13 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Shreveport?
In short
A salon or barber in Shreveport, LA has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission charges $750 a Special Use Permit; an Administrative Exception or Special Exception Use is $350; add $650 for Site Plan Review if applicable for the special use permit or administrative exception. 3 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Shreveport
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational License Tax — Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals | City of Shreveport Department of Finance, Revenue Division | $50–$6,200 a year, by gross receipts bracket under the city's Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals class | annual — computed on the prior year's gross receipts, due before March 1 | 2026-09-08 |
| Sign Permit | Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission | $35–$500 by sign type — wall/awning/banner $35 to $110 by size, A-frame or projecting sign $60, free-standing/monument $200, marquee or roof sign $150, electronic message sign $200, new billboard $500; a sign installed without a permit is charged double | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-08 |
| Barber Shop Registration | Louisiana Board of Barber Examiners | $30 a year | annual | 2026-09-04 |
| Salon License | Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology | $55 a year, effective 1 August 2025 | annual | 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 Shreveport
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Use Permit or Administrative Exceptiononly if it applies to you | Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission | $750 a Special Use Permit; an Administrative Exception or Special Exception Use is $350; add $650 for Site Plan Review if applicable | one-time, per application | 2026-09-08 |
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission | $75 flat; a Zoning Interpretation is $125 | one-time, per request | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Shreveport Division of Permits and Inspections | Varies — formula on the Shreveport page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission | $125 commercial; a home-based or temporary certificate is $75; occupying a space without a valid certificate is a $250 penalty | one-time, per issuance | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
LA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division | $75 one-time filing — rising to $95 from 1 October 2026 | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division | $30 a year for an LLC or a corporation, rising to $35 from 1 October 2026; a nonprofit's is $10 | annual, within thirty days of the entity's own renewal date | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Certificate | Louisiana Department of Revenue, Central Registration Section | No fee | not stated as expiring — an ongoing tax account | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Louisiana Position (geauxBIZ checklist)only if it applies to you | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division | $100 one-time filing — rising to $125 from 1 October 2026 | perpetual, but an annual report is due every 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 Shreveport?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a salon or barber in Shreveport, LA, 7 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 7 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $210.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Occupational License Tax — Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals: $50–$6,200 a year, by gross receipts bracket under the city's Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals class
Sign Permit: $35–$500 by sign type — wall/awning/banner $35 to $110 by size, A-frame or projecting sign $60, free-standing/monument $200, marquee or roof sign $150, electronic message sign $200, new billboard $500; a sign installed without a permit is charged double
The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Shreveport permits page and the LA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Shreveport?
Permits for a salon or barber in Shreveport, LA come from 7 separate offices: City of Shreveport Department of Finance, Revenue Division, Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission, City of Shreveport Division of Permits and Inspections, Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division, Louisiana Department of Revenue, Central Registration Section, Louisiana Board of Barber Examiners, Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Shreveport Department of Finance, Revenue DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Occupational License Tax — Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals505 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101 · (318) 673-5500www.shreveportla.gov/286/Occupational-License-Tax
- Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning CommissionIssues 4 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Special Use Permit or Administrative Exception, Zoning Verification Letter, Certificate of Occupancy(318) 673-6480www.shreveportcaddompc.com
- City of Shreveport Division of Permits and InspectionsIssues 1 permit on this page: Commercial Building Permit(318) 673-6442www.shreveportla.gov/120/Permits-Specialized-Service-Fees
- Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report, General Business License — Louisiana Position (geauxBIZ checklist), Articles of Organization (LLC)8585 Archives Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70809 · (225) 925-4704www.sos.la.gov/business-services/forms-fee-schedule
- Louisiana Department of Revenue, Central Registration SectionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax CertificatePO Box 1469, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 · (855) 307-3893revenue.louisiana.gov
- Louisiana Board of Barber ExaminersIssues 1 permit on this page: Barber Shop Registration4626 Jamestown Avenue, Suite 1, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 · (225) 925-1701wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/viewBoard.cfm?board=4
- Louisiana State Board of CosmetologyIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon License11622 Sunbelt Court, Baton Rouge, LA 70809 · (225) 756-3404www.lsbc.louisiana.gov
What does a salon or barber need in Shreveport that other businesses do not?
2 of the 4 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Shreveport: Barber Shop Registration and Salon License.
Sign Permit
No effective date is printed on the fee worksheet itself; confirm with the MPC (318-673-6480) that it is the current version before relying on it for an unusual sign type.
Barber Shop Registration
Thirty dollars a year, considerably cheaper than a cosmetology salon's $55 — Louisiana keeps its barber board entirely separate rather than merging it with cosmetology, and a shop must pass a board inspection before opening. The statute cross-references this same fee for the initial inspection without stating a distinct opening figure, so the same $30 is recorded here for both an initial registration and its annual renewal. A barber's own individual certificate is a separate cost on top, $40 to examine for in-state or $80 out-of-state, then $50 a year to renew.
Salon License
Fifty-five dollars a year for any establishment providing cosmetology services, current from a fee change effective 1 August 2025. Barbering is regulated separately by its own board rather than being folded into cosmetology — see the barbershop registration record.
Shared with other businesses in Shreveport
- Occupational License Tax — Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals — City of Shreveport Department of Finance, Revenue Division, $50–$6,200 a year, by gross receipts bracket under the city's Retail, Sales, Service and Rentals class, annual — computed on the prior year's gross receipts, due before March 1. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Shreveport, LA; what each one involves is set out on the Shreveport permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across LA and are covered on the LA state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Shreveport?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barber Shop Registration and Salon License. A fitness studio 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 7 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
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 coffee shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Shreveport permits page and the LA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Shreveport-Caddo MPC — Fee Worksheet, Exhibit A (signs, certificates of occupancy, zoning and conditional use fees)Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Louisiana Revised Statutes section 37:375 — barber examiners fee schedule, including the $30 shop registration feeState of Louisiana · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Louisiana Secretary of State — live business filing fee schedule, current as of 4 September 2026Louisiana Secretary of State · 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.