How to Open a Hair Salon: License Requirements by State

Last updated: August 24, 2026

Every state licenses cosmetologists and barbers through a state board, and many also license the salon itself as an establishment — with the board, the hour requirements, the inspection rules and the fees all set state by state. Each guide below covers what that state requires to open a salon, from the individual license through the establishment license, registration, insurance and costs.

Pick your state

How to Open a Hair Salon — guides for all 50 states and D.C.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

What every state guide covers

• Whether the state requires a general business license — and what your city or county requires instead (see the 51-state table).
• Entity registration with the Secretary of State, and the filing fee.
• The hair salon’s own licenses and permits — which agency issues them, in what order, and what they cost.
• Insurance the state actually mandates, separated from what is merely advisable.
• Sources — every fee and rule is linked to the agency page or statute it came from.

Related

• Business license requirements by state — which states require a general license and what the rest require instead.
• Workers’ comp requirements by state — the employee threshold that triggers coverage in each state.