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12 permits · verified 2026-09-08

What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Birmingham?

In short

A salon or barber in Birmingham, AL has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits charges $150 flat; a new Certificate of Use and Occupancy triggered by a change of occupancy or tenant is a $300 inspection fee instead for the certificate of occupancy. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Birmingham

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign PermitCity of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits$175.00 application fee per sign, plus $1.50 per square foot of sign face.one-time, per sign2026-09-08
Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber ShopCity of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration DivisionSchedule 124 (Hairdressers or Beauty Parlors): $30 per operator, owner counted as the first. Schedule 032 (Barber Shop): $30 per chair set up, whether operated or not, plus $30 per manicurist.annual — calendar year2026-09-08
Salon and Barber Shop LicenseAlabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering$200 new shop; renewal is $150biennial — expiring 30 September, renewable to 31 October, in odd-numbered years2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Birmingham

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits$150 flat; a new Certificate of Use and Occupancy triggered by a change of occupancy or tenant is a $300 inspection fee insteadone-time, per issuance2026-09-08
Commercial Building PermitCity of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and PermitsVaries — formula on the Birmingham pageone-time, per project2026-09-08
Zoning Certificate or Information Letteronly if it applies to youCity of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and PermitsVaries — formula on the Birmingham pageone-time, per request2026-09-08

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

AL registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
State and County Business Privilege Licenseonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — 1 October to 30 September, delinquent 1 November2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business Services$200 one-time filingperpetual — Alabama abolished the annual report in 20242026-09-03
Corporation Annual Report (abolished)only if it applies to youAlabama Secretary of State, Business ServicesNo feenot applicable — the filing no longer exists2026-09-03
Business Privilege Taxonly if it applies to youAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the AL pageannual — due when the matching federal return is due2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseAlabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax DivisionNo feeannual — renew online between 1 November and 31 December2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a salon or barber in Birmingham?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a salon or barber in Birmingham, AL, 6 apply to every business of this type and 6 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

Of the 6 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $350.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Sign Permit: $175.00 application fee per sign, plus $1.50 per square foot of sign face.

Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber Shop: Schedule 124 (Hairdressers or Beauty Parlors): $30 per operator, owner counted as the first. Schedule 032 (Barber Shop): $30 per chair set up, whether operated or not, plus $30 per manicurist.

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Birmingham permits page and the AL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Birmingham?

Permits for a salon or barber in Birmingham, AL come from 6 separate offices: City of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits, City of Birmingham Finance Department, Tax and License Administration Division, Alabama Department of Revenue, Business and License Tax Division, Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Alabama Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Division, Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a salon or barber need in Birmingham that other businesses do not?

2 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Birmingham: Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber Shop and Salon and Barber Shop License.

Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber Shop

This is on top of, not instead of, the state cosmetology/barbering board's own shop license and the state beauty-parlour or barber-shop privilege license recorded at the state layer.

Salon and Barber Shop License

Alabama merged its cosmetology and barbering boards, and the statutory definition of a shop covers both trades plus mobile salons — so a barber shop, a hair salon and a mobile unit all take the same license at the same price, and the rules provide only two business license types in total, shop and school. Two hundred dollars new, $150 to renew, with everything else priced modestly: relocation $50, a name or ownership change $25, and $25 for both together. Miss the 31 October postmark and the late charge is $54. The fee schedule here is unusually current, having been amended with effect from May 2026. Remember the second license: a salon also owes the beauty parlour privilege license at $16 for the owner plus $6 or $9 for each additional operator, or the barber shop version at $4.75 for the first chair plus $3.75 for each additional one, and the county issuing it is not required to check that the board license exists.

Shared with other businesses in Birmingham

  • Sign Permit — City of Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits, $175.00 application fee per sign, plus $1.50 per square foot of sign face., one-time, per sign. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Birmingham, AL; what each one involves is set out on the Birmingham permits page. The 6 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across AL and are covered on the AL state page.

How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Birmingham?

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Municipal Business License — Hairdresser, Beauty Parlour or Barber Shop and Salon and Barber Shop License. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Birmingham, AL, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios1120
Retail stores3122
Veterinary clinics3122
Auto repair shops4123
Coffee shops5124
Restaurants5124
Childcare centres2032
Contractors and trades3033
Food trucks5035

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Birmingham permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Birmingham Business License Code, Ordinance 97-183 as amended, listing of schedules by number (hosted by the Alabama Department of Revenue)City of Birmingham, republished by the Alabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. Alabama Administrative Code rule 250-X-2-.01 — Board of Cosmetology and Barbering fee schedule, effective 15 May 2026Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering — renewal FAQ, with the odd-year expiry and late feeAlabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.