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10 permits · verified 2026-09-05

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

In short

A salon or barber in Boston, MA has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Boston, Office of the City Clerk charges $65 filing fee; $100 total if the filer is not a Massachusetts resident for the business certificate. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Boston

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon LicenseMassachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure$136 application; $82 to renewbiennial — expires 31 December of even-numbered years2026-09-03
Barbershop Licenseonly if it applies to youMassachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure$130 original registration; $78 to renewbiennial — expires 30 June of even-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 Boston

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business CertificateCity of Boston, Office of the City Clerk$65 filing fee; $100 total if the filer is not a Massachusetts resident4 years, renewable2026-09-05
Certificate of Occupancy Inspection FeeBoston Fire Department, Fire Prevention DivisionVaries — formula on the Boston pageissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-05
Commercial Building PermitCity of Boston Inspectional Services DepartmentVaries — formula on the Boston pageone-time, per project2026-09-05

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

MA 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 Organization (Corporation)only if it applies to youSecretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division$275 minimum, for up to 275,000 authorised shares; $100 for each further 100,000no expiry, but an annual report is due within two and a half months of year end2026-09-03
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youSecretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division$500 one-time filing by post; $520 online or by faxno expiry, but a $500 annual report is due every year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youSecretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations DivisionVaries — formula on the MA pageannual — an LLC files on the anniversary of organisation, a corporation within two and a half months of its fiscal year end2026-09-03
Sales and Use Tax RegistrationMassachusetts Department of RevenueNo feecontinuous — no renewal and no expiry2026-09-03
General Business License — Massachusetts state position (municipal business certificate)only if it applies to youSecretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations DivisionNo feeset by the city or town2026-09-03

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 Boston?

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 Boston, MA, 5 apply to every business of this type and 5 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 $201.00. 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 Boston permits page and the MA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Boston?

Permits for a salon or barber in Boston, MA come from 6 separate offices: City of Boston, Office of the City Clerk, Boston Fire Department, Fire Prevention Division, City of Boston Inspectional Services Department, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division, Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure, Massachusetts Department of Revenue. 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 Boston 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 Boston: Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License and Barbershop License.

Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License

One salon may need more than one license: a salon offering nails and skin care but not hair needs both a manicuring and an aesthetics license, while a cosmetology license alone covers hair. The license is valid only for the location on it and is not transferable, so moving even within the same address means a fresh application, and a change of ownership needs one thirty days ahead with the salon allowed to stay open only thirty days after. A final on-site inspection is required before licensing, with the salon fully fitted out and signed. Names suggesting a medical or healing benefit are prohibited, as is gender pricing. Everything goes through the state's licensing platform, and an incomplete application is abandoned after a hundred and eighty days. Barbershops are the same board on a different clock — see the separate record.

Barbershop License

Six dollars cheaper than a salon license and on an entirely different clock: a barbershop expires on 30 June of an even year while a salon expires on 31 December of one. A combined operation therefore renews twice a cycle on two dates six months apart, which is the sort of thing that quietly lapses. The board no longer issues or requires booth renter licenses, although the category still appears on its published renewal schedule.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Boston, MA; what each one involves is set out on the Boston permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MA and are covered on the MA state page.

How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Boston?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License and Barbershop License. A auto repair shop needs Auto Shop License and Motor Vehicle Damage Repair Shop Registration, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Boston, MA, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2022
Childcare centres2022
Coffee shops5025
Contractors and trades2022
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks4024
Restaurants5025
Retail stores0020
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 Boston permits page and the MA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Massachusetts — apply for an aesthetics, cosmetology or manicuring salon licenseCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. 801 CMR 4.00 — rates, the Commonwealth's consolidated schedule of licensing board feesCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Massachusetts — renew a barber, cosmetology or electrology license, with the expiration scheduleCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. Massachusetts — apply for a barbershop licenseCommonwealth of Massachusetts · 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.