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11 permits · verified 2026-10-24

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

In short

A salon or barber in Marin County, CA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division charges $20 per filing, biennial for the statement of information (llc). 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-24 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Marin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registrationonly if it applies to youCounty of Marin Community Development Agency, Environmental Health ServicesAs published on Environmental Health Services' 'Body art program fees' page, 'Body art permit fees - effective July 1, 2019' (fee total, permit fee plus $15 tech fee where shown): Body Art Facility $325 ($310 + $15); Body Art Practitioner $152 ($137 + $15); Body Art Practitioner/Owner $109 ($94 + $15); Body Art Mobile Facility $156 ($141 + $15); Body Art temporary event booth $84; Body Art temporary event organizer $251 ($236 + $15); Body Art Facility plan review $751.One year from the date of issuance, for both the facility permit and the practitioner registration (County Code Chapter 7.26)2026-10-24
Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment LicenseCalifornia Board of Barbering and Cosmetology$50 application and initial license2 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 Marin County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Building Permit — unincorporated Marin Countyonly if it applies to youCounty of Marin Community Development Agency, Building and SafetyVaries — formula on the Marin County pagePer project2026-10-24
Business License (Business License Tax) — unincorporated Marin CountyCounty of Marin Department of Finance, Central Collections — Business LicensesVaries — formula on the Marin County pageAnnual (fiscal year); due and payable in advance on July 1 (County Code §5.54.160(a)); the Department of Finance's tax schedule page states the tax is delinquent on August 12026-10-24

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

CA 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
Statement of Information (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$20 per filing, biennialbiennial2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$70 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due biennially2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a Statement of Information is due annually2026-09-03
Statement of Information (Corporation)only if it applies to youCalifornia Secretary of State, Business Programs Division$25 per filing, annualannual2026-09-03
Seller's Permitonly if it applies to youCalifornia Department of Tax and Fee AdministrationNo fee — no fee to applyno expiry while actively engaged in business as a seller2026-09-03
Annual LLC Tax and Minimum Franchise Taxonly if it applies to youCalifornia Franchise Tax BoardVaries — formula on the CA pageannual, until the entity is cancelled2026-09-03
General Business License — California position (city or county, not state)California Secretary of State, Business Programs DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county2026-09-03

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 Marin County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a salon or barber in Marin County, CA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 8 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 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registration: As published on Environmental Health Services' 'Body art program fees' page, 'Body art permit fees - effective July 1, 2019' (fee total, permit fee plus $15 tech fee where shown): Body Art Facility $325 ($310 + $15); Body Art Practitioner $152 ($137 + $15); Body Art Practitioner/Owner $109 ($94 + $15); Body Art Mobile Facility $156 ($141 + $15); Body Art temporary event booth $84; Body Art temporary event organizer $251 ($236 + $15); Body Art Facility plan review $751.

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

Which offices issue these permits in Marin County?

Permits for a salon or barber in Marin County, CA come from 7 separate offices: County of Marin Community Development Agency, Building and Safety, County of Marin Department of Finance, Central Collections — Business Licenses, County of Marin Community Development Agency, Environmental Health Services, California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Franchise Tax Board, California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. 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 Marin County that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Marin County: Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registration and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License.

Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registration

This applies to a salon only if it offers tattooing, body piercing or permanent cosmetics; a salon without those services has no body art permit. County Code §7.26.010 states that the chapter implements the Safe Body Art Act, which regulates 'persons engaged in the business of tattooing, body piercing, and the application of permanent cosmetics' and requires annual registration of body art practitioners and annual health permits for body art facilities. Under Chapter 7.26 the practitioner registration and the facility permit each run one year from issuance, and the fees are those established by the Board of Supervisors by resolution. The amounts above are as published on the Environmental Health Services fee page (page updated December 11, 2024), headed 'Body art permit fees - effective July 1, 2019'; the page adds that 'Fees are subject to change.' Contact Environmental Health Services, 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 236, San Rafael, CA 94903, 415-473-6907.

Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License

$50 covers the application and the initial license together — it is one combined fee, not two — and renewal is $40 every two years, with a $20 delinquency fee. The establishment license is separate from every practitioner license held by the people working there. Three rules catch owners out: only the owner may apply, only one license is issued per address, and the license is valid only for the location and the owners named on it. Moving premises, selling the business, or adding or removing a partner all require a fresh application rather than an amendment. A mobile unit is licensed separately at $50 plus a $100 initial inspection and license fee. A license left unrenewed for five years is cancelled outright.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Marin County, CA; what each one involves is set out on the Marin County permits page. The 7 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CA and are covered on the CA state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Body Art Facility Permit and Practitioner Registration and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License. A auto repair shop needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Marin County, CA, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops0020
Childcare centres1021
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades1021
Fitness studios1021
Food trucks4024
Restaurants4024
Retail stores5025
Veterinary clinics1021

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 Marin County permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Body art program feesCounty of Marin Environmental Health Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  2. Marin County Code, Chapter 7.26 — Body Art and Body PiercingCounty of Marin / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-24
  3. California Code of Regulations title 16 section 998, Schedule of Fees, as published by the Board of Barbering and CosmetologyCalifornia Board of Barbering and Cosmetology · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. California Business and Professions Code section 7415 — two-year license term for barbering and cosmetology licensesCalifornia Legislative Information · 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.