Hawaii salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Hawaii

To open a salon in Hawaii you need a Beauty Shop License for the business, issued by the Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $226 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $176. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology
Business license: Beauty Shop License
New salon fee: $226
Renewal: Every 2 years, $176
Inspection before opening: No, after opening
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Shop license of their own
Barbershops: Own license: Barber Shop License

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

Step by step

Opening a salon in Hawaii

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 Hawaii license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Hawaii cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Put a licensed person in charge. Each service the shop offers needs a licensed barber or beauty operator named as operator in charge.
3
Apply for the Beauty Shop License with the Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (application), paying $226 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
4
Expect inspections after you open. the Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology does not inspect before opening, but it does inspect licensed salons, so be ready from day one.
5
If you rent out chairs, check your renters' licenses. In Hawaii a booth renter needs a Shop license of their own. Put the terms in a booth rental agreement.
6
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years for $176.
7
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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Hawaii's $226 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Hawaii asks of a salon

Barber shops and beauty shops must have adequate sanitary facilities. Act 073 (2022) defines this as toilets in properly ventilated rooms with doors, hot and cold running water, and sinks or wash basins.
The shop application must identify at least one licensed barber or beauty operator to qualify the shop, and the owner must ensure that only currently licensed individuals practice there.
Shop licenses are not transferable. A new owner, or the same owner at a new location, must apply for a new beauty shop license before opening.

Sources

What Hawaii's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology'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: “For a beauty shop or barber shop license, you must remit the fee of $226 if you are to be licensed in an even-numbered year, and”
cca.hawaii.gov
Fees for a new salon: “of $226 if you are to be licensed in an even-numbered year, and”
cca.hawaii.gov
“$138 if you are to be licensed in an odd-numbered year. The fee”
cca.hawaii.gov
Other license types: “For a beauty shop or barber shop license, you must remit the fee”
cca.hawaii.gov
Renewal: “(Renew by December 31, of every odd-numbered year)”
cca.hawaii.gov
“Beauty Shop (BSH) - active status - $176.00”
cca.hawaii.gov
Inspection: “Effective April 1, 2013, the DOH no longer issues the sanitation”
cca.hawaii.gov
“longer conducts inspections and no longer issues”
cca.hawaii.gov
Person in charge: “There must be a barber/beauty operator-in-charge for each service that is being provided in your shop.”
cca.hawaii.gov
Barbershops: “Barber Shop (BAS) - active status - $176.00”
cca.hawaii.gov
“For a beauty shop or barber shop license, you must remit the fee of $226 if you are to be licensed in an even-numbered year, and”
cca.hawaii.gov
Booth renters: “You must hold a shop license in addition to your individual barber or beauty operator license.”
cca.hawaii.gov
Who licenses salons: “The official Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, together with its schedule of public meetings and meeting minutes”
cca.hawaii.gov
Also good to know: “Barber shops and beauty shops MUST have adequate sanitary”
cca.hawaii.gov
Also good to know: “Identify at least one barber or beauty operator to qualify the shop”
data.capitol.hawaii.gov
Also good to know: “No, beauty shop/barber shop licenses are not transferable to a”
cca.hawaii.gov

Questions

Hawaii salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Hawaii?

A new Beauty Shop License costs $226 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $176. A new beauty shop license issued in an odd-numbered year costs $138 instead. 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 Hawaii?

Hawaii's official pages we read do not say whether the owner personally needs a cosmetology license. What they do require: the business holds a Beauty Shop License, and each service the shop offers needs a licensed barber or beauty operator named as operator in charge.. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Hawaii?

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

Do booth renters need their own license in Hawaii?

Yes. A booth renter in Hawaii needs a Shop license of their own, as well as a practitioner license.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Hawaii?

Yes. Barbershops have a license of their own in Hawaii: the Barber Shop License ($226 for a new shop).

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