Massachusetts — statewide
Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure
In short
Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure issues 2 permits we publish for Massachusetts — statewide, last verified 2026-09-03. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure | $136 application; $82 to renew | biennial — expires 31 December of even-numbered years | 2026-09-03 |
| Barbershop Licenseonly if it applies to you | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure | $130 original registration; $78 to renew | biennial — expires 30 June of even-numbered years | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License
One salon may need more than one license: a salon offering nails and skin care but not hair needs both a manicuring and an aesthetics license, while a cosmetology license alone covers hair. The license is valid only for the location on it and is not transferable, so moving even within the same address means a fresh application, and a change of ownership needs one thirty days ahead with the salon allowed to stay open only thirty days after. A final on-site inspection is required before licensing, with the salon fully fitted out and signed. Names suggesting a medical or healing benefit are prohibited, as is gender pricing. Everything goes through the state's licensing platform, and an incomplete application is abandoned after a hundred and eighty days. Barbershops are the same board on a different clock — see the separate record.
Barbershop License
Six dollars cheaper than a salon license and on an entirely different clock: a barbershop expires on 30 June of an even year while a salon expires on 31 December of one. A combined operation therefore renews twice a cycle on two dates six months apart, which is the sort of thing that quietly lapses. The board no longer issues or requires booth renter licenses, although the category still appears on its published renewal schedule.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Massachusetts — statewide
- Phone
- (617) 701-8792
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 801 CMR 4.00 — rates, the Commonwealth's consolidated schedule of licensing board feesCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Massachusetts — apply for a barbershop licenseCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Massachusetts — apply for an aesthetics, cosmetology or manicuring salon licenseCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Massachusetts — renew a barber, cosmetology or electrology license, with the expiration scheduleCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other Massachusetts statewide offices
- Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Food Protection
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine, Division of Occupational Licensure
- Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue
- Massachusetts Division of Standards, Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
- Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, Home Improvement Contractor Program
- Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections, Division of Occupational Licensure
Massachusetts jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.