Pennsylvania salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Pennsylvania
To open a salon in Pennsylvania you need a Cosmetology Salon License for the business, issued by the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $142 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $144. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology
- Business license
- Cosmetology Salon License
- New salon fee
- $142
- Renewal
- Every 2 years, $144
- Inspection before opening
- Yes
- Owner must hold a license
- Not stated
- Booth renters need a license
- Not stated
- Barbershops
- Own license: Barber Shop
Licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology.How to apply License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Pennsylvania
- 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 Pennsylvania license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Pennsylvania cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Put a licensed person in charge. The owner manages the salon, or names a licensed cosmetologist as person in charge when the owner is away (nail, esthetics and braiding salons have their own rules).
- 3
Apply for the Cosmetology Salon License with the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology (application), paying $142 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 4
Pass the inspection before you open. the Pennsylvania 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 $144.
- 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Pennsylvania's $142 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Pennsylvania asks of a salon
- Renting booth space inside a salon is prohibited by regulation, and the Cosmetology Act (Section 8.1) also makes booth rental by a salon owner unlawful. Do not plan a salon around booth renters.
- The salon license application must name the designated person in charge and that person's license number, and include a sketch plan of the salon layout.
- A new owner who takes over an existing salon must file an initial salon application and cannot open or operate until the salon passes inspection.
Sources
What Pennsylvania's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of the Pennsylvania 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
“An owner-applicant for a salon license shall submit a license application to the Board with the following:”
pacode.com - Fees for a new salon
“Cosmetology salon or limited practice salon $135 $142”
pacode.com - Other license types
“An applicant for initial application and registration shall pay the following fees:”
pacode.com “Fees are due at the time of application and are non-refundable.”
pa.gov - Renewal
“An applicant for biennial renewal shall pay the following fees:”
pacode.com “Cosmetology salon or limited practice salon $129 $144”
pacode.com - Inspection
“All salons must be inspected and pass inspection prior to operating per the Board’s Regulations.”
pa.gov “the salon CANNOT be open/operating prior to inspection.”
pa.gov - Person in charge
“A cosmetology salon shall be managed by the salon owner or, in the absence of the salon owner, a person in charge designated by the salon owner.”
pacode.com “The designated person in charge shall be a licensed cosmetologist, except as follows:”
pacode.com - Barbershops
“Barber Shop $110 $145 $160”
pacode.com “a licensed cosmetology salon or barber shop as defined”
pa.gov “Barber Examiners”
pa.gov - Who licenses salons
“The State Board of Cosmetology regulates the practice and licensure of estheticians; nail technicians; cosmetologists and teachers of cosmetology; and cosmetology salons and schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
dos.pa.gov - Also good to know
“The rental of booth space within a salon is prohibited.”
pacode.com - Also good to know
“The name and license number of the individual who will be the designated person in charge of the salon in the absence of the owner.”
pacode.com - Also good to know
“The new owner cannot open or operate the salon until the salon is successfully inspected.”
pa.gov
Questions
Pennsylvania salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Pennsylvania?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Pennsylvania?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Pennsylvania?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Pennsylvania?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Pennsylvania, as a checklist
- What Pennsylvania inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Pennsylvania? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Pennsylvania 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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