with date, odometer, itemized costs, parts condition, guarantee and registration number.
Estimates and invoices kept at least 12 months.

This isn't legal advice: rules change and cities or counties can add their own, so check the current text or ask a lawyer or your state association before you change your forms. Some Florida counties run their own repair rules, so check with yours too.

Frequently asked questions

Do Florida auto repair shops need to register?

Yes. Any business repairing other people's vehicles for pay registers with FDACS before doing business, renewing every two years. The fee is $50, $150 or $300 a year per location, depending on how many employees perform repairs.

Is a written estimate required in Florida?

Yes, for work over $150 including diagnostics, unless the customer signs the disclosure choosing not to have one or setting a maximum amount. You can't require a waiver as a condition of the repair.

How much can a Florida mechanic charge over the estimate?

No more than $10 or 10% of the estimate, whichever is greater, up to $50, unless the customer approves the increase orally or in writing first.

How long must Florida repair shops keep records?

At least 12 months for written estimates and invoices, available for the customer to inspect and copy and for FDACS staff to inspect.

Can a customer get their car back during a billing dispute in Florida?

Yes, by posting a cash or surety bond with the clerk of court for the invoice plus accrued storage, minus anything paid. The shop then has 60 days to sue on the bond.

Where BayRobin fits

BayRobin's repair orders let the customer approve or decline each service on one link, record phone approvals with your name, and turn approved work into the invoice sent by text with a pay link; one button sends Ready for pickup texts with the total. It doesn't add Florida's disclosure box or registration number for you: put the wording from 559.905 and 559.911 on your templates. More on inspections, estimates and invoices. BayRobin is free until your first 10 booked jobs, no card up front. Start free or see pricing.

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.

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