Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

10 permits · verified 2026-09-04

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

In short

A salon or barber in Columbus, GA has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Columbus Consolidated Government, Inspections and Code Division charges $60 flat for the certificate of occupancy. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-04 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Columbus

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Salon or Shop LicenseGeorgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers$75 new license and renewal alike, plus a $5 online or $10 paper processing feebiennial — expires 30 June 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 Columbus

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of OccupancyColumbus Consolidated Government, Inspections and Code Division$60 flatissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-04
Commercial Building Permitonly if it applies to youColumbus Consolidated Government, Inspections and Code DivisionVaries — formula on the Columbus pageone-time, per project2026-09-04
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youColumbus Consolidated Government, Inspections and Code DivisionVaries — formula on the Columbus pageper sign — a portable sign permit must be renewed every year2026-09-04
Occupation Tax CertificateColumbus Consolidated Government, Finance Department, Revenue DivisionVaries — formula on the Columbus pageannual — the renewal window runs January 1 through April 1, the due date2026-09-04

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of RegistrationGeorgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionNo feeno renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionNo feeset by the issuing city or county, usually annual2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service chargeno expiry, but an annual registration is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Registrationonly if it applies to youGeorgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division$60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofitannual — filed between 1 January and 1 April2026-09-03

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 Columbus?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a salon or barber in Columbus, GA, 4 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 $135.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all.

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

Which offices issue these permits in Columbus?

Permits for a salon or barber in Columbus, GA come from 5 separate offices: Columbus Consolidated Government, Inspections and Code Division, Columbus Consolidated Government, Finance Department, Revenue Division, 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.

What does a salon or barber need in Columbus 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 Columbus: 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.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Columbus, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Columbus 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 Columbus?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon or Shop License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop License — Georgia state position, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Columbus, GA, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1011
Childcare centres2012
Coffee shops4014
Contractors and trades4014
Fitness studios0010
Food trucks2012
Restaurants4014
Retail stores0010
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 Columbus permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers — fee scheduleGeorgia Secretary of State · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. 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.