12 permits · verified 2026-09-10
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Des Moines?
In short
A salon or barber in Des Moines, IA has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center charges $51.50 flat for the certificate of occupancy. 2 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Des Moines
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salon Licensing — State Board License Applies (Des Moines)only if it applies to you | City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-10 |
| Sign Permit | City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division | No fee | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-10 |
| Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing | $80 to apply; renewal is $80 | renews on a schedule opening sixty days before expiry with a thirty-day grace period after | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Des Moines
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of Des Moines positiononly if it applies to you | City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-10 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center | $51.50 flat | one-time, no expiration | 2026-09-10 |
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division | No fee | one-time, no stated expiration | 2026-09-10 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center | Varies — formula on the Des Moines page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
IA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but a biennial report is due every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Permit | Iowa Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiration — stays effective until cancelled or revoked | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Iowa positiononly if it applies to you | Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Biennial Reportonly if it applies to you | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division | Varies — formula on the IA page | an LLC files between 1 January and 1 April of every odd year; a corporation files in the same window of every even year | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a salon or barber in Des Moines?
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 Des Moines, IA, 5 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 5 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $131.50. That is a floor, not a total. 2 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Des Moines permits page and the IA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Des Moines?
Permits for a salon or barber in Des Moines, IA come from 7 separate offices: City of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office, City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development Center, City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division, Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information Center. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Des Moines, City Clerk's OfficeIssues 2 permits on this page: General Business License — City of Des Moines position, Salon Licensing — State Board License Applies (Des Moines)1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4209www.dsm.city/departments/city_clerk/business_licenses_permits.php
- City of Des Moines Development Services Department, Permit and Development CenterIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Building Permit (Commercial)T.M. Franklin Cownie City Administration Building, 1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4200www.dsm.city/departments/development_services/permit_development_center/index.php
- City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Zoning Verification Letter1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 · (515) 283-4207www.dsm.city/departments/neighborhood_services/zoning_enforcement.php
- Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Biennial Report321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 · (515) 281-5204sos.iowa.gov/business
- Iowa Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Permit1305 East Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50319 · (515) 281-3114revenue.iowa.gov/permits-licensing/business-permit-registration
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and LicensingIssues 1 permit on this page: Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321 · (515) 281-3425dial.iowa.gov
- Iowa Economic Development Authority, Business License Information CenterIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — Iowa position1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 200, Des Moines, IA 50315 · (515) 348-6200opportunityiowa.gov/business/small-business-entrepreneurs/small-business-resources/business-license-information-center
What does a salon or barber need in Des Moines that other businesses do not?
2 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Des Moines: Salon Licensing — State Board License Applies (Des Moines) and Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License.
Salon Licensing — State Board License Applies (Des Moines)
The City Clerk's Business Licenses & Permits page lists no salon, barbershop or cosmetology category, so there is no city license fee for the salon itself. A Des Moines salon needs only the generic building permit, sign permit and certificate of occupancy above, on top of the Iowa barbering/cosmetology establishment license recorded at the state layer, which is itself the actual premises-level credential.
Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License
Iowa merged its cosmetology and barbering regulation into one board under a 2023 reorganisation, and a salon and a barbershop now pay the identical $80 establishment fee under the identical rule chapter — anything describing a separate cosmetology board, or citing the old chapter 645 numbering from before the merger, is describing an agency that no longer exists in that form. An individual practitioner's own license is $60, and renewing more than thirty days after expiry adds a further $60 late fee. The application fee is stated as nonrefundable regardless of outcome.
Shared with other businesses in Des Moines
- Sign Permit — City of Des Moines Neighborhood Services Department, Zoning Enforcement Division, No fee, one-time, per sign. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Des Moines, IA; what each one involves is set out on the Des Moines permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across IA and are covered on the IA state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Des Moines?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon Licensing — State Board License Applies (Des Moines) and Barbering or Cosmetology Establishment License. A retail store needs nothing here that 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
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 restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Des Moines permits page and the IA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Business Licenses & Permits — confirming that licensing applies only to specific named activities (alcohol, tobacco, transient merchant, mobile food vendor, peddler, premise permit, pawnshop, theater, street performer, haunted house, coin-operated machine, solid waste hauler, salvage dealer, donation bin, going-out-of-business sale, address curb painting), not a general business licenseCity of Des Moines, City Clerk's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing — barbering and cosmetology establishment license, $80 for either tradeIowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.