Vermont salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Vermont
To open a salon in Vermont you need a Shop License for the business, issued by the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $355 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $285. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- OPR
- Business license
- Shop License
- New salon fee
- $355
- Renewal
- Every 2 years, $285
- Inspection before opening
- Yes
- Owner must hold a license
- Not stated
- Booth renters need a license
- Not stated
- Barbershops
- Same license
Licensed by the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR).Apply with OPR License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Vermont
- 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 Vermont license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Vermont 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 name a designated licensee responsible for its cleanliness, sanitation and safety.
- 3
Apply for the Shop License with OPR (application), paying $355 to the state. Apply before you open: the business needs its own license to operate.
- 4
Pass the inspection before you open. OPR 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 $285.
- 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 Vermont 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 Vermont salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Vermont's $355 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Vermont asks of a salon
- A shop may not open for business until its shop license has been issued.
- Each location or mobile facility needs its own shop license, even under common ownership. Shop licenses are not transferable.
- The application needs a scaled floor plan (8½ x 11 in.), and a copy must be kept on the premises for the inspector.
Sources
What Vermont's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of OPR'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
“Barbers and Cosmetologist Shop License Application Instructions”
outside.vermont.gov “The Director shall issue a license to the person who owns or controls a shop or school of barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, or manicuring”
legislature.vermont.gov - Fees for a new salon
“(A) Barbering or cosmetology schools and shops, $355.00.”
legislature.vermont.gov - Renewal
“(T) Barbering or cosmetology shop, $285.00.”
legislature.vermont.gov “Licenses are valid for fixed, two-year periods.”
outside.vermont.gov - Inspection
“the satisfactory results of an inspection by an Office inspector, approved third-party inspector, or designated licensee”
outside.vermont.gov “You may NOT be open for business until your shop license has been issued.”
outside.vermont.gov - Person in charge
“has a designated licensee responsible for overall cleanliness, sanitation, and safety of the shop”
legislature.vermont.gov “After you renew your individual license you will need to switch to the business profile to complete your shop renewal.”
outside.vermont.gov - Barbershops
“Barbers and Cosmetologist Shop License Application Instructions”
outside.vermont.gov “(A) Barbering or cosmetology schools and shops, $355.00.”
legislature.vermont.gov - Who licenses salons
“The Barber & Cosmetology Board, together with the Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), work to administer licensing for your profession.”
sos.vermont.gov - Also good to know
“You may NOT be open for business until your shop license has been issued.”
outside.vermont.gov - Also good to know
“A distinct license is required of each location or mobile facility, regardless of common ownership.”
outside.vermont.gov - Also good to know
“Keep one copy of your floor plan on the premises for the inspector.”
outside.vermont.gov
Questions
Vermont salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Vermont?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Vermont?
Is a new salon inspected before it opens in Vermont?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Vermont?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Vermont, as a checklist
- What Vermont inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Vermont? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Vermont 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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