Illinois home and mobile salon rules

Can you run a salon from your home in Illinois?

Not stated. Illinois's official pages we read do not say whether a salon in your home can be licensed. Ask IDFPR before you set one up. Below: what a home salon needs, mobile salons (allowed) and house calls (allowed), each answered from Illinois's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 31, 2026, with the state's own words.

Salon in your home
Not stated
Mobile salon
Allowed
House calls
Allowed
Mobile salon license
$40

Licensed by IDFPR.The board's site Salon license feesThe state's own words

Home salons

Can you have a salon in your home in Illinois?

Not stated. Illinois's official pages we read do not say whether a salon in your home can be licensed. Ask IDFPR before you set one up.

Salon in your home
Not stated

Mobile salons

Do you need a mobile salon license in Illinois?

Yes: mobile salons are allowed, with a license. A mobile salon in Illinois must hold an IDFPR certificate of registration, which carries a $40 fee, and the owner must notify IDFPR when the salon moves to a new location.

Mobile salon
Allowed
License it needs
Barber Shop or Cosmetology, Nail Technology, Hair Braiding or Esthetics Salon Certificate of Registration
State fee
$40

What a mobile salon needs

  • Notify IDFPR when the salon moves to a new location

    “The Department shall be notified by the owner or operator of a salon or shop that is moved to a new location.” witnessslips.ilga.gov

Illinois is one of 39 states whose official pages allow a mobile salon.

House calls

Can you do services at a client's home in Illinois?

Yes, on conditions. Makeup or other licensed services at a wedding, event or client's home need an IDFPR certificate of registration, unless you are a sole proprietor with no employees or contractors who is not operating a mobile salon.

The rule and Illinois's own words, on the makeup artist page for Illinois.

Good to know

What else Illinois asks

  • A mobile salon is defined as a self-contained facility that can be moved, towed or transported and in which these services are practiced
  • Every registered salon or shop, including a mobile one, must complete an annual self-inspection
  • The state registration does not replace any local business license, registration or permit

Sources

What Illinois's official pages say

Each answer above, in the words of Illinois's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 31, 2026. Your city or county may add its own rules for a home business: confirm with IDFPR and your local zoning office before you open.

Mobile salons
“A mobile salon or shop;”
ilga.gov
“Barber Shop or Cosmetology, Nail Technology, Hair Braiding or Esthetics Salon Certificate of Registration”
ilga.gov
“The fee for registration of a barber shop or cosmetology, nail technician, hair braiding or esthetics salon (salon) is $40.”
ilga.gov
“The Department shall be notified by the owner or operator of a salon or shop that is moved to a new location.”
witnessslips.ilga.gov
Also good to know
“"Mobile shop or salon" means a self-contained facility that may be moved, towed, or transported from one location to another and in which barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair braiding, or nail technology is practiced.”
ilga.gov
Also good to know
“Every registered salon or shop shall conduct an annual self-inspection using forms provided by the Division.”
ilga.gov
Also good to know
“This registration shall be in addition to and shall not replace or supersede any other business license, registration, or permit that may be required by local municipalities”
witnessslips.ilga.gov

Questions

Illinois home and mobile salons, answered

Can you have a salon in your home in Illinois?
Not stated. Illinois's official pages we read do not say whether a salon in your home can be licensed. Ask IDFPR before you set one up.
Do you need a mobile salon license in Illinois?
Yes: mobile salons are allowed, with a license. A mobile salon in Illinois must hold an IDFPR certificate of registration, which carries a $40 fee, and the owner must notify IDFPR when the salon moves to a new location.
Can you do house calls in Illinois?
Yes, on conditions. Makeup or other licensed services at a wedding, event or client's home need an IDFPR certificate of registration, unless you are a sole proprietor with no employees or contractors who is not operating a mobile salon.
What else do you need to open a salon in Illinois?
A license for your own work and, in most states, a license for the salon as a business. See what Illinois requires to open a salon, with its fees and inspection rules.

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Home and mobile salon rules in other states

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