Nebraska salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Nebraska

To open a salon in Nebraska you need a Cosmetology Salon License for the business, issued by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $150 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $150. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Business license: Cosmetology Salon License
New salon fee: $150
Renewal: Every 2 years, $150
Inspection before opening: No, after opening
Owner must hold a license: Not stated
Booth renters need a license: Not stated
Barbershops: Own license: Barber Shop License

Licensed by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Nebraska

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 Nebraska license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Nebraska cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Apply for the Cosmetology Salon License with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (application), paying $150 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
3
Expect inspections after you open. the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services does not inspect before opening, but it does inspect licensed salons, so be ready from day one.
4
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years for $150.
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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Nebraska's $150 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Nebraska asks of a salon

A salon must have at least 150 square feet of floor space for one licensee, plus 50 square feet for each additional licensee working at the same time.
The application must be submitted at least 30 days before the planned opening (or before construction or remodeling starts, if any is planned).
After the certificate of consideration is issued, the department must conduct an operation inspection within six months; a salon that passes receives a permanent license.

Sources

What Nebraska's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services'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: “In order to be licensed as a salon by the department, an applicant shall meet, and present to the department evidence of meeting, the following requirements:”
dhhs.ne.gov
“Cosmetology salon means a fixed structure or part thereof licensed under the Cosmetology, Electrology, Esthetics, Nail Technology, and Body Art Practice Act”
dhhs.ne.gov
Fees for a new salon: “Before a salon can operate, an application, self-inspection, sketch of the salon, proof of liability insurance, and fee of $150 must be submitted”
dhhs.ne.gov
Other license types: “OR $37.50 ( if issued between April 1st and September 30th of the ODD numbered years )”
dhhs.ne.gov
Renewal: “The credential to engage in a business shall be renewed biennially upon request of the credentialed business”
dhhs.ne.gov
“Fee Now Due: $150.00”
dhhs.ne.gov
Inspection: “In the event an application is approved, the department shall issue the applicant a certificate of consideration to operate a salon pending an operation inspection.”
dhhs.ne.gov
“The department shall conduct an operation inspection of each salon issued a certificate of consideration within six months of the issuance of such certificate.”
dhhs.ne.gov
Barbershops: “Check this box if the salon also has a barber area and contact the Board of Barber Examiners for licensure of this area”
dhhs.ne.gov
“Nebraska Application For Licensing A New Barber Shop”
barbers.nebraska.gov
“Barber Shop licenses expire each June 30 of even numbered years.”
barbers.nebraska.gov
Who licenses salons: “Division of Public Health – Licensure Unit”
dhhs.ne.gov
Also good to know: “The proposed salon shall have at least one hundred fifty square feet of floor space.”
dhhs.ne.gov
Also good to know: “If no construction or remodeling is planned, the application shall be submitted at least thirty days before the proposed opening of the salon for operation.”
dhhs.ne.gov
Also good to know: “The department shall conduct an operation inspection of each salon issued a certificate of consideration within six months of the issuance of such certificate.”
dhhs.ne.gov

Questions

Nebraska salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Nebraska?

A new Cosmetology Salon License costs $150 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $150. The fee is $37.50 instead if the license is issued between April 1 and September 30 of an odd-numbered year. 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 Nebraska?

Nebraska'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 Salon License. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Nebraska?

No, not before opening. the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services inspects salons after the license is issued, so the salon must meet the sanitation rules from its first day.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Nebraska?

Yes. Barbershops have a license of their own in Nebraska: the Barber Shop License, issued by the Nebraska Board of Barber Examiners.

Plan the rest

Before you sign a lease

Salon licenses in other states

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