Louisiana salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Louisiana

To open a salon in Louisiana you need a Beauty Shop or Salon Certificate of Registration for the business, issued by the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $105 to the state (certificate of registration $55 plus first inspection $50) and is renewed every year for $55. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology
Business license: Beauty Shop or Salon Certificate of Registration
New salon fee: $105
Renewal: Every year, $55
Inspection before opening: Yes
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Booth rental permit
Barbershops: Own license: Barber shop registration

Licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology.How to apply The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Louisiana

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 Louisiana license of their own. The Louisiana cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Put a licensed person in charge. A registered manager must be present at the salon during all hours of operation and make sure everyone practicing there is licensed.
3
Apply for the Beauty Shop or Salon Certificate of Registration with the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology (application), paying $105 to the state (certificate of registration $55 plus first inspection $50). Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
4
Pass the inspection before you open. the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology 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.
5
If you rent out chairs, check your renters' licenses. In Louisiana a booth renter needs a Booth rental permit ($50). Put the terms in a booth rental agreement.
6
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every year for $55.
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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Louisiana's $105 for a new salon is below the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Louisiana asks of a salon

Salons must be adequately lighted, well ventilated, and kept clean and sanitary at all times (LAC 46:XXXI §701).
Booth renters need a board-issued permit, and the booth must pass a board inspection before services are performed in it.
Moving a salon to a new location also requires a board inspection before the new location license is issued.

Sources

What Louisiana's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Louisiana State Board of 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: “No person or entity shall operate a beauty shop or salon in the state of Louisiana without a certificate of registration issued by the board.”
legis.la.gov
“Requirements for certification as a beauty shop or salon”
legis.la.gov
Fees for a new salon: “Beauty shop or salon, mobile salon, or home care $55.00”
legis.la.gov
“Initial inspection fee for salon, mobile salon, or booth rental $50.00”
legis.la.gov
Other license types: “each initial certificate of registration and each annual renewal of such certificate”
legis.la.gov
Renewal: “Every beauty shop owner, mobile salon owner, booth renter, manager of a beauty shop, and school shall, on or before January thirty-first of each calendar year, renew”
legis.la.gov
“Beauty shop or salon, mobile salon, or home care $55.00”
legis.la.gov
Inspection: “Your inspector must come out to the new salon and inspect the premises before you are issued a salon license.”
lsbc.louisiana.gov
Person in charge: “A registered manager shall be present at the salon during all hours of operation and shall be responsible for ensuring that all persons practicing cosmetology within the facility are appropriately licensed”
legis.la.gov
Barbershops: “outside of any facility licensed by that board or the Louisiana Board of Barber Examiners”
legis.la.gov
“No person shall accept employment or continue employment in a beauty shop, salon, or other facility unless the facility possesses a certificate of registration issued by the appropriate licensing board.”
legis.la.gov
“For the annual renewal of all barber shop registrations $ 30.00”
legis.la.gov
Booth renters: “The board shall issue a booth rental permit to any person who holds a license, certificate of registration, or permit issued by the board”
legis.la.gov
“Booth rental permit, special permit, or temporary permit $50.00”
legis.la.gov
Who licenses salons: “Any person wishing to open a shop must fill out and present the application to the inspector at time of initial inspection”
lsbc.louisiana.gov
Also good to know: “Every beauty shop, salon and cosmetology school shall be adequately lighted, well ventilated, and kept in a clean and sanitary condition at all times.”
doa.la.gov
Also good to know: “A booth renter’s permit shall be issued after an inspection of the booth prior to services being performed in the rented booth.”
doa.la.gov
Also good to know: “Your inspector must come out to the new location and inspect the premises before you are issued a salon new location license.”
lsbc.louisiana.gov

Questions

Louisiana salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Louisiana?

A new Beauty Shop or Salon Certificate of Registration costs $105 to the state (certificate of registration $55 plus first inspection $50) and is renewed every year for $55. That is $55 for the certificate of registration plus $50 for the first inspection. 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 Louisiana?

Louisiana'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 or Salon Certificate of Registration, and a registered manager must be present at the salon during all hours of operation and make sure everyone practicing there is licensed.. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Louisiana?

Yes. the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology inspects a new salon before it may open or before the license is issued, so plan the inspection into your opening date.

Do booth renters need their own license in Louisiana?

Yes. A booth renter in Louisiana needs a Booth rental permit, $50, as well as a practitioner license.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Louisiana?

Yes. Barbershops have a license of their own in Louisiana: the Barber shop registration, issued by the Louisiana Board of Barber Examiners.

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Before you sign a lease

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