Idaho salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Idaho

To open a salon in Idaho you need a Primary Establishment License for the business, issued by the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $50 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $50. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board
Business license: Primary Establishment License
New salon fee: $50
Renewal: Every 2 years, $50
Inspection before opening: Not stated
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Contiguous Establishment License
Barbershops: Same license

Licensed by the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Idaho

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 Idaho license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Idaho cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Apply for the Primary Establishment License with the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board (application), paying $50 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
3
If you rent out chairs, check your renters' licenses. In Idaho a booth renter needs a Contiguous Establishment License ($50). Put the terms in a booth rental agreement.
4
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years 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 Idaho 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 Idaho salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Idaho's $50 for a new salon is below the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Idaho asks of a salon

A primary establishment needs a hot and cold running water source and drainage system within its perimeters, separate from restroom facilities, plus restrooms accessible from the building.
Establishment licenses cannot be transferred. A change of location or a full change in ownership requires a new license application.
Board officers may enter and inspect any cosmetology establishment at any time during business hours.

Sources

What Idaho's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board'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: “Barber; Cosmetology Primary and Contiguous Establishment, including Mobile | $50 | $25 | $50”
dopl.idaho.gov
“An applicant for primary establishment licensure must provide proof of compliance”
adminrules.idaho.gov
Fees for a new salon: “Barber; Cosmetology Primary and Contiguous Establishment, including Mobile | $50 | $25 | $50”
dopl.idaho.gov
Other license types: “Application Fee : $30”
dopl.idaho.gov
Renewal: “Also beginning July 1, 2026, the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) will continue transitioning to a 2-year renewal cycle.”
dopl.idaho.gov
“Barber; Cosmetology Primary and Contiguous Establishment, including Mobile | $50 | $25 | $50”
dopl.idaho.gov
Barbershops: “It shall further be unlawful for any person or legal entity to operate a barber or cosmetology establishment or school of barbering or cosmetology unless the establishment or school has been licensed”
legislature.idaho.gov
“Barber; Cosmetology Primary and Contiguous Establishment, including Mobile | $50 | $25 | $50”
dopl.idaho.gov
Booth renters: “If you are leasing a station or room, you need to have a contiguous license.”
dopl.idaho.gov
“Barber; Cosmetology Primary and Contiguous Establishment, including Mobile | $50 | $25 | $50”
dopl.idaho.gov
Who licenses salons: “Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board”
dopl.idaho.gov
Also good to know: “a hot and cold running water source and drainage system that are within the perimeters of the primary establishment, separate from restroom facilities”
adminrules.idaho.gov
Also good to know: “A change of location or a full change in ownership requires a new license application.”
adminrules.idaho.gov
Also good to know: “The officers of the board or its agents shall have authority to enter and inspect at any time during business hours any barber or cosmetology establishment”
legislature.idaho.gov

Questions

Idaho salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Idaho?

A new Primary Establishment License costs $50 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $50. The licensing division's fee schedule also lists a separate $30 application fee without saying which licenses it applies to, so budget for it too. 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 Idaho?

Idaho's official pages we read do not say whether the owner personally needs a cosmetology license. What they do require: the business holds a Primary Establishment License. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Idaho Barber and Cosmetology Services Licensing Board before you sign a lease.

Do booth renters need their own license in Idaho?

Yes. A booth renter in Idaho needs a Contiguous Establishment License, $50, as well as a practitioner license.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Idaho?

No. In Idaho 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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