What changed in October 2025
California's BAR had long registered brick-and-mortar body shops as Automotive Repair Dealers. The regulations adopted in 2025 (16 CCR 3351 and the new 3351.7.1–3351.7.2, laid out in the BAR's initial statement of reasons) close the mobile gap: they define what makes a repair dealer "mobile," bring driveway dent work into the registration scheme, and spell out extra information a mobile repair invoice has to carry.
The estimate side got tightened too. California's estimate-writing rules want specific, plain-language descriptions of the work on both the estimate and the invoice — authorized by the customer before the work happens, and again before anything is added.
Outside California: New York and Florida register repair shops under their own schemes. And insurance hail work brings its own paper — claim numbers and direction-of-pay forms — no matter the state.
The record a PDR job should leave behind
- 1
The vehicle, decoded
Year, make, model, VIN — the decode also tells you whether that hood or door is aluminum before you price it. It rides on the job and prints on the document.
- 2
Pre-work photos, time-stamped
The panel and any pre-existing damage, shot before a tool comes out. PDR fixes the dents you listed — the photos are what separate your repair from the scratch that was already there.
- 3
The authorized estimate
An itemized, written estimate the customer approves from their phone — name, amount, and time logged, printed on the document. If the job grows, SideWRK flags the total passing what was authorized so you get a fresh yes first.
- 4
The invoice with your number on it
Your BAR/ARD registration number prints on every estimate and invoice, along with the PDR trade notices. Insurance job? Note the claim number on the job so it's on the record too.
What's yours, what's ours
Registering with the BAR — or your state's equivalent — is yours to do. SideWRK helps with the paperwork side: it keeps the estimate, the authorization, the photos, and the printed registration number together on every job. It doesn't verify your registration, and it doesn't decide whether your paperwork meets any state's rules.
Not legal advice. The BAR's regulations and your own state's repair-dealer law are the authority.
Mobile PDR — common questions
Does mobile dent repair need BAR registration in California?
Yes. Paintless dent repair for pay is auto body repair in California's eyes, and repair dealers register with the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Regulations adopted in 2025 — effective October 1, 2025 — specifically define mobile automotive repair dealers, bring mobile dent repair into the registration scheme, and add information a mobile transaction's invoice must include.
Do I need a written estimate before PDR work?
In California, yes — a written estimate the customer authorizes before work begins, with increases authorized again before the extra work. New York and Florida run their own repair-shop registration schemes with similar paperwork expectations. Even in states with no registration requirement, an authorization logged with the name, amount, and time is the record that protects you in a dispute.
What should I photograph before starting?
The panel and any pre-existing damage, time-stamped, before a tool touches the car. PDR removes the dents you listed — it does not fix pre-existing paint damage, prior bodywork, or stretched metal, and the pre-work photos are what separate your repair from what was already there.
Does SideWRK handle my BAR registration?
No. Registering is yours to do with your state. What SideWRK does is keep the paperwork straight on each job: the itemized estimate, the customer's logged authorization, the pre-work photos, the VIN, and your registration number printed on every document. It does not verify your registration and it is not legal advice — the BAR and your state's rules are the authority.