Texas salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Texas
To open a salon in Texas you need a Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License for the business, issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $78 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $78. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- TDLR
- Business license
- Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License
- New salon fee
- $78
- Renewal
- Every 2 years, $78
- Inspection before opening
- Not stated
- Owner must hold a license
- Not stated
- Booth renters need a license
- No
- Barbershops
- Same license
Licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).Apply with TDLR License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Texas
- 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 Texas license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Texas cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Apply for the Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License with TDLR (application), paying $78 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 3
Put the renewal in your calendar. The salon license is renewed every 2 years for $78.
- 4
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 Texas 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 Texas salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Texas's $78 for a new salon is below the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Texas asks of a salon
- A salon that rents space to others is a "gallery establishment". It may lease space only to a Mini-Establishment licensee or an individual practitioner with a valid Texas barbering or cosmetology license, and it must submit an Independent Contractor List with its application.
- A salon attached to a residence must have a separate entrance, and the premises may not be used for living or sleeping.
- A mobile salon needs its own application, on a separate mobile establishment page, and also costs $78.
Sources
What Texas's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of TDLR'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
“Apply for a Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License”
tdlr.texas.gov - Fees for a new salon
“Establishment License Apply Online Apply by Mail $78”
tdlr.texas.gov “Full-Service Establishment License $78”
tdlr.texas.gov - Other license types
“Specialty Establishment License Apply Online Apply by Mail $78”
tdlr.texas.gov “Mini-Establishment License Also see Mini-Establishment FAQ Apply Online Apply by Mail $70”
tdlr.texas.gov “A Mini-Establishment must be located inside a licensed full-service establishment or a specialty establishment”
tdlr.texas.gov - Renewal
“Establishment licenses are valid for two years from the date of issue.”
tdlr.texas.gov “Renewal Fee Full-Service Establishment $78”
tdlr.texas.gov - Barbershops
“All licenses with “shop,” “salon,” “shop/salon,” titles will be replaced with the “establishment” title”
tdlr.texas.gov - Booth renters
“Establishments may lease space to any mini-establishment licensee or individual practitioner who holds a valid barbering or cosmetology license in Texas.”
tdlr.texas.gov “An establishment may lease space to an independent contractor who is a practitioner.”
tdlr.texas.gov - Who licenses salons
“Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation”
tdlr.texas.gov - Also good to know
“Establishments may lease space to any mini-establishment licensee or individual practitioner who holds a valid barbering or cosmetology license in Texas.”
tdlr.texas.gov - Also good to know
“Licensed premises may not be used for living or sleeping purposes, or any other purpose that would tend to make the premises unsanitary, unsafe, or endanger the health and safety of the public.”
tdlr.texas.gov - Also good to know
“To apply for a license, submit a completed license application form (PDF) along with the non-refundable fee of $78.”
tdlr.texas.gov
Questions
Texas salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Texas?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Texas?
Do booth renters need their own license in Texas?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Texas?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Texas, as a checklist
- What Texas inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Texas? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Texas 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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