Rhode Island salon licensing

How to get a salon license in Rhode Island

To open a salon in Rhode Island you need a Hair Design Shop License for the business, issued by the Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $170 to the state and is renewed every year for $170. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.

Licensed by: Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering
Business license: Hair Design Shop License
New salon fee: $170
Renewal: Every year, $170
Inspection before opening: Yes
Owner must hold a license: No
Booth renters need a license: Shop Space license
Barbershops: Not stated

Licensed by the Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering.How to apply License lookup The state's own words

Step by step

Opening a salon in Rhode Island

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 Rhode Island license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Rhode Island cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
2
Put a licensed person in charge. The shop must register a licensed supervising manager who is available whenever the shop is open; the owner may be that manager if licensed.
3
Apply for the Hair Design Shop License with the Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering (application), paying $170 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
4
Pass the inspection before you open. the Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering 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
If you rent out chairs, check your renters' licenses. In Rhode Island a booth renter needs a Shop Space license ($170). Put the terms in a booth rental agreement.
6
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every year for $170.
7
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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.

Rhode Island's $170 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.

Good to know

What else Rhode Island asks of a salon

The application must include a zoning letter completed by the city or town building inspector confirming the location is zoned for the shop type.
The supervising manager must be available at all times during shop operating hours.

Sources

What Rhode Island's official pages say

Each fact above, in the words of the Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering'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: “Licensed Barbers may only act as Supervising/Shop Managers at Hair Design Shops”
health.ri.gov
Fees for a new salon: “Application Fee ($170.00) attached to the upper left-hand corner of the first (Top) page of the application.”
health.ri.gov
“Hair Design Shop: Initial License § 5-10-15(b) § 23-1-54 $170.00”
rules.sos.ri.gov
Other license types: “Check or money order (preferred), made payable (in U.S. funds only) to the RI General Treasurer”
health.ri.gov
Renewal: “may be renewed from year to year subject to inspection and approval by the Department”
rules.sos.ri.gov
“Hair Design Shop: Renewal § 5-10-15(b) § 23-1-54 $170.00”
rules.sos.ri.gov
Inspection: “An inspection of your shop/salon must be conducted and passed before the business can open.”
health.ri.gov
The owner: “unless the proprietor or a supervising manager in the practice of barbering, hairdressing and cosmetic therapy, of the shop, place of business, or establishment is licensed”
webserver.rilegislature.gov
Person in charge: “The supervising manager shall be registered with the division as the manager of a licensed shop and shall only be registered to manage one shop at a time.”
webserver.rilegislature.gov
“Said manager shall furthermore be required to be available at all times during the hours of the shop's operation.”
rules.sos.ri.gov
Booth renters: “THIS APPLICATION IS TO BE USED BY INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS WHO ARE RENTING SPACE WITHIN A LICENSED RHODE ISLAND COSMETOLOGY FACILITY.”
health.ri.gov
“Application Fee ($170.00) attached to the upper left-hand corner of the first (Top) page of the application.”
health.ri.gov
Who licenses salons: “Board of Hairdressing and Barbering”
health.ri.gov
Also good to know: “Zoning Letter - must be completed by the city/town building inspector of the city or town where your shop will be”
health.ri.gov
Also good to know: “Said manager shall furthermore be required to be available at all times during the hours of the shop's operation.”
rules.sos.ri.gov

Questions

Rhode Island salon licenses, answered

How much is a salon license in Rhode Island?

A new Hair Design Shop License costs $170 to the state and is renewed every year for $170. Pay by check or money order made out to the RI General Treasurer. 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 Rhode Island?

No. Rhode Island's official pages say the owner does not need a practitioner license of their own, but the business needs a Hair Design Shop License and everyone who does services needs their own license. The shop must register a licensed supervising manager who is available whenever the shop is open; the owner may be that manager if licensed.

Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Rhode Island?

Yes. the Rhode Island Board of Hairdressing and Barbering inspects a new salon before it may open or before the license is issued, so plan the inspection into your opening date.

Do booth renters need their own license in Rhode Island?

Yes. A booth renter in Rhode Island needs a Shop Space license, $170, as well as a practitioner license.

Plan the rest

Before you sign a lease

Salon licenses in other states

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