Alabama salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Alabama
To open a salon in Alabama you need a Shop License for the business, issued by the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $200 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $150. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering
- Business license
- Shop License
- New salon fee
- $200
- Renewal
- Every 2 years, $150
- Inspection before opening
- Yes
- Owner must hold a license
- Not stated
- Booth renters need a license
- No
- Barbershops
- Same license
Licensed by the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering.How to apply License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Alabama
- 1
Make sure everyone who will do services is licensed. The salon license covers the business; each stylist, barber, nail technician or esthetician needs an Alabama license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Alabama cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Apply for the Shop License with the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (application), paying $200 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 3
Pass the inspection before you open. the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering inspects a new salon before it may open or before the license is issued, so finish the build-out and set up your sanitation first.
- 4
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years for $150.
- 5
Then the local paperwork (general advice, not from the board). Register the business with the state, get a city or county business license where one is required, and check zoning and the building permits for your build-out with the city before you sign a lease.
These are the license steps. The full opening checklist for Alabama puts them in order with everything else a new salon needs: registering the business, taxes, insurance, hiring and getting booked before you open. For the inspection itself, the Alabama salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Alabama's $200 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Alabama asks of a salon
- The Board says the application must be in its office at least 30 days before the opening date.
- The applicant must prove the shop will operate in a location properly zoned by the local governing authority.
- A mobile salon needs a license from the Board, applied for on a Board-approved form.
Sources
What Alabama's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering's own pages, rules or statutes, read on October 17, 2026. Fees and rules change: confirm with the board before you apply.
- The salon license
“Shop license must be displayed at the reception area near entrance.”
aboc.alabama.gov - Fees for a new salon
“(e) New Shop $200”
admincode.legislature.state.al.us “Include a business check, cashier's check, or money order (no personal checks) in the amount of $200.”
aboc.alabama.gov - Renewal
“All shop and school licenses expire on September 30th and must be renewed by October 31st in odd-numbered years.”
aboc.alabama.gov “(f) Shop Renewal $150”
admincode.legislature.state.al.us - Inspection
“physical inspection and approval of premises by an authorized member of the Board staff are required”
aboc.alabama.gov - Barbershops
“(23) SHOP. Any place where barbering or cosmetology is practiced including, but not limited to, a mobile salon.”
aboc.alabama.gov “(e) New Shop $200”
admincode.legislature.state.al.us - Booth renters
“Booth Rental (Independent Contractor) License”
admincode.legislature.state.al.us “(Repealed 11/29/13).”
admincode.legislature.state.al.us “Board, pay appropriate fees and obtain a personal license.”
admincode.legislature.state.al.us - Who licenses salons
“The Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for state holidays.”
aboc.alabama.gov - Also good to know
“The application must be in our office at least 30 days before the opening date.”
aboc.alabama.gov - Also good to know
“Applicant for a shop must provide proof that it will operate in a location properly zoned by the appropriate governing authority.”
aboc.alabama.gov - Also good to know
“the board may issue a license for the operation of a mobile salon to an applicant who submits an application on a form”
aboc.alabama.gov
Questions
Alabama salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Alabama?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Alabama?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Alabama?
Do booth renters need their own license in Alabama?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Alabama?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Alabama, as a checklist
- What Alabama inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Alabama? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Alabama cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician license
- See what it costs to open a salon, line by line
- Write it up with the salon business plan template
- Find a name and a free domain
- Renting out chairs? Start from a booth rental agreement
Salon licenses in other states
Ready when you are
Open with the website and the bookings ready
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