Virginia salon licensing
How to get a salon license in Virginia
To open a salon in Virginia you need a Cosmetology Salon License for the business, issued by the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology, on top of the license each stylist or technician holds. It costs $220 to the state and is renewed every 2 years for $220. Every fact below is quoted from the state's own pages, read on October 17, 2026.
- Licensed by
- Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology
- Business license
- Cosmetology Salon License
- New salon fee
- $220
- Renewal
- Every 2 years, $220
- Inspection before opening
- Not stated
- Owner must hold a license
- Not stated
- Booth renters need a license
- Not stated
- Barbershops
- Own license: Barber Shop
Licensed by the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology.How to apply License lookup The state's own words
Step by step
Opening a salon in Virginia
- 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 Virginia license of their own, which you can check in the state's license lookup. The Virginia cosmetology, barber, nail and esthetician licenses page lists each one's training hours, fees and renewal.
- 2
Apply for the Cosmetology Salon License with the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology (application), paying $220 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 $220.
- 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 Virginia 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 Virginia salon inspection checklist lists every sanitation rule an inspector checks.
- Virginia's $220 for a new salon is above the middle of the 46 states with a published fee, $123.
Good to know
What else Virginia asks of a salon
- Mobile salons must give a physical address where the salon is permanently garaged.
- Salon owners must complete and maintain a self-inspection form; the board's form says it stays on the premises and is not sent to the board.
- Salon licenses are issued to a firm, are not transferable, and name or address changes must be reported to the board within 30 days.
Sources
What Virginia's official pages say
Each fact above, in the words of the Virginia Board for Barbers and 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
“1202 - Cosmetology Salon”
ris.dls.virginia.gov - Fees for a new salon
“Facilities: Application $220 With application Renewal $220 With renewal card prior to expiration date”
law.lis.virginia.gov “$220.00* $440.00* 1304 - Barber Shop 1202 - Cosmetology Salon”
ris.dls.virginia.gov - Other license types
“Application fee is per each license type.”
ris.dls.virginia.gov - Renewal
“A license or certificate issued under this chapter expires two years from the last day of the month in which it was issued.”
law.lis.virginia.gov “Facilities: Application $220 With application Renewal $220 With renewal card prior to expiration date”
law.lis.virginia.gov - Barbershops
“No individual or entity shall operate a barbershop, cosmetology salon, nail care salon, waxing salon, tattoo parlor”
law.lis.virginia.gov “$220.00* $440.00* 1304 - Barber Shop 1202 - Cosmetology Salon”
ris.dls.virginia.gov - Who licenses salons
“The Board for Barbers and Cosmetology licenses individuals and businesses that perform barbering, cosmetology, nail care, waxing, tattooing, body piercing, and esthetics.”
dpor.virginia.gov - Also good to know
“Mobile shops and salons must provide a physical address where the shop or salon is permanently garaged.”
law.lis.virginia.gov - Also good to know
“all Shops, Salons, and Spas shall complete and maintain a self-inspection form.”
dpor.virginia.gov - Also good to know
“Shop or salon licenses are issued to firms as defined in this chapter and are not transferable.”
law.lis.virginia.gov
Questions
Virginia salon licenses, answered
How much is a salon license in Virginia?
Do you need a license to own a salon in Virginia?
Does a barbershop need a different license in Virginia?
Plan the rest
Before you sign a lease
- Every step to opening a salon in Virginia, as a checklist
- What Virginia inspectors check, as a printable checklist
- Are haircuts taxable in Virginia? Sales tax on services, products and the permit
- Hours and fees for each Virginia 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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