Michigan salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Michigan

To open a salon in Michigan you need a Cosmetology Establishment License for the business, issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $75 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: LARA
Business license: Cosmetology Establishment License
New salon fee: $75
Renewal: Every 2 years, $50
Inspection before opening: Yes
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Not stated
Barbershops: Own license: Barbershop license

Licensed by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).Apply with LARA License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Michigan

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 Michigan license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Michigan cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Apply for the Cosmetology Establishment License with LARA (application), paying $75 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
3
Pass the inspection before you open. LARA 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 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 Michigan 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 Michigan salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Michigan's $75 for a new salon is below the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Michigan asks of a salon

An ownership or location change voids the establishment license, so a new owner or a new location must file a new license application.
The premises must be completely separated by full partitions and doors from any adjacent dwelling or school of cosmetology.
Each inspection violation found on a cosmetology establishment inspection carries a $100 fine (LARA inspection FAQ, updated 9/27/16).

Sources

What Michigan's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of LARA'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: “Online Application for a Cosmetology Establishment License”
michigan.gov
“The department shall issue a license to a person to operate a cosmetology establishment”
legislature.mi.gov
Fees for a new salon: “Cosmetology Establishment $75.00”
michigan.gov
Other license types: “(iii)Cosmetology establishment 25.00”
legislature.mi.gov
“(ii)Cosmetology establishment 25.00”
legislature.mi.gov
Renewal: “Renewal Application Fee: $50.00”
michigan.gov
“Renewal Cycle 2 years”
michigan.gov
Inspection: “The establishment and its premises have satisfactorily passed an inspection”
legislature.mi.gov
“Business is not permitted to be conducted in the cosmetology establishment until after an inspection has”
michigan.gov
Barbershops: “The department shall issue a license to a barbershop”
legislature.mi.gov
Who licenses salons: “Bureau of Professional Licensing”
michigan.gov
Also good to know: “An owner's cosmetology establishment license is considered void if there is a sale or other transfer of the cosmetology establishment”
legislature.mi.gov
Also good to know: “Ensure that the establishment is completely separated by full partitions and doors from a dwelling”
legislature.mi.gov
Also good to know: “Each violation is subject to a $100 fine.”
michigan.gov

Questions

Michigan salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Michigan?

A new Cosmetology Establishment License costs $75 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $50. That is a $25 application fee plus $25 a year for the 2-year license. 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 Michigan?

Michigan'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 LARA before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Michigan?

Yes. LARA 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 Michigan?

Yes. Barbershops have a license of their own in Michigan: the Barbershop license.

Plan the rest

Before you sign a lease

Salon licenses in other states

Ready when you are

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