Illinois salon inspections
Illinois salon inspection checklist
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) inspects Illinois salons against the state's sanitation rules. 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
- IDFPR
- Before opening
- Not stated
- Rules on this list
- 20
- Official form
- Published
- Foot spa log
- Required, keep 90 days
- MMA nail liquid
- Banned
Read from the official sources on October 19, 2026.The full rules Illinois salon license
How it works
How Illinois inspects salons
Inspections are done by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
Every registered salon must complete an annual self-inspection on the Division's forms, during the same month each year as the salon chooses.
“Every registered salon or shop shall conduct an annual self-inspection using forms provided by the Division. The annual self-inspection shall be conducted during the same month, annually, as determined by the salon or shop.”
The checklist
What Illinois 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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Illinois salon inspection checklist
salonai.studio/salon-inspection-checklist/illinois
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.Hold a current salon registration issued by the IDFPR.
2.Display licenses in a prominent public place where clients can easily see them.
The disinfectant
What the disinfectant must be, how it is mixed and how often it is changed.
3.Keep enough disinfectant on hand at strong enough strength to work, free of residue, and ready to use whenever the salon is open.
4.Use a hospital grade disinfectant, meaning one registered with the EPA as a hospital-level disinfectant.
Cleaning tools between clients
How combs, shears, nippers and other reusable tools are cleaned and disinfected after each client.
5.Clean and disinfect, or throw away, every tool or item that touches a client, after each client.
6.Clean and disinfect non-disposable manicure tools with a hospital grade disinfectant after each client.Nail services
Storing clean and used tools
Clean tools kept covered and apart from used ones, so nothing dirty touches the next client.
7.Store new or freshly disinfected tools separately from all others.
Single-use items
What must be thrown away after one client because it cannot be disinfected.
8.Throw away single-use items such as orangewood sticks, cotton, gauze, neck strips, emery boards, buffer blocks and pumice stones after each use.
Towels, capes and linens
Clean towels stored closed, used ones in a covered container until laundered.
9.Use a clean towel for each client.
10.Keep soiled towels in a covered container large and sturdy enough to hold them.
Water, sinks and restroom
Hot and cold running water, sinks and a restroom with a place to wash hands.
11.Provide a safe and adequate supply of continuous hot and cold running water; restroom sinks do not count as a water source.
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.
12.Spray the inside of each foot spa or basin with an EPA-registered disinfectant or 10% bleach solution.Pedicures
13.For the foot spa's full cleaning, fill the basin with cold water and one tablespoon of 5.25% household bleach for each gallon of water.Pedicures
14.Keep a record of the date and time of each weekly foot spa cleaning, available for the last 90 days for clients or inspectors.Pedicures
Banned products and tools
Products, tools and practices the state's rules forbid outright.
15.Do not use or sell nail products that contain the monomer methyl methacrylate (MMA), which is prohibited.Nail services
16.Do not allow pets or other animals in the salon at any time, except an animal assistant for the physically impaired.
The premises
Floors, walls, light, air, waste bins and keeping living space and food out of the work area.
17.Provide ventilation that meets city, county or municipal requirements and keeps the salon free of excessive heat, steam, condensation, vapors, obnoxious odors, smoke and fumes.
18.Keep all floor surfaces clean, orderly and in good repair.
First aid and safety
A first aid kit, what to do after a cut or blood exposure, and other safety rules.
19.Do not knowingly let anyone with a serious communicable disease work on the premises.
20.Do not massage any skin or scalp that is inflamed or has a skin infection or eruption.
Questions
Illinois salon inspections, answered
What do salon inspectors check in Illinois?
How are salons inspected in Illinois?
Does Illinois have an official salon inspection checklist?
Do Illinois nail salons need a foot spa cleaning log?
Is MMA banned in Illinois 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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