North Dakota salon licensing
How to get a salon license in North Dakota
To open a salon in North Dakota you need a Establishment License for the business, issued by the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $150 to the state and is renewed every year for $100. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology
- Business license
- Establishment License
- New salon fee
- $150
- Renewal
- Every year, $100
- Inspection before opening
- Yes
- Owner must hold a license
- No
- Booth renters need a license
- Independent Licensee License
- Barbershops
- Own license: Barbershop License
Licensed by the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology.How to apply The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in North Dakota
- 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 North Dakota license of their own. The North Dakota cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Apply for the Establishment License with the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology (application), paying $150 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 3
Pass the inspection before you open. the North Dakota 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.
- 4
If you rent out chairs, check your renters' licenses. In North Dakota a booth renter needs an Independent Licensee License ($150). Put the terms in a booth rental agreement.
- 5
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every year for $100.
- 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- North Dakota's $150 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else North Dakota asks of a salon
- The application must be notarized and submitted two weeks before the opening date.
- Establishment licenses renew annually by December 31, and a $50 penalty applies to each license paid or postmarked after that date.
- The salon must be completely separated from living or sleeping quarters.
Sources
What North Dakota's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of the North Dakota 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
“A licensed establishment is any fixed location where cosmetology services are provided.”
ndcosmetology.com - Fees for a new salon
“A fee of $150.00 must be submitted with application.”
ndcosmetology.com - Renewal
“Establishment License Renewal $100”
ndcosmetology.com “All establishment and independent licenses must be renewed annually.”
ndcosmetology.com - Inspection
“An opening inspection is required for all new establishments”
ndcosmetology.com “The inspection must be completed and approved by the Board prior to operating”
ndcosmetology.com - The owner
“An establishment may be owned by any person authorized to do business in this state.”
ndlegis.gov - Barbershops
“For issuance of an annual barbershop license, fifty dollars, to be paid by each”
ndlegis.gov “by a fee of one hundred dollars to cover expenses of inspection”
ndlegis.gov - Booth renters
“Maintain their own license in addition to their personal license”
ndcosmetology.com “A fee of $150.00 must be submitted with application.”
ndcosmetology.com - Who licenses salons
“The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology licenses and regulates cosmetology professionals, schools, and establishments throughout the state.”
ndcosmetology.com - Also good to know
“The original application must be notarized and submitted two weeks prior to the opening date.”
ndcosmetology.com - Also good to know
“Include a $50 penalty fee for EACH license being renewed if paid or postmarked after December 31st.”
ndcosmetology.com - Also good to know
“Be completely separated from living or sleeping quarters”
ndcosmetology.com
Questions
North Dakota salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in North Dakota?
Do you need a license to own a salon in North Dakota?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in North Dakota?
Do booth renters need their own license in North Dakota?
Does a barbershop need a different license in North Dakota?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in North Dakota, as a checklist
- What North Dakota inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in North Dakota? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each North Dakota 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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