Car Wash License
You must have a Car Wash license if your business cleans vehicles, including washing, detailing, drying, polishing, vacuuming, or other cosmetic care of vehicles, either at a fixed location or as part of a mobile, on-demand, or “pop-up” service.
You do not need a Car Wash license if you:
- Sell, lease, rent, or repair motor vehicles as your main service and only offer car washing as an additional service to this main service. (For example, your business is a repair shop and you wash the cars that you repair.)
- Operate a self-service facility for washing vehicles, where customers—not facility employees—clean vehicles.
- Clean vehicles on an intermittent basis to raise funds for a not-for-profit organization.
- Are a federal, state, or local governmental agency.
The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DWCP) issues this license.
You must have the applicable Business Certificate based on your business’s legal structure. Although DCWP does not require submission of your Business Certificate in order to process your application, DCWP may request this document under section 20-104 of the New York City Administrative Code.
- Sole proprietors operating under a name other than your own must have a Business/Assumed Name Certificate.
- Partnerships must have a Partnership Certificate and, if applicable, an Assumed Name Certificate for your business.
- Corporations, Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies, or Limited Liability Partnerships must register and remain active with the New York State Division of Corporations. You can check your status at www.dos.ny.gov/corps.
Submit a copy of your $150,000 Surety Bond, properly signed. The bond amount is $150,000* and must cover the licensing period. The copy of the bond must name the City of New York as the Certificate Holder. Your corporate name, Doing-Business-As (DBA) name (if any), and premises address must be exactly the same on all documents. You must also submit a copy of the bond receipt showing that the bond has been paid in full and does not expire before the end of the licensing period.
*Exception:
The bond amount is $30,000 IF:
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You are a party to a current collective bargaining agreement (CBA)** that provides for the timely payment of wages and a quick process for resolving disputes about nonpayment and underpayment of wages. OR
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You entered into a settlement with a state or federal government agency and are covered by an active monitoring agreement*** that:
- Requires you to pay at least the minimum wage. AND
- Subjects you to at least monthly monitoring by an independent monitor. AND
- Provides for a quick process for resolving disputes about wage violations.
**If you are a party to a current CBA:
You must submit with your license application:
- A complete copy of the current CBA AND
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ONE of the following:
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A copy of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certification of the labor organization as the exclusive bargaining representative of the employees OR
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Documentation establishing recognition of the labor organization as the exclusive bargaining representative of the employees
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***If you are covered by an active monitoring agreement:
You must submit a copy of the agreement with your license application.Depending on your submission, DCWP may request additional information.
You may obtain a surety bond from a bonding company. Download a list of bonding companies. The list is not exhaustive, and DCWP does not endorse or recommend any particular bonding company.
The bond must comply with the requirements of CWAL. As shown in DCWP’s Surety Bond template, the bond must:
- Comply with the Car Wash Accountability Law and Rules (NYC Administrative Code, subchapter 33, and Title 6 of the Rules of the City of NY, subchapter HH). AND
- Be conditioned upon the satisfaction of any fine or debt owed to New York City within 30 days. AND
- Be conditioned upon the satisfaction of any judgment against you for damage to a car within 30 days. AND
- Be conditioned upon the satisfaction of any judgment owed to an employee for nonpayment or underpayment of wages within 30 days. AND
- Name the City of New York as the Obligee. AND
- Include the same corporate name, Doing-Business-As (DBA) name (if any), and premises address as your license application. AND
- Cover the licensing period.
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Provide a copy of ONE of the following documents as proof of workers’ compensation insurance:
- C-105.2: Certificate of Workers’ Compensation Insurance OR
- U-26.3: State Insurance Fund Certificate of Workers’ Compensation Insurance OR
- Equivalent or successor form used by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board
If you are not required by law to maintain workers’ compensation insurance, you must submit form CE-200: Certificate of Attestation of Exemption. For more information, visit New York State Workers’ Compensation Board at www.wcb.ny.gov.
Provide a copy of ONE of the following documents as proof of disability benefits insurance:
- DB-120.1: Certificate of Insurance Coverage under the New York State Disability Benefits Law OR
- Equivalent or successor form used by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board
If you are not required by law to maintain disability benefits insurance, you must submit form CE-200: Certificate of Attestation of Exemption. For more information, visit New York State Workers’ Compensation Board at www.wcb.ny.gov.
Submit proof of Commercial General Liability Insurance. Your insurance policy must provide coverage that is at least as broad as the most recently issued edition of Insurance Services (ISO) Form CG 0001 and must be “occurrence” based. The Insurance Company that issues the policy must have ONE of the following ratings:
- A.M. Best rating of at least A- / “VII”
- Standard & Poor’s rating of at least A
- Moody’s Investors Service rating of at least A3
- Fitch Ratings rating of at least A-
Provide the following documents as proof of commercial general liability insurance:
Your Certificate of Insurance must:
- Name the City of New York as the certificate holder.
- Be executed by an insurance broker or agent and list the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Number.
- Include the same business name and address as all documents.
- State The City of New York is an “Additional Insured” in the description box.
- State coverage is “occurrence” based.
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Have the following minimum amounts of coverage:
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$1,000,000 per occurrence
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$2,000,000 aggregate
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Additional Insured Endorsement.
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DCWP accepts the following Additional Insured Endorsements:
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ISO Form CG 20 26
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ISO Form CG 20 12
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- An endorsement that provides coverage at least as broad as the most recent edition ISO Form CG 20 26 or CG 20 12
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If you are providing a Scheduled Additional Insured Endorsement that lists the additional insured name (i.e., ISO Forms CG 20 26 or CG 20 12), the endorsement must include either of the following phrases:
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“The City of New York including its officials and employees” OR
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“The City of New York together with its officials and employees”
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- If you are providing a Blanket Additional Insured Endorsement, an Automatic Additional Insured Endorsement, or a provision from your insurance policy that automatically grants additional insured status to an organization that the named insured is required by contract to add as an insured, confirm that the coverage is at least as broad as the most recent edition of ISO Form CG 20 26 or CG 20 12 before you submit the form.
Notarized Certification by Insurance Broker or Agent.
Your insurance broker or agent must complete the Certification.
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Provide proof of Unemployment Insurance.
- Provide a copy of the determination letter you received from the New York State Department of Labor when you registered for unemployment insurance
- If you have not registered your business for unemployment insurance, you can register online at www.labor.ny.gov or by calling the New York State Department of Labor at (518) 457-4179 or (888) 899-8810. You will need to have a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) in order to register your business for unemployment insurance. You can get an EIN from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) online at www.irs.gov/businesses or by calling the IRS at (800) 829-3676.
Within two weeks of DCWP receiving all required materials, applicants will receive one of the following notifications by mail with the status of their license application.
- If the application is approved, DCWP will issue the applicant a license document.
- If the application requires additional information, DCWP will notify the applicant by mail with instructions on how to submit this information. If the applicant does not submit the requested materials to DCWP within 10 days of receiving this notification letter, the application will be denied.
- If the application is denied, DCWP will provide an explanation for the denial and information about the reapplication process.