Arkansas salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Arkansas

To open a salon in Arkansas you need a Cosmetology Establishment License for the business, issued by the Arkansas Department of Health, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $100 to the state and is renewed every year for $50. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Arkansas Department of Health
Business license: Cosmetology Establishment License
New salon fee: $100
Renewal: Every year, $50
Inspection before opening: Yes
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Not stated
Barbershops: Own license: Barber shop establishment license

Licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Arkansas

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 Arkansas license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Arkansas cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Apply for the Cosmetology Establishment License with the Arkansas Department of Health (application), paying $100 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
3
Pass the inspection before you open. the Arkansas Department of Health 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 year for $50.
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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Arkansas's $100 for a new salon is below the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Arkansas asks of a salon

Relocating a salon requires an Establishment Relocation application, and the form and fee must be filed before the salon may open at the new location.
A barbershop needs its own barber shop establishment license from the State Board of Barber Examiners, applied for online at arbarber.com.
A sale of an existing salon requires the new owner to file an Establishment Change of Status application and pay the required fee.

Sources

What Arkansas's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Arkansas Department of Health'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: “Any person, firm or corporation conducting or operating a cosmetology establishment shall be required to obtain a current establishment license prior to operating said establishment.”
sos.arkansas.gov
Fees for a new salon: “New Establishment $100 one-time fee”
healthy.arkansas.gov
Renewal: “Renewal of an Establishment $50 annually”
healthy.arkansas.gov
Inspection: “You will not receive a license until you have been inspected and approved by the Cosmetology Inspector”
healthy.arkansas.gov
Barbershops: “apply for a barbershop establishment license, and upload continuing education certificates for TMI licensees.”
labor.arkansas.gov
Who licenses salons: “the Department of Health – Cosmetology Section is mandated to collect fees in accordance with the following fee schedule”
healthy.arkansas.gov
Also good to know: “The application form and the required fee must be submitted to the Section’s office before you may open your salon at the new location.”
healthy.arkansas.gov
Also good to know: “apply for a barbershop establishment license, and upload continuing education certificates for TMI licensees.”
labor.arkansas.gov
Also good to know: “The new owner will need to complete an Establishment Change of Status application and pay the required fee.”
healthy.arkansas.gov

Questions

Arkansas salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Arkansas?

A new Cosmetology Establishment License costs $100 to the state and is renewed every year for $50. That is the state's fee only: build-out, equipment and opening stock are most of the cost of opening (see what it costs to open a salon).

Do you need a license to own a salon in Arkansas?

Arkansas's official pages we read do not say whether the owner personally needs a cosmetology license. What they do require: the business holds a Cosmetology Establishment License. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Arkansas Department of Health before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Arkansas?

Yes. the Arkansas Department of Health inspects a new salon before it may open or before the license is issued, so plan the inspection into your opening date.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Arkansas?

Yes. Barbershops have a license of their own in Arkansas: the Barber shop establishment license, issued by the Arkansas State Board of Barber Examiners.

Plan the rest

Before you sign a lease

Salon licenses in other states

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