California salon inspections
California salon inspection checklist
The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology inspects California salons against the state's sanitation rules. A new salon is not inspected before it opens, so it has to meet these rules from its first day. Below are the 20 rules an inspector checks, from the state's own rules and inspection pages, each beside the rule's own words. Tick them off as you get ready, filter by the services you offer, and print the list.
- Inspected by
- California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
- Before opening
- Not inspected first
- Rules on this list
- 20
- Official form
- Published
- Foot spa log
- Required
- MMA nail liquid
- Banned
Read from the official sources on October 19, 2026.The full rules California salon license
How it works
How California inspects salons
Inspections are done by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. A new salon is not inspected before it opens; inspections come once it is licensed, so be ready from your first day.
The Board does not schedule inspections. They are performed randomly by inspectors in your area.
“The Board does not schedule inspections. They are performed randomly by inspectors in your area.”
The checklist
What California inspectors check
Every rule below is from the state's own rules, beside its own words. An inspector can check anything in the rules, so read them in full once before you open.
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California salon inspection checklist
salonai.studio/salon-inspection-checklist/california
Licenses on display
The first thing an inspector looks for: the salon's license and every working license, current and where clients can see them.
1.Post each license where it is easy to see, in that licensee's main work area.
Other required postings
Some states also want their rules, a consumer notice or the last inspection report on the wall.
2.Post the current Message to the Consumer conspicuously.
3.Post the Board's health and safety poster in every shop.
The disinfectant
What the disinfectant must be, how it is mixed and how often it is changed.
4.Keep the manufacturer-labeled container for your disinfectant on the premises at all times, even when the last of it has been used.
5.Fully immerse non-electrical tools in an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity, used according to manufacturer's instructions.
Cleaning tools between clients
How combs, shears, nippers and other reusable tools are cleaned and disinfected after each client.
6.Before use on each client, disinfect non-electrical tools that can be disinfected, except shears, following the Board's required sequence.
7.Disinfect clippers and other electrical tools before each use, following the Board's required sequence.
Storing clean and used tools
Clean tools kept covered and apart from used ones, so nothing dirty touches the next client.
8.Put any tool used on a client, or soiled in any way, in a container labeled 'Dirty', 'Soiled', or 'Contaminated'.
9.Store disinfected tools in a clean, covered place labeled 'Clean' or 'Disinfected'.
Single-use items
What must be thrown away after one client because it cannot be disinfected.
10.Throw away after one client any supply that cannot be disinfected, such as buffers, pumice stones, wax sticks, emery boards, and neck strips.
11.Throw away treatment table paper immediately after a single use.
Towels, capes and linens
Clean towels stored closed, used ones in a covered container until laundered.
12.Put a used towel, sheet, robe, linen, or smock in a closed container, and do not reuse it until it is laundered and sanitized.
13.Store clean towels, sheets, robes, linens, and smocks in clean, closed cabinets or a clean, closed container.
Water, sinks and restroom
Hot and cold running water, sinks and a restroom with a place to wash hands.
14.Clean shampoo bowls and trays with soap and water or other detergent after each shampoo, and keep them in good repair.Hair services
Pedicure equipment
How foot spas and pedicure basins are cleaned after each client and at the end of the day, and the log some states require.
15.After each client, clean and disinfect whirlpool footspas and air-jet basins following the Board's step-by-step procedure.Pedicures
16.Record each foot basin cleaning in the pedicure equipment-cleaning log, with the date, time, and initials of the person who did it.Pedicures
Banned products and tools
Products, tools and practices the state's rules forbid outright.
17.Do not keep or use razor-edged tools to remove calluses.
18.Do not keep or use needle-like tools for extracting skin blemishes.
19.Do not keep methyl methacrylate monomer or methylene chloride on the premises.
The premises
Floors, walls, light, air, waste bins and keeping living space and food out of the work area.
20.Keep floors, walls, ceilings, furniture, and fixtures clean and in good repair.
Questions
California salon inspections, answered
What do salon inspectors check in California?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in California?
How are salons inspected in California?
Does California have an official salon inspection checklist?
Do California nail salons need a foot spa cleaning log?
Is MMA banned in California nail salons?
Plan the rest
Get the rest of the salon ready
- Every step to opening a salon, as a checklist for your state
- The salon license, fees and who must be licensed
- Which services and products the state taxes, and the sales tax permit
- What it costs to open a salon, line by line
- A client intake and consultation form
- A cancellation and no-show policy
Salon inspection checklists for other states
Ready when you are
Pass the inspection, then fill the chairs
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