Vehicle cleaning · United States
How to Start a Mobile Detailing Business (Costs, Permits, and Job Pricing)
Price the vehicle, the drive, and where the wash water goes before you book a second truck.
- 19,807NAICS 811192 establishments, Census 2023
- 52.3%of those have fewer than 5 employees (10,352 ÷ 19,807)
- $54/mogeneral liability in the Insureon car-wash and detailing sample
- $205Portland mobile-washer program fee, per year
Decision summary
- Census County Business Patterns 2023, U.S. total, legal form
-, NAICS 811192: 19,807 establishments and 172,644 employees. The employment cell carries noise flag G. Read from cbp23us.zip on November 6, 2026. - Of those establishments, 10,352 have fewer than 5 employees. That works out to 52.3% (10,352 ÷ 19,807).
- The 2022 NAICS index file lists car washes, automotive detail shops, and mobile car and truck washes under 811192. Treat 19,807 as the whole code, which is wider than a mobile detailer with one van.
- Insureon’s page for car washes and auto detailers, updated March 31, 2025 and read November 6, 2026, says customers pay on average $54 a month for general liability. Insureon. The method note uses the median.
On this page
0. One set of driveways
- Pick vehicles you can reach without a long unpaid drive.
- Ask where the wash water will go before you quote a wash-and-wax.
- A fixed-site car wash and a van that comes to the driveway are different water problems. The Census code counts both.
Mobile detailing startup costs
A national startup total is not on this page. A Milwaukee polisher product page opened on November 6, 2026 and did not show a dollar price, so no tool price is printed. A van, a tank, and pads sit outside the lines below.
| Line | Figure | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|
| General liability, monthly average | $54 | Insureon customers who are car washes or auto detailers. Page updated March 31, 2025. The page also prints $646 a year. Method note: median. Limits on that sample: $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. |
| Business owner’s policy, monthly average | $89 | Same page, which also prints $1,073 a year. A separate policy. Do not add it to the $54. |
| Workers’ compensation, monthly average | $131 | Same page, which also prints $1,567 a year. |
| Commercial auto, monthly average | $46 | Same page, which also prints $550 a year. The page says most states require this for a vehicle the business owns. |
| Portland mobile-washer program | $205 / year | Page read November 6, 2026. The fee is billed at the start of the fiscal year in July and is reassessed. |
Permits and where the water goes
These are three official pages, not a 50-state fee table. Every other city is Not yet researched.
| Place | What the page says | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, Oregon | City code prohibits mobile washing businesses from discharging wash water to the stormwater system. An authorization is required before a discharge to the sanitary sewer, then an annual certification no later than January 31. The annual program fee is currently $205. | City page, November 6, 2026. |
| Austin, Texas | The wastewater rules for power washing also apply to mobile car washes. Wastewater may not enter the storm sewer if it contains pollutants or cleaning compounds and has not been treated. A sanitary discharge has to be collected and taken to a private fixed site that is permitted and has a sand or oil interceptor. Dumping into a cleanout, manhole, or toilet at the job is not allowed unless that site is permitted. An unauthorized sanitary discharge is a Class C misdemeanor, with a fine up to $2,000 per day per violation. | Austin Water page, November 6, 2026. |
| San Diego | It is illegal to discharge polluted water from mobile business activities, and the sheet names mobile detailing, into the storm system under Municipal Code §43.0304. Violations can cost up to $10,000 per day per incident. The sheet’s disposal paths are a landscaped area with the owner’s permission and no runoff, a sewer cleanout or toilet after debris is removed, or an off-site sanitary dump. A permit may be required for the sanitary sewer. | City mobile-business fact sheet, read November 6, 2026. |
| Other cities | Not yet researched. Do not copy Portland’s $205 or Austin’s $2,000 fine onto another map. | Not opened. |
Insurance
Insureon’s combined car-wash and auto-detailing page lists four samples: $54 a month for general liability, $89 for a business owner’s policy, $131 for workers’ compensation, and $46 for commercial auto. Updated March 31, 2025. The method note says these are medians; the headings say average. The group is wider than a one-van detailer. Damage to the paint you were hired to correct may sit outside a general form. Get the quote in writing for the services you will actually sell.
Does the vehicle pay?
Profit on one car is the price minus paid minutes minus soap, pads, and water. Profit for the month also has to clear the van, insurance, and the city’s wash-water fee once you know those bills. The industry count does not set the price. No average weekly income was opened.
