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12 permits · verified 2026-09-05

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

In short

A salon or barber in San Diego, CA has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of San Diego Development Services Department charges $353.13 for a temporary certificate or a reissuance; a records-research fee runs $176.84 an hour for the certificate of occupancy. 4 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in San Diego

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
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 San Diego

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of OccupancyCity of San Diego Development Services Department$353.13 for a temporary certificate or a reissuance; a records-research fee runs $176.84 an hourpermanent, tied to the building's occupancy classification rather than renewed periodically2026-09-05
Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to youCity of San Diego Development Services DepartmentVaries — formula on the San Diego pageone-time, per project2026-09-05
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of San Diego Development Services DepartmentVaries — formula on the San Diego pageper sign2026-09-05
Business Tax CertificateCity of San Diego Office of the City Treasurer, Business Tax ProgramVaries — formula on the San Diego pageannual — must be filed within 15 days of starting operations2026-09-05

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 San Diego?

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 San Diego, CA, 4 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 4 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $403.13. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all.

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

Which offices issue these permits in San Diego?

Permits for a salon or barber in San Diego, CA come from 6 separate offices: City of San Diego Development Services Department, City of San Diego Office of the City Treasurer, Business Tax Program, 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 San Diego that other businesses do not?

1 of the 1 permit particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in San Diego: Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License.

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 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in San Diego, CA; what each one involves is set out on the San Diego 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 San Diego?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs 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 San Diego, CA, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops0010
Childcare centres1011
Coffee shops4014
Contractors and trades2012
Fitness studios0010
Food trucks2012
Restaurants4014
Retail stores2012
Veterinary clinics1011

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 San Diego permits page and the CA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 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
  2. 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.