Montana salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Montana
To open a salon in Montana you need a Salon or Shop License for the business, issued by the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $275 to the state (original license $125 plus inspection $150) and is renewed every year for $125. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists
- Business license
- Salon or Shop License
- New salon fee
- $275
- Renewal
- Every year, $125
- Inspection before opening
- Yes
- Owner must hold a license
- Not stated
- Booth renters need a license
- Booth rental license
- Barbershops
- Same license
Licensed by the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists.How to apply License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Montana
- 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 Montana license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Montana cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Apply for the Salon or Shop License with the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists (application), paying $275 to the state (original license $125 plus inspection $150). Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 3
Pass the inspection before you open. the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists 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
If you rent out chairs, check your renters' licenses. In Montana a booth renter needs a Booth rental license ($95). Put the terms in a booth rental agreement.
- 5
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every year for $125.
- 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 Montana 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 Montana salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Montana's $275 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Montana asks of a salon
- A new salon whose application is complete except for the inspection can get a temporary license until it passes.
- If more than 50% of ownership changes hands, the new owner must get their own license before operating, and there is no grace period under the old owner's license.
- After licensing, department inspectors conduct annual inspections, which can be done with or without notice.
Sources
What Montana's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists'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
“Original and renewal salon or shop license”
rules.mt.gov - Fees for a new salon
“(6) Original and renewal salon or shop license $125.”
rules.mt.gov “(7) Salon or shop inspection $150.”
rules.mt.gov - Other license types
“$235 ($85 application fee plus $150 inspection fee)”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov - Renewal
“Salons, shops, and booth renters renew annually. Renewal opens on May 1 and ends on June 30.”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov “(6) Original and renewal salon or shop license $125.”
rules.mt.gov - Inspection
“Pass an initial inspection as described in”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov - Barbershops
“Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist Salon/Shop (includes Mobile Salon/Shop)”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov - Booth renters
“A person may not manage or operate a booth without a booth rental license.”
mca.legmt.gov “(8) Original and renewal booth rental license $95.”
rules.mt.gov - Who licenses salons
“Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov - Also good to know
“Applicants for a salon/shop can qualify for a temporary license if staff have determined your application is routine”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov - Also good to know
“If the ownership is changing by greater than 50% the new owner(s) must get a new license in order to operate the shop/salon”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov - Also good to know
“Annual inspections are conducted by department inspectors once a salon/shop or school is licensed”
boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Questions
Montana salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Montana?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Montana?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Montana?
Do booth renters need their own license in Montana?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Montana?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Montana, as a checklist
- What Montana inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Montana? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Montana cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician license
- See what it costs to open a salon, line by line
- Write it up with the salon business plan template
- Find a name and a free domain
- Renting out chairs? Start from a booth rental agreement
Salon licenses in other states
Ready when you are
Open with the website and the bookings ready
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