Delaware salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Delaware

To open a salon in Delaware you need a Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment License for the business, issued by the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $142 to the state and is renewed every 2 years. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering
Business license: Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment License
New salon fee: $142
Renewal: Every 2 years
Inspection before opening: No, after opening
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Not stated
Barbershops: Same license

Licensed by the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Delaware

1
Make sure everyone who will do services is licensed. The salon license covers the business; each stylist, barber, nail technician or esthetician needs a Delaware license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Delaware cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Put a licensed person in charge. The application names a professional in charge, a licensee in good standing, who may be in charge of only one shop at a time.
3
Apply for the Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment License with the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (application), paying $142 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
4
Expect inspections after you open. the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering does not inspect before opening, but it does inspect licensed salons, so be ready from day one.
5
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years.
6
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 Delaware 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 Delaware salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Delaware's $142 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Delaware asks of a salon

All persons providing professional services in the shop/salon must hold the appropriate professional license.
A business license from the Division of Revenue is required in addition to the professional establishment license, for each salon or shop operated.
A city or town business license may also be required, on top of the state licenses.

Sources

What Delaware's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Delaware 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: “You are required to submit an application for a professional establishment license from the Division of Professional Regulation for each location where you are operating a Cosmetology/Barbering shop or salon when:”
dpr.delaware.gov
Fees for a new salon: “Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment or Shop Apply through DELPROS $142”
dpr.delaware.gov
Renewal: “All cosmetology shops shall renew their licensure biennially, paying fees set by the Division of Professional Regulation.”
delcode.delaware.gov
“Establishment (shop/salon), Mobile Salon, and School licenses expire on June 30 of each odd year (e.g., 2019, 2021).”
dpr.delaware.gov
Inspection: “An inspection does not have to take place before the shop/salon opens.”
dpr.delaware.gov
Person in charge: “At all times, the professional-in-charge shall be licensed pursuant to this chapter and shall hold a license in good standing”
delcode.delaware.gov
Barbershops: “means any place or part thereof wherein cosmetology, barbering, electrology, nail technology, aesthetics, or any of their practices, are performed for compensation”
delcode.delaware.gov
“Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment or Shop Apply through DELPROS $142”
dpr.delaware.gov
Who licenses salons: “It also issues permits to shops/salons that offer services in each of these areas and to schools that teach these practice areas.”
dpr.delaware.gov
Also good to know: “All persons providing professional services in the shop/salon must hold the appropriate professional license.”
dpr.delaware.gov
Also good to know: “In addition to the professional license, you must obtain a business license from the Division of Revenue for each salon or shop you operate.”
dpr.delaware.gov
Also good to know: “You may also be required to obtain a town/city business license for a shop or salon operating in its jurisdiction.”
dpr.delaware.gov

Questions

Delaware salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Delaware?

A new Cosmetology/Barbering Establishment License costs $142 to the state and is renewed every 2 years. 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 Delaware?

Delaware'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/Barbering Establishment License, and the application names a professional in charge, a licensee in good standing, who may be in charge of only one shop at a time.. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Delaware?

No, not before opening. the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering inspects salons after the license is issued, so the salon must meet the sanitation rules from its first day.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Delaware?

No. In Delaware the same establishment license covers barbershops and salons.

Plan the rest

Before you sign a lease

Salon licenses in other states

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