Nevada salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Nevada

To open a salon in Nevada you need a Cosmetological Establishment License for the business, issued by the Nevada State Board of Cosmetology, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $215 to the state (license (2 years) $200 plus opening inspection $15) and is renewed every 2 years for $200. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Nevada State Board of Cosmetology
Business license: Cosmetological Establishment License
New salon fee: $215
Renewal: Every 2 years, $200
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 Nevada State Board of Cosmetology.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Nevada

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 Nevada license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Nevada cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Put a licensed person in charge. Someone licensed in each kind of service being performed must supervise the salon at all times.
3
Apply for the Cosmetological Establishment License with the Nevada State Board of Cosmetology (application), paying $215 to the state (license (2 years) $200 plus opening inspection $15). Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
4
Pass the inspection before you open. the Nevada 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
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years for $200.
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 Nevada 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 Nevada salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Nevada's $215 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Nevada asks of a salon

A mobile salon is licensed as a mobile cosmetological establishment, and its application must be filed at least 10 days before the proposed opening date.
A change of ownership, name, services offered or location requires a new license, and the establishment may not operate under the change until it is issued.
The license must be displayed in plain view, and a sign stating the establishment is not a medical facility must be displayed at each location.

Sources

What Nevada's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Nevada 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: “Any person wishing to operate a cosmetological establishment in which any one or a combination of the occupations of cosmetology are practiced must apply to the Board for a license”
leg.state.nv.us
Fees for a new salon: “(a) For 2 years, $200.”
leg.state.nv.us
“The fee for the initial inspection is $15. If an additional inspection is necessary, the fee is $25.”
leg.state.nv.us
Other license types: “(b) For 4 years, $400.”
leg.state.nv.us
Renewal: “2. For cosmetological establishments:”
leg.state.nv.us
“(a) For 2 years, $200.”
leg.state.nv.us
Inspection: “Before issuing a license for a cosmetological establishment, the Board shall conduct an opening inspection of the proposed cosmetological establishment”
leg.state.nv.us
Person in charge: “A cosmetological establishment must, at all times, be under the immediate supervision of a person who is licensed”
leg.state.nv.us
Barbershops: “No person may operate a barbershop unless the Board has issued a license to operate a barbershop to that person.”
leg.state.nv.us
“Such a barber remains under the jurisdiction of the State Barbers’ Health and Sanitation Board”
leg.state.nv.us
Who licenses salons: ““Board” means the State Board of Cosmetology.”
leg.state.nv.us
Also good to know: “An application for a license to operate a mobile cosmetological establishment must be filed with the Board not less than 10 days before the proposed opening date.”
leg.state.nv.us
Also good to know: “The establishment may not be operated after the change until a new license is issued.”
leg.state.nv.us
Also good to know: “a sign of sufficient size to be legible to members of the general public stating that the establishment is not a medical facility.”
leg.state.nv.us

Questions

Nevada salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Nevada?

A new Cosmetological Establishment License costs $215 to the state (license (2 years) $200 plus opening inspection $15) and is renewed every 2 years for $200. A 4-year license costs $400 instead of $200 for 2 years. 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 Nevada?

Nevada's official pages we read do not say whether the owner personally needs a cosmetology license. What they do require: the business holds a Cosmetological Establishment License, and someone licensed in each kind of service being performed must supervise the salon at all times.. If you are not licensed yourself, ask the Nevada State Board of Cosmetology before you sign a lease.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Nevada?

Yes. the Nevada 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.

Does a barbershop need a different license in Nevada?

Yes. Barbershops have a license of their own in Nevada: the Barbershop license, issued by the Nevada State Barbers' Health and Sanitation Board.

Plan the rest

Before you sign a lease

Salon licenses in other states

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