14 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Chatham County Ga?
In short
A salon or barber in Chatham County Ga, GA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge for the articles of incorporation. 7 of the 14 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Chatham County Ga
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Occupation Permit Allowance (Zoning §2-28)only if it applies to you | Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Zoning Administration | No fee | not applicable; bundled into the Occupational Tax Certificate's annual term | 2026-10-02 |
| Salon or Shop License | Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers | $75 new license and renewal alike, plus a $5 online or $10 paper processing fee | biennial — expires 30 June of odd-numbered years | 2026-09-03 |
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 Chatham County Ga
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Tax Late-Renewal Penaltyonly if it applies to you | Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax Division | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | not applicable — this is a penalty tied to Record 1's annual tax, not a license term of its own | 2026-10-02 |
| Savannah Business Location Approvalonly if it applies to you | City of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design Department | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | per the City of Savannah's own licensing cycle | 2026-10-02 |
| Tybee Island Occupational Tax Certificate / Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | City of Tybee Island Business License Office | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | annual; licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed annually | 2026-10-02 |
| Pooler Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | City of Pooler | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | per the City of Pooler's own licensing cycle | 2026-10-02 |
| Occupational Tax Certificate | Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax Division | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | annual, calendar year; the certificate expires December 31 | 2026-10-02 |
| Building/Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permit Feesonly if it applies to you | Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections Division | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| Garden City Occupational Tax Certificateonly if it applies to you | City of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax Office | Varies — formula on the Chatham County Ga page | annual; the certificate expires December 31 | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
GA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division | No fee | no renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | No fee | set by the issuing city or county, usually annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge | no expiry, but an annual registration is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge | no expiry, but an annual registration is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registrationonly if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofit | annual — filed between 1 January and 1 April | 2026-09-03 |
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 Chatham County Ga?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a salon or barber in Chatham County Ga, GA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 11 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 $75.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 14 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all.
The other 7 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Chatham County Ga permits page and the GA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Chatham County Ga?
Permits for a salon or barber in Chatham County Ga, GA come from 10 separate offices: Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax Division, City of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design Department, Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Zoning Administration, City of Tybee Island Business License Office, City of Pooler, Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections Division, City of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax Office, Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division, Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division, Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Occupational Tax DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Occupational Tax Late-Renewal Penalty, Occupational Tax Certificate1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite D, Savannah, GA 31406 (P.O. Box 8161, Savannah, GA 31412-8161) · (912) 201-4300buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov/LicensingDivision/BusinessTax
- City of Savannah, Planning & Urban Design DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Savannah Business Location Approvalsavannahga.gov/1628/Business-Location-Approvals
- Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Zoning AdministrationIssues 1 permit on this page: Home Occupation Permit Allowance (Zoning §2-28)1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite D, Savannah, GA 31406 · (912) 201-4300buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov/ZoningAdministration/HomeOccupations
- City of Tybee Island Business License OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: Tybee Island Occupational Tax Certificate / Business Licensewww.cityoftybee.org/447/Business-Licenses
- City of PoolerIssues 1 permit on this page: Pooler Business Licensewww.pooler-ga.gov/resources/business-licenses
- Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Permits & Inspections DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Building/Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permit Fees1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite D, Savannah, GA 31406 · (912) 201-4300buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov/PermitsInspections/WhenPermitsRequired
- City of Garden City, Planning and Zoning / Occupational Tax OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: Garden City Occupational Tax Certificatewww.gardencity-ga.gov/Business/Occupational-Taxes-Licensing
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration1800 Century Boulevard NE, Atlanta, GA 30345-3205 · (877) 423-6711gtc.dor.ga.gov
- Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate), Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Registration2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334-1530 · (404) 656-2817ecorp.sos.ga.gov
- Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and BarbersIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon or Shop License3920 Arkwright Road, Suite 195, Macon, GA 31210 · (404) 424-9966goals.sos.ga.gov
What does a salon or barber need in Chatham County Ga that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Chatham County Ga: Salon or Shop License.
Salon or Shop License
One license class covers everything: the barber and cosmetology boards merged in 2015, so there is no separate beauty salon, nail salon, esthetician or barber shop fee — all are the same $75. Legacy barber shop licenses can be renewed but no longer newly issued. Georgia does not license mobile salons at all, and the board says so plainly; a unit qualifies only if anchored on the ground in a permanent location. Home-based salons are allowed. The owner need not be a licensed practitioner but must complete a board-approved health, safety and sanitation course. A change of name, location or ownership needs a fresh application rather than an amendment, and paper applications are no longer accepted.
Shared with other businesses in Chatham County Ga
- Home Occupation Permit Allowance (Zoning §2-28) — Chatham County Department of Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Zoning Administration, No fee, not applicable; bundled into the Occupational Tax Certificate's annual term. Also required for childcare centres; what it involves is set out on the childcare centres page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Chatham County Ga, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Chatham County Ga permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across GA and are covered on the GA state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Chatham County Ga?
The closest match is a childcare centre, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon or Shop License. A childcare centre needs Child Care Learning Centre License, which a salon or barber does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a salon or barber | Only a salon or barber needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare centres | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the childcare centres page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Chatham County Ga permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers — fee scheduleGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Georgia Comp. R. & Regs. chapter 295-2 — expiration and renewal dates for every license administered by the Professional Licensing Boards DivisionGeorgia Secretary of State · 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.