Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

9 permits · verified 2026-10-10

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

In short

A salon or barber in Arapahoe County, CO has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division charges $50 one-time filing, online only for the articles of incorporation. 4 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Arapahoe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Body Art Establishment License (conditional: tattooing, piercing and other body art)only if it applies to youArapahoe County Public Health, Environmental HealthAnnual license fee and pre-opening inspection fee set by ACPH under Body Art Establishment Regulations section 10-1002, no greater than ACPH's actual costs; annual inspections are included in the license fee. The amount is not published in the Regulations; contact ACPH Environmental Health.calendar year (January 1 through December 31), renewable annually; not transferable2026-10-10
Shop and Salon RegistrationColorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, Division of Professions and Occupations$35 new registration; renewal is $26biennial — every registration expires on 30 November of 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 Arapahoe County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zoning Permits and Letters: sign, fence, temporary use, zoning verification (Arapahoe County Zoning Fee Schedule)only if it applies to youArapahoe County Public Works and Development, ZoningVaries — formula on the Arapahoe County pageper permit or letter2026-10-10
Building Permit (unincorporated Arapahoe County)only if it applies to youArapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Arapahoe County pageper permit2026-10-10

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

CO 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
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
General Business License — Colorado position (issued locally)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business DivisionNo feeset by the city or county2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseColorado Department of Revenue, Taxation DivisionVaries — formula on the CO page2 years — every license expires on 31 December of an odd-numbered year2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$50 one-time filing, online onlyperpetual, but a periodic report is due every year2026-09-03
Periodic Reportonly if it applies to youColorado Secretary of State, Business Division$25 a year; $50 more if filed lateannual — due in the entity's own periodic report month2026-09-03

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 Arapahoe County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a salon or barber in Arapahoe County, CO, 2 apply to every business of this type and 7 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 2 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $35.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 9 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 Establishment License (conditional: tattooing, piercing and other body art): Annual license fee and pre-opening inspection fee set by ACPH under Body Art Establishment Regulations section 10-1002, no greater than ACPH's actual costs; annual inspections are included in the license fee. The amount is not published in the Regulations; contact ACPH Environmental Health.

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

Which offices issue these permits in Arapahoe County?

Permits for a salon or barber in Arapahoe County, CO come from 6 separate offices: Arapahoe County Public Health, Environmental Health, Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Zoning, Arapahoe County Public Works and Development, Building Division, Colorado Secretary of State, Business Division, Colorado Department of Revenue, Taxation Division, Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure, Division of Professions and Occupations. 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 Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County: Body Art Establishment License (conditional: tattooing, piercing and other body art) and Shop and Salon Registration.

Body Art Establishment License (conditional: tattooing, piercing and other body art)

A salon that offers tattooing, piercing or other body art needs a Body Art Establishment License from Arapahoe County Public Health; a salon without body art services has no body art license. The Body Art Establishment Regulations, promulgated by the Board of Health of Arapahoe County under C.R.S. 25-4-2101 et seq. and effective January 1, 2023, state in section 3-301 that all body art establishments within ACPH's jurisdiction shall hold a valid license before performing body art procedures, and define that jurisdiction as "the county of Arapahoe, Colorado, including all municipalities contained therein." Section 10-1001 requires a separate license for each establishment, makes the license valid for the calendar year in which it is issued (January 1 through December 31) and renewable annually, makes it non-transferable (a change of majority ownership counts as a transfer), and requires it to be posted where clients can see it. Under section 10-1003 the applicant pays the license fee and the pre-opening inspection fee with the application, the license fee is not prorated, and the license is issued after a passing pre-opening inspection. Section 10-1002 has ACPH set the annual license fee and inspection fees at no more than its actual costs, with annual inspections included in the license fee.

Shop and Salon Registration

Thirty-five dollars covers a fixed establishment, a temporary one, a mobile unit or a school, and one registration covers whichever services are ticked — barbering, cosmetology, esthetics or manicuring — with no separate booth registration. The registration attaches to the physical location, so there is no reciprocity from another state and a change of ownership needs a fresh application at the full fee. The owner need not hold a practitioner license. Colorado merged its barber and cosmetology regulation into a single office under a director rather than a board. One caveat on the renewal figure: the regulatory agencies department publishes no current fee schedule at all — the $26 is the last officially published amount, from the state's own 2025 sunset review, and predates the November 2025 renewal cycle.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Arapahoe County, CO; what each one involves is set out on the Arapahoe County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across CO and are covered on the CO state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Body Art Establishment License (conditional: tattooing, piercing and other body art) and Shop and Salon Registration. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair — Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (conduct rules), which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Arapahoe County, CO, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1021
Childcare centres2022
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks4024
Restaurants4024
Retail stores1021
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 Arapahoe County permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Body Art Establishment Regulations, promulgated by the Board of Health of Arapahoe County (effective January 1, 2023)Arapahoe County Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
  2. Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure — applications and forms, with the registration expiry dateColorado Division of Professions and Occupations · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform — 2025 sunset review of the Barber and Cosmetologist Act, with the business registration fee tableColorado Department of Regulatory Agencies · 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.