What property can become a private inspection station (designated auto maintenance business)? The difference from a certified workshop, and the equipment and site requirements

In short: a property usable as a private inspection station (designated auto maintenance business, Article 94-2 of the Road Transport Vehicle Act) is decided by three points — (1) it must first meet the certified-workshop requirements, (2) can the site take a completion inspection bay (an inspection lane with the length and ceiling height), and (3) can the floor and power hold inspection machinery such as brake testers. The designation is granted by the District Transport Bureau Director, and an automobile inspector must be appointed. All can be sized up before the property is contracted.

A "private inspection station" is a workshop that can complete the inspection (the completion inspection) in-house, without driving the maintained vehicle to the Transport Branch Office's inspection lane. Its formal name is the designated auto maintenance business, and only a workshop designated by the District Transport Bureau Director may issue a safety-standard conformity certificate. The designation builds on "being a certified workshop": it is granted only once the inspection equipment, the people and the place are all in order. "We leased a certified-workshop property, then aimed for designation and the depth for a completion inspection bay was not there" — the same rework that hits care facilities and clinics. This is for operators who will open or expand an auto workshop in Tokyo and eventually do vehicle inspection in-house, and for the real estate staff who handle workshop properties, setting out in order what can be checked before signing. Final confirmation of suitability is made at the District Transport Bureau / Transport Branch Office with jurisdiction over the site.

How does a private inspection station (designated workshop) differ from a certified workshop?

A certified workshop is one that "can carry out maintenance"; a designated workshop (private inspection station) is one that "can also do the inspection in-house." The property, equipment and personnel requirements step up one level.

A certified workshop (Article 78 of the Road Transport Vehicle Act) is a workshop certified by the District Transport Bureau Director to carry out disassembly maintenance and electronic-control-device maintenance; the maintained vehicle is brought to the Transport Branch Office's inspection lane. A designated auto maintenance business (Article 94-2) is a certified workshop that also holds the inspection equipment and an automobile inspector and has received the "designation" of the District Transport Bureau Director. At a designated workshop the automobile inspector inspects conformity with the safety standard and, if it conforms, can issue a safety-standard conformity certificate and conformity sticker. In exchange for skipping the drive-in, the property, equipment and personnel burden grows.

Category	Basis	What it can do	Property / personnel requirement
Certified workshop	Art. 78 (certification by the District Transport Bureau Director)	disassembly and electronic-control-device maintenance	work bay, inspection bay, parts work area, vehicle storage, maintenance supervisor, etc.
Designated workshop (private inspection station)	Art. 94-2 (designation by the District Transport Bureau Director)	the above plus the completion inspection and issuing a conformity certificate	the certified-workshop requirements plus a completion inspection bay, inspection machinery, and an appointed automobile inspector

So the order is "certified workshop first, designated workshop next." Designation is stacked on top of certification, so the certified-workshop property requirements must be secured first. The property requirements of the certified workshop itself (work-area size, ceiling height, use-zone) are set out in What are the property requirements for a certified auto workshop (specified-maintenance certification)?. For business property in general see investment and business property, and for the office and company set-up, company set-up and choosing an office.

What site width does designation need for the property?

On top of the work areas a certified workshop needs, you need the length and ceiling height to run a completion inspection bay (inspection lane) through. Because the vehicle is actually driven, stopped and measured on the testers, the depth of a straight inspection lane is the key.

The standards for the equipment, technology and management organisation of the designated auto maintenance business are set in Article 94-2 of the Act and the Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation (Ministry ordinance). The exact figures vary with the class of vehicle (ordinary, light-standard, large, etc.) and District Transport Bureau practice, but the points to watch when viewing a property are these.

Where to look	What to confirm
Completion inspection bay (inspection lane)	Can you line up a brake tester, speedometer tester, side-slip tester, headlight tester, etc. in a straight run and get the depth and width to drive and measure the vehicle?
Ceiling height	Is there height for lift-up and headlight measurement? A large target vehicle needs more
Floor	Can a tester (especially the brake tester) be embedded and fixed, on a smooth pavement that takes the running load and vibration?
Power / pit	Can three-phase 200V power for the testers and compressor, and a pit, be installed?
Frontage road / entrance	Can the vehicle to be inspected enter and exit without obstruction?

Because the figures are set by the Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation and Bureau practice, at the property stage it is practical to look first at whether a straight-line depth for the inspection lane can be taken. Even if the certified-workshop work areas fit, designation is hard if there is no room to add an inspection lane beyond them. How use-zone and floor-area ratio drive land price is set out in Why Japanese land prices change with the "floor-area ratio".