Price one vehicle
Type the price, the minutes on the vehicle, the minutes driving, and what you spend on product for that job. Empty stays unknown.
10. A second setup
Add another kit when paid vehicles already overflow the week and the contribution still covers the kit, the drive, and another discharge authorization if the city charges one. The section number is an outline label, not a headcount. A wage table for this trade was not opened: the Bureau of Labor Statistics pages returned HTTP 403 on November 6, 2026.
First 90 days
- Days 1–14: pick driveways you can reach. Ask the local stormwater office which drain is a storm drain.
- Days 15–45: price insurance and the wash-water authorization. Portland’s $205 is one city’s program fee.
- Days 46–90: time real vehicles in the tool. Buy a second setup only after those jobs cover labor, product, and the month’s fixed costs.
When to stop
Stop selling a package when the minutes and the product use up the price, or when you cannot say where the water will be collected. The tool hides the break-even job count in the first case. A fixed-site wash bay stays off this offer until it has its own water bill.
Questions people ask
How do you start a mobile detailing business?
Start with vehicles you can reach, and decide where the wash water goes before you sell a package. Census County Business Patterns 2023 counts 19,807 employer establishments in NAICS 811192. That code covers car washes, detail shops, and mobile washes, not mobile detailing alone. A polisher shelf price was not opened on November 6, 2026.
How much does it cost to start mobile detailing?
This page does not have a national startup total. Insureon’s page for car washes and auto detailers, updated March 31, 2025, says customers pay on average $54 a month for general liability. Portland’s mobile-washer program fee is currently $205 a year. A tool or trailer price was not copied because no shelf page showed a dollar amount.
Is mobile detailing profitable?
On this page, a vehicle pays when the price covers paid minutes and the soap, pads, and water for that job, and the month’s jobs cover the fixed costs you type. The tool prints a break-even job count only when that contribution is positive. No national profit rate was opened.
How many detailing businesses are there?
Census County Business Patterns 2023 counts 19,807 employer establishments and 172,644 employees in NAICS 811192. The employment cell carries noise flag G. 10,352 of the establishments have fewer than 5 employees, which is 10,352 ÷ 19,807, or 52.3%. The 2022 NAICS index lists car washes, detail shops, and mobile car and truck washes under that code, so 19,807 is the whole industry.
Do I need a permit to detail cars?
Portland prohibits mobile washing businesses from discharging wash water to the stormwater system and charges a $205 annual program fee for an authorization to discharge to the sanitary sewer. Austin applies the same wastewater rules to mobile car washes as to power washing, and an unauthorized sanitary discharge can be fined up to $2,000 per day. San Diego’s mobile-business sheet says a polluted discharge, including mobile detailing, can cost up to $10,000 per day per incident. Other cities are not yet researched.
How much is detailing insurance?
Insureon’s car-wash and auto-detailing page, updated March 31, 2025, says its customers pay on average $54 a month for general liability, $89 a month for a business owner’s policy, $131 a month for workers’ compensation, and $46 a month for commercial auto. The method note uses the median. The page covers car washes and detailers together. It does not say to add the four figures into one premium.
Can wash water run to the storm drain?
Portland’s city code prohibits that discharge. Austin says power-washing and mobile car-wash wastewater may not enter the storm sewer if it contains pollutants or cleaning compounds and has not been treated. San Diego says it is illegal to discharge polluted water from mobile detailing into the storm system. Collect the water and use a disposal path the city has named.
How do you price one car?
Type the price, the minutes on the vehicle, the paid drive minutes, a loaded hourly rate, and the soap, pads, and water for that job. Empty stays unknown. Break-even jobs appear only after you also type the month’s fixed costs and the contribution is still positive.
When should I buy a second setup?
When paid vehicles already overflow the week and the contribution still covers another kit, the drive, and another city’s wash-water fee. Portland’s program fee is another annual bill if you discharge there. A shelf price for the first polisher was not read.
Still open
- 19,807 is all of NAICS 811192, including car washes and mobile washes, not mobile detailers alone.
- No polisher, vacuum, or tank shelf price was opened. A Milwaukee product page did not show a dollar price.
- The Insureon sample mixes car washes and detailers. It is not a mobile-only premium.
- No 50-state wash-water table. Portland, Austin, and San Diego are the pages read. Other cities are not yet researched.
- No Bureau of Labor Statistics wage was opened.