Tennessee salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Tennessee
To open a salon in Tennessee you need a Cosmetology Shop License for the business, issued by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $150 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $75. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
- Business license
- Cosmetology Shop License
- New salon fee
- $150
- Renewal
- Every 2 years, $75
- Inspection before opening
- Yes
- Owner must hold a license
- No
- Booth renters need a license
- Not stated
- Barbershops
- Own license: Barber Shop
Licensed by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.How to apply License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Tennessee
- 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 Tennessee license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Tennessee cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Put a licensed person in charge. A licensed cosmetologist, manicurist, aesthetician, eyelash specialist or natural hair stylist must act as manager whenever the shop is open.
- 3
Apply for the Cosmetology Shop License with the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners (application), paying $150 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 4
Pass the inspection before you open. the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners 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 $75.
- 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Tennessee's $150 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Tennessee asks of a salon
- A dual shop is needed to provide both cosmetology and barber services in one location.
- The application and fees are valid for only 90 days; if the shop is not ready for inspection in that window, you must reapply and pay a new application fee.
- A new cosmetology shop inside an existing licensed barber shop may open before its inspection if it applies at once; the inspection then follows within ten days.
Sources
What Tennessee's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners'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
“Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board Cosmetology Shop License”
tn.gov “Initial Full Service Cosmetology Shop Application”
tn.gov - Fees for a new salon
“_For Cosmetology, Barber, Manicure, Skin Care, Natural Hair Styling, Manicure/Skin Care, Eyelash Services_$150”
tn.gov - Other license types
“New Dual Shop$200”
tn.gov - Renewal
“_For Cosmetology, Barber, Manicure, Skin Care, Natural Hair Styling, Manicure/Skin Care, Eyelash Services_$75”
tn.gov “will also renew the license for the standard two years.”
support.commerce.tn.gov - Inspection
“IMPORTANT NOTE: All new shops or changes of location must be inspected and approved by an inspector of the Board before opening business.”
tn.gov - The owner
“The owner may occupy the role of manager if properly licensed.”
tn.gov - Person in charge
“All full-service shops must have a licensed cosmetologist, manicurist, aesthetician, eyelash specialist, or natural hair stylist acting in the role of manager at all times the shop is open.”
tn.gov “The shop manager must be licensed by this board for at least one (1) discipline that the shop”
publications.tnsosfiles.com - Barbershops
“Complete the “Initial Barber Shop Application” online”
tn.gov “The fee for the application is $150.”
tn.gov “A dual shop will allow you to provide services in both the cosmetology and barber professions.”
tn.gov - Who licenses salons
“Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners”
tn.gov - Also good to know
“A dual shop will allow you to provide services in both the cosmetology and barber professions.”
tn.gov - Also good to know
“The application and fees are only valid for ninety (90) days.”
tn.gov - Also good to know
“be located in an existing, licensed barber shop, the cosmetology shop may open for business”
publications.tnsosfiles.com
Questions
Tennessee salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Tennessee?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Tennessee?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Tennessee?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Tennessee?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Tennessee, as a checklist
- What Tennessee inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Tennessee? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Tennessee 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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