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12 permits · verified 2026-10-10

What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in El Paso County Co?

In short

A salon or barber in El Paso County Co, CO has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. El Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health Division charges $475 a year, January 1 to December 31, not prorated; plan review $170 plus $53 an hour; competency exam $90 per body artist (Board of Health 2024 Fee Schedule) for the body art establishment license. 5 of the 12 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 El Paso County Co

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Body Art Establishment Licenseonly if it applies to youEl Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health Division$475 a year, January 1 to December 31, not prorated; plan review $170 plus $53 an hour; competency exam $90 per body artist (Board of Health 2024 Fee Schedule)calendar year, January 1 through December 312026-10-10
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 El Paso County Co

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Colorado State Sales Tax License (county sales tax statement)Colorado Department of Revenue (sales tax)Varies — formula on the El Paso County Co pageas set by the Colorado Department of Revenue for the state license2026-10-10
Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy (PPRBD)only if it applies to youPikes Peak Regional Building DepartmentVaries — formula on the El Paso County Co pageper permit2026-10-10
Floodplain Development Permit (PPRBD)only if it applies to youPikes Peak Regional Building DepartmentVaries — formula on the El Paso County Co pageper permit2026-10-10
Zoning and Land-Use Approvals (unincorporated areas)only if it applies to youEl Paso County Planning and Community DevelopmentVaries — formula on the El Paso County Co pageper application2026-10-10
Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youEl Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health Division$961 per new OWTS permit, including one reinspection; modification or major repair permit $891; minor repair permit $554 (Board of Health 2024 Fee Schedule)per 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 El Paso County Co?

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 El Paso County Co, CO, 3 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 $35.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 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 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the El Paso County Co permits page and the CO state page.

Which offices issue these permits in El Paso County Co?

Permits for a salon or barber in El Paso County Co, CO come from 7 separate offices: Colorado Department of Revenue (sales tax), Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, El Paso County Planning and Community Development, El Paso County Public Health, Environmental Health 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 El Paso County Co 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 El Paso County Co: Body Art Establishment License and Shop and Salon Registration.

Body Art Establishment License

EPCPH's Body Art page states that body art establishments are required to be licensed in El Paso County in accordance with the El Paso County Board of Health Body Art Regulations, and that 'Body art licenses are valid from January 1st thru December 31st of each year. We cannot prorate fees.' A salon that offers tattooing, piercing or permanent cosmetics needs this license; a salon without body art services has no body art license. The Body Art Establishment License is $475.00 a year, plan review is $170.00 plus $53.00 an hour, and each body artist takes a $90.00 competency exam. The figure is from the El Paso County Board of Health 2024 Fee Schedule (Regulations Chapter 3, approved October 25, 2023, effective January 1, 2024), which is the schedule currently posted on the EPCPH Regulations page; no successor schedule is posted.

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 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in El Paso County Co, CO; what each one involves is set out on the El Paso County Co 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 El Paso County Co?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Body Art Establishment License 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 El Paso County Co, 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 centres3023
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades4024
Fitness studios1021
Food trucks4024
Restaurants5025
Retail stores2022
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 El Paso County Co permits page and the CO state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. El Paso County Board of Health, Chapter 3 — Fee Schedule and Civil Penalties (approved October 25, 2023, effective January 1, 2024)El Paso County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. Body ArtEl Paso County Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-10
  3. 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
  4. 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.