What inspection machinery and equipment are needed?

The inspection machinery (the testers) used for the completion inspection, and the mechanism to record and manage the inspection. Look at the property on the premise of installing inspection equipment separate from the certified workshop's maintenance machinery.

The Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation requires inspection machinery to be installed for the completion inspection. The following are commonly cited, though the items vary with the target vehicle and practice.

Category	Main equipment (examples)
Running / braking inspection	brake tester, speedometer tester, side-slip tester
Lights / exhaust gas inspection	headlight tester, exhaust-gas tester for CO, HC, etc.
Dimensions / weight / underbody	vehicle-weight scale, jacks / lifts, equipment to inspect the underbody
Records / management	recording of inspection results, a management organisation with the automobile inspector

Many of these are heavy, embedded installations, so whether the floor can later be cut to install them bears directly on the choice of property. On a lease, agree the tester installation, floor cutting and power supply together with the restoration scope before signing. Where to read a lease is set out in Where to read a lease agreement. Confirm the exact items and standards of the equipment with the Transport Branch Office.

What should you watch for under use-zone and the Building Standards Act?

There is a point to watch. A designated workshop is also subject to the Building Standards Act's use-zone restrictions as an auto repair shop, and adding a completion inspection bay increases the work-area floor area, so it more easily exceeds the use-zone ceiling.

An auto repair shop's permitted zones split, under Article 48 and Table 2 of the Building Standards Act (Act No. 201 of 1950), by the total floor area of the work area. Per the MLIT summary of use restrictions, it is roughly as follows.

Use-zone	Auto repair shop (by total work-area floor area)
Low-rise & mid/high-rise residential exclusive, agricultural residence, Cat. 1/2 residential	cannot be built
Quasi-residential	allowed if ≤150㎡
Neighbourhood commercial / commercial / quasi-industrial	allowed if ≤300㎡
Industrial / exclusive industrial	no area limit

Because a designated workshop adds a completion inspection bay to the certified workshop, its work-area floor area tends to grow. In quasi-residential (≤150㎡) and neighbourhood commercial / quasi-industrial (≤300㎡) it easily exceeds the ceiling, which is why quasi-industrial and industrial zones suit it. Further, to obtain the designation the building must be usable as a certified workshop (the inspection certificate and use-change confirmation history). Whether you clash with neighbours over noise, inspection revving and queuing vehicles is also a pre-signing point. How to size up the office and garage of a haulage business is in How to choose the office and garage property to start a haulage business.

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Who handles the designation application and the related procedures?

The property (real estate), the designation/certification application (administrative procedure), the building confirmation, the registration and the tax are handled by different parties. Because designation presupposes certification, it proceeds in order.

The designation of the designated auto maintenance business rests on being a certified workshop. Whether the people (maintenance supervisor, automobile inspector) and inspection equipment meet the standard is examined within the application, so fix the property first and you may find the room for a completion inspection bay, or the floor and ceiling, are short and it has to be redone — which is why the points above are laid out before signing. The human requirements, documents and Transport Branch procedure of the certification application that underlies designation are set out in the paired article (administrative-scrivener side), The certification application for automobile specified maintenance (disassembly maintenance): what requirements and how to proceed.

Matter	Party / counter
Property investigation and brokerage, the lease/sale of the work premises and completion inspection bay	Real estate transaction operator
The specified-maintenance certification application and the designated-auto-maintenance designation application, preparing documents for public offices	Administrative scrivener
Building confirmation / use-change application for the completion inspection bay, and extension design	Architect / administrative scrivener
Appointment and training of the automobile inspector	Operator (to the Transport Branch Office)
Incorporation registration, and ownership / lease registration	Judicial scrivener
Accounting and tax	Licensed tax accountant
Disputes over rent, restoration, eviction	Attorney

Who should you consult?

Investigation, brokerage and the sale/lease of the property, work premises and completion inspection bay are undertaken by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent, Tokyo Governor (1) No. 113304). The specified-maintenance certification application and the designated-auto-maintenance designation application, judging the work-area/inspection-equipment requirements and preparing documents for public offices are undertaken by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office.

These two are each independent business entities. You engage each directly. We neither accept nor pay referral fees or introduction commissions. Use-check and extension design under the Building Standards Act are for an architect; incorporation registration and ownership/lease registration for a judicial scrivener; accounting and tax for a licensed tax accountant; disputes over rent or eviction for an attorney — each engaged by you directly. Consultation is free of charge.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Who grants the designation of a private inspection station (designated workshop)?
A. The District Transport Bureau Director (Article 94-2 of the Road Transport Vehicle Act). It can be granted to a workshop certified under Article 78 that holds the equipment, technology and management organisation set by the Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation and that is found to appoint an automobile inspector to carry out the inspection. At a designated workshop the automobile inspector inspects conformity with the safety standard and, if it conforms, can issue a safety-standard conformity certificate and conformity sticker. Confirm the exact standards with the Transport Branch Office.

