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10 permits · verified 2026-09-28

What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Montgomery County Al?

In short

A salon or barber in Montgomery County Al, AL has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services charges $200 one-time filing for the certificate of formation (llc). 5 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Montgomery County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General County Privilege License — BarbersMontgomery County Probate Court, Licenses Division$3.75 first-chair license fee + $1 issuance fee = $4.75 total, plus $3.75 total for each additional chair, combined state+county (Ala. Code §40-12-58)annual; all Title 40-12 licenses are due October 1 and delinquent November 1 (§40-12-26); a 15% delinquency penalty plus 6% annual interest applies to a late renewal (§40-12-10(e))2026-09-28
General County Privilege License — Beauty ParlorsMontgomery County Probate Court, Licenses Division$15 shop-owner license fee + $1 issuance fee = $16 total for the shop owner, plus $9 total for each additional operator, in a city over 60,000 population (Ala. Code §40-12-61); a self-employed manicurist or hairdresser not working inside a licensed shop instead owes $7.50 + $1 = $8.50 flat under §40-12-124annual; due October 1, delinquent November 1 (§40-12-26); 15% delinquency penalty plus 6% annual interest (§40-12-10(e))2026-09-28
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 Montgomery County Al

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Building Permit — Unincorporated Montgomery Countyonly if it applies to youMontgomery County Engineering DepartmentVaries — formula on the Montgomery County Al pageone-time, per permit2026-09-28

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 Montgomery County Al?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a salon or barber in Montgomery County Al, AL, 4 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $200.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 10 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:

General County Privilege License — Barbers: $3.75 first-chair license fee + $1 issuance fee = $4.75 total, plus $3.75 total for each additional chair, combined state+county (Ala. Code §40-12-58)

General County Privilege License — Beauty Parlors: $15 shop-owner license fee + $1 issuance fee = $16 total for the shop owner, plus $9 total for each additional operator, in a city over 60,000 population (Ala. Code §40-12-61); a self-employed manicurist or hairdresser not working inside a licensed shop instead owes $7.50 + $1 = $8.50 flat under §40-12-124

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Montgomery County Al permits page and the AL state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Montgomery County Al?

Permits for a salon or barber in Montgomery County Al, AL come from 6 separate offices: Montgomery County Probate Court, Licenses Division, Montgomery County Engineering Department, 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 Montgomery County Al that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Montgomery County Al: General County Privilege License — Barbers, General County Privilege License — Beauty Parlors and Salon and Barber Shop License.

General County Privilege License — Barbers

A barbershop in Montgomery County owes this county privilege license through the Probate Court's Title 40-12 process: $4.75 total for the first chair, plus $3.75 total for each additional chair. Unlike Jefferson County, which still runs its own independent Jefferson County Barber Commission dating to 1951, Montgomery County has no equivalent body — its own local-acts chapter, Title 45, Chapter 51, Article 4 ('Business, Labor, and Occupations'), consists of a single section, §45-51-40, marked 'Reserved,' and the alternate article some counties use for a barber board, Article 3 ('Boards and Commissions'), is likewise a single reserved section, §45-51-30. That absence does not mean barbershops in Montgomery County are unlicensed — the §40-12-58 classification fee above still applies in full — it means the fee is collected by the Probate Court under the ordinary statewide schedule rather than by a separate county commission with its own rules and hearings. This license is separate from the individual barber's own state credential from the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, recorded at the state layer.

General County Privilege License — Beauty Parlors

A beauty parlor or full-service salon in Montgomery County owes this county privilege license through the Probate Court's Title 40-12 process: $16 total for the shop owner plus $9 total for each additional operator. The $9-per-operator figure applies because it is keyed to the population of the nearest incorporated municipality, and Montgomery — the state capital, population roughly 200,000 — is the dominant city for nearly all of unincorporated Montgomery County, putting this classification in the over-60,000-population tier (contrast a county like Baldwin, where no city reaches that threshold and the lower $6-per-operator tier always applies). A four-operator salon would owe $15 (owner license) plus 4 x $9 (operators) plus the $1 issuance fee, for $52 total. A self-employed manicurist or hairdresser working independently rather than inside a licensed shop instead owes a flat $8.50 total under the separate §40-12-124 classification, with no population tiering. This license is separate from the individual operator's own state cosmetology license from the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, 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.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Montgomery County Al, AL; what each one involves is set out on the Montgomery County Al 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 Montgomery County Al?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs General County Privilege License — Barbers, General County Privilege License — Beauty Parlors and Salon and Barber Shop License. A auto repair shop needs General County Privilege License — Junk Dealers and Car Crushers, General County Privilege License — Automobile Garages and Shops, Garage and Repair Shop Privilege License and Store License, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Montgomery County Al, AL, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4034
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops6036
Contractors and trades3033
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks3033
Restaurants5035
Retail stores4034
Veterinary clinics3033

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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Montgomery County Al permits page and the AL state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Alabama Department of Revenue — Handbook of Privilege and Store Licenses, October 2022, with the fee schedule for each business typeAlabama Department of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. Montgomery County Probate Court — Business Licenses pageMontgomery County Probate Court · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Code of Alabama, Title 45, Chapter 51, Article 4 (Business, Labor, and Occupations) — §45-51-40, ReservedJustia (Code of Alabama) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  4. Code of Alabama, Title 45, Chapter 51, Article 3 (Boards and Commissions) — §45-51-30, ReservedJustia (Code of Alabama) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  5. 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
  6. 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.