How to Get a Salon License
How to get a salon license for the shop itself: fees, floor plans, inspections and minimum space in Texas, California, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.
By the Salon Floor Plan team
To get a salon license, apply to your state’s cosmetology board (or the agency that runs it) for an establishment license for the specific address, pay the fee, make sure the space meets the state’s facility rules, and pass any inspection the state requires before or after it issues the license. This is the license for the business location, sometimes called a beauty salon license, shop license or establishment license. It is separate from the cosmetology, barber or nail license each person holds.
Every state runs this differently. Below are five real examples, with what each source says and what it doesn’t.
What Is a Salon Establishment License?
It’s the state’s permission for a place to offer beauty services. The license is tied to one address and one owner, so moving, selling or changing partners usually means a new application. The owner doesn’t always have to be a licensed stylist, but the shop has to meet the board’s rules for plumbing, sanitation and posting licenses.
Booth renters, suites and mobile salons often have their own license types, which vary by state.
How Do the Rules Compare by State?
| State | Application fee | Floor plan with application? | Inspection | Minimum space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $78 | Not asked on the form | Not described as before opening | None on the form |
| California | $50 | Not asked on the form | Inspectors visit during business hours | Not on the form |
| Florida | Listed on the application | Not mentioned on the checklist | After the license is issued | 100 sq ft, plus 50 per added operator |
| New York | $60 | Not mentioned | Not mentioned on the application page | Not mentioned |
| Pennsylvania | Set by rule | Yes, a sketch plan | Before the salon can operate | 120 sq ft and 10 ft wide, plus 60 per added licensee |
The details for each state follow.
How Do You Get a Salon License in Texas?
Texas licenses barbering and cosmetology establishments through TDLR. The establishment license application covers full-service, specialty and mobile shops. The fee is $78, non-refundable, and all requirements must be finished within 12 months of filing. The owner signs a statement not to open until the license is issued. The form doesn’t ask for a floor plan.
The form does list the shop conditions inspectors look for: non-porous floors where chemicals are mixed or water splashes, hot and cold running water where work is done, ventilation for chemical odors, a container big enough to soak tools in disinfectant, one restroom in or near the shop, and a solid wall and door separating the shop from any food business. A full-service shop needs a working station and a styling chair for each practitioner, and enough shampoo bowls if it shampoos. Suite tenants in Texas apply for a $70 mini-establishment license instead.
How Do You Get a Salon License in California?
California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology uses one establishment license application for barbershops, salons and other shops. The fee is $50, renewal is $40, and the owner certifies the shop will meet every requirement of the Barbering and Cosmetology Act and its regulations before opening. The form asks for a planned opening date but not a floor plan.
The board’s owner fact sheet says a shop must meet requirements for toilets, hot and cold running water, handwashing facilities and drinking water before it opens. It also says a new license is needed for a new owner, a new location (including a new suite number) or a change of partners. Inspectors can come in any time services are being performed, and the owner is cited for violations, including those by booth renters.
How Do You Get a Salon License in Florida?
Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation issues the salon license. Its cosmetology salon checklist says the license must be issued and ready to post before the salon opens, and that “all salons will be inspected, with the exception of flea market salons, after the license has been issued.” You don’t take the cosmetology exam to get a salon license.
Florida’s salon rule, 61G5-20.002, sets space and facility minimums. A full or specialty salon needs at least 100 square feet, which covers one cosmetologist or specialist, plus 50 more square feet for each added operator. The rule also requires at least one toilet and one sink with running water, shampoo bowls with hot and cold water, good ventilation, a permanent wall between a home salon and the living quarters, and compliance with local building and fire codes.
How Do You Get a Salon License in New York?
New York calls it an appearance enhancement business license, issued by the Department of State. The application page lists a $60 fee, an 18-year minimum age and a four-year term. It asks for proof of liability coverage of at least $25,000 per occurrence and $75,000 in total, and a wage bond for shops with two or more full-time nail workers.
The page doesn’t mention a floor plan, minimum square footage or a pre-opening inspection. New York does require ventilation in any business offering nail services, and it licenses area renters separately. See nail salon ventilation for what that involves.
How Do You Get a Salon License in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is the clearest example of a state that wants to see the floor plan. Under 49 Pa. Code 7.51, a new salon application includes a sketch plan showing the position of the doors, windows, partitions, shampoo basins, lavatories, adjustable chairs and other floor equipment. The board’s salon licensure page says every salon “must be inspected and pass inspection prior to operating.”
Pennsylvania also sets the size. A cosmetology salon must be at least 10 feet wide and 120 square feet, plus 60 square feet for each added licensee. Barber shops must be at least 12 feet wide and 180 square feet. Any later change to the salon’s dimensions needs a new sketch for approval. For how those minimums compare with real planning numbers, see how much space a salon chair needs.
How Do You Prepare a Floor Plan for a Salon License?
Even where the state doesn’t ask for one, draw it. The inspector will check the same things a plan shows: where the sinks are, where the restroom is, how the stations line up and whether people can get through.
A good plan for a license application shows:
- Outer walls with inside measurements and total square feet.
- Doors and windows.
- Each salon station and chair, and the chair count.
- Every shampoo bowl or sink, plus the restroom.
- Partitions, a dispensary or back bar, and storage.
- Walkways of at least 36 inches, the minimum accessible route in the 2010 ADA Standards.
The free salon floor plan tool shows the room’s size and square feet per chair as you work, and it can export a clean PNG, SVG or printout with the room size on the sheet. Check the plan against your state’s minimums before you sign a lease, not after.
What Are the Steps to Get a Beauty Salon License?
- Find your state’s board and download the current establishment application and rules.
- Form your business and get an EIN.
- Choose a space that meets the facility and space rules.
- Draw the floor plan, and include it if your state asks for one.
- Finish the build-out: plumbing, restroom, floors and ventilation.
- Submit the application and fee.
- Pass the inspection, before or after the license depending on your state.
- Post the license and every practitioner’s license where the board requires.
For the rest of the business side, start with how to open a salon, or how to open a nail salon if you’ll offer nail services.
Frequently asked questions
Is a salon license the same as a cosmetology license?
No. A cosmetology license lets a person do services. A salon license, also called an establishment, shop or business license, lets a location operate. Most salons need both: the shop holds its license and every stylist, nail tech or esthetician holds a personal one.
Do you need a new salon license if you move?
In the states checked here, yes. Texas, California and Pennsylvania all tie the license to the address, and California adds that even changing suite numbers counts as a move. Florida requires a new application for a change of location, name or ownership.
Do booth renters need their own salon license?
Some states license them separately. New York requires an Area Renter license on top of the operator's license. Texas dropped its booth rental license, but the shop still has to keep a list of its booth renters and their licenses. California holds the owner responsible for violations by booth renters.