Q. Can I open a certified workshop first and aim for designation later?
A. Yes — that is the usual order. Because designation presupposes being a certified workshop, you first choose a property as a certified workshop and, once the business grows, assemble the completion inspection bay, inspection machinery and automobile inspector and apply for designation. But designation is hard if there is no room in the site, ceiling height and floor to add a completion inspection bay later, so if you aim for designation in future, look at the room for an inspection lane at the property-selection stage to reduce rework.

Q. How much area and ceiling height does a completion inspection bay need?
A. You need the depth to line up the inspection machinery (brake tester, speedometer tester, side-slip tester, headlight tester, exhaust-gas tester, etc.) in a straight run and drive and measure the vehicle, plus the ceiling height for lift-up and light measurement. The exact figures vary with the class of vehicle (ordinary, light-standard, large), District Transport Bureau practice and the Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation. At the property stage, look first at whether a straight-line depth for the inspection lane can be taken, and confirm the detail with the Transport Branch Office.

Q. Can a leased property become a private inspection station?
A. It can, but confirm before signing whether the testers can be embedded and fixed, whether the floor can be cut, whether three-phase 200V power and a pit can be installed, whether there is depth to add a completion inspection bay, and whether "auto maintenance (specified maintenance)" is in the permitted use. Learn after signing that these are "not allowed" and the whole designation design is redone. Agreeing the restoration and fit-out scope in writing before signing is the safe course.

Sources (primary)

• e-Gov "道路運送車両法" (Road Transport Vehicle Act) — Act No. 185 of 1951. Art. 78 (1) (certification of the specified-maintenance business by the District Transport Bureau Director); Art. 94-2 (designation of the designated auto maintenance business by the District Transport Bureau Director — a certified workshop holding the equipment, technology and management organisation set by ordinance and found to appoint an automobile inspector to inspect may be designated); a designated workshop's automobile inspector inspects conformity with the safety standard and issues the safety-standard conformity certificate and conformity sticker. Accessed 30 September 2026.
• Ministry ordinance "指定自動車整備事業規則" (Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation) — standards for the equipment, inspection machinery, automobile inspector and management organisation of the designated auto maintenance business; the specifics of the inspection machinery and completion inspection bay are fixed by the class of vehicle and District Transport Bureau practice. Accessed 30 September 2026.
• MLIT, "Auto maintenance workshops come in certified and designated — what is the difference?" — a certified workshop is the Art. 78 certification; a designated workshop holds inspection equipment and an automobile inspector and can issue a safety-standard conformity certificate. Accessed 30 September 2026.
• e-Gov "建築基準法" (Building Standards Act) — Act No. 201 of 1950. Art. 48 (restrictions on buildings within use-zones); Table 2 (buildings that may be built by use-zone); an auto repair shop's permitted zones split by the total floor area of the work area. Accessed 30 September 2026.

The equipment, inspection machinery, completion-inspection-bay scale and automobile-inspector requirements of designation and certification vary with the class of vehicle and District Transport Bureau practice and may be amended; the figures and items here are a general guide as of the access date, and the individual standards rest on the Designated Auto Maintenance Business Regulation and Bureau practice. Confirm with the Transport Branch Office with jurisdiction when you start. Whether an auto repair shop may be built by use-zone, and the work-area floor-area ceiling, vary with zoning, city planning, by-law add-ons and whether a use-change is needed; this article makes no determination on an individual property. This article is general information and does not judge or guarantee the suitability of a property or the grant of designation or certification; make the final confirmation at the specified administrative agency or District Transport Bureau (Transport Branch Office). Property investigation, brokerage and the sale/lease are undertaken by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent), and the designation/certification application and the preparation of documents for public offices by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office, each as an independent business entity engaged separately. There are no referral or introduction fees.

About the author

Joji Uramatsu — licensed real estate transaction specialist (Tokyo Governor registration No. 293544) and administrative scrivener (registration No. 25087022). Representative Director, Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent, Tokyo Governor (1) No. 113304); principal, Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office. Kohinata, Bunkyo, Tokyo, about five minutes' walk from Myogadani station. Placing the property (real estate) and the certification/designation (administrative procedure) on the same table to check them together. Full profile: author page.