11 permits · verified 2026-09-05
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Worcester?
In short
A salon or barber in Worcester, MA has 6 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 Worcester, Office of the City Clerk charges $50 filing fee; $14 for a certified copy for the business certificate. 2 of the 11 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 Worcester
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit | City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services, Housing & Health Division | $135 flat, for a ground, wall, projecting or roof sign | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-05 |
| Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure | $136 application; $82 to renew | biennial — expires 31 December of even-numbered years | 2026-09-03 |
| Barbershop Licenseonly if it applies to you | Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational Licensure | $130 original registration; $78 to renew | biennial — expires 30 June of even-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 Worcester
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Certificate | City of Worcester, Office of the City Clerk | $50 filing fee; $14 for a certified copy | 4 years, renewable | 2026-09-05 |
| Certificate of Use and Occupancy | City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services, Housing & Health Division | $100 flat, per certificate — the schedule's Certificate of Use and Occupancy line | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-05 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services, Housing & Health Division | Varies — formula on the Worcester page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-05 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (Corporation)only if it applies to you | Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division | $275 minimum, for up to 275,000 authorised shares; $100 for each further 100,000 | no expiry, but an annual report is due within two and a half months of year end | 2026-09-03 |
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division | $500 one-time filing by post; $520 online or by fax | no expiry, but a $500 annual report is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division | Varies — formula on the MA page | annual — an LLC files on the anniversary of organisation, a corporation within two and a half months of its fiscal year end | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Registration | Massachusetts Department of Revenue | No fee | continuous — no renewal and no expiry | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Massachusetts state position (municipal business certificate)only if it applies to you | Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division | No fee | set by the city or town | 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 Worcester?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a salon or barber in Worcester, MA, 6 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 6 that always apply, 4 carry a flat fee, coming to $421.00. That is a floor, not a total. 2 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 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 Worcester permits page and the MA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Worcester?
Permits for a salon or barber in Worcester, MA come from 5 separate offices: City of Worcester, Office of the City Clerk, City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services, Housing & Health Division, 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.
- City of Worcester, Office of the City ClerkIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Certificate455 Main Street, Room 206, Worcester, MA 01608 · (508) 799-1121www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk
- City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services, Housing & Health DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Certificate of Use and Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit25 Meade Street, Room 203, Worcester, MA 01610 · (508) 799-1198www.worcesterma.gov/inspections
- Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (Corporation), Certificate of Organization (LLC), Annual Report, General Business License — Massachusetts state position (municipal business certificate)One Ashburton Place, Room 1717, Boston, MA 02108-1512 · (617) 727-9640www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/general-information/corporations-filing-fees.htm
- Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, Division of Occupational LicensureIssues 2 permits on this page: Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License, Barbershop LicenseOne Federal Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02110-2012 · (617) 701-8792www.mass.gov/cosmetology-barbering-and-electrology-licensing
- Massachusetts Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Registration(617) 887-6367www.mass.gov/info-details/register-your-business-with-masstaxconnect
What does a salon or barber need in Worcester 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 Worcester: 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.
Shared with other businesses in Worcester
- Sign Permit — City of Worcester Department of Inspectional Services, Housing & Health Division, $135 flat, for a ground, wall, projecting or roof sign, 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 retail stores page.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Worcester, MA; what each one involves is set out on the Worcester 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 Worcester?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Cosmetology, Aesthetics or Manicuring Salon License and Barbershop 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 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Worcester permits page and the MA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Massachusetts — apply for an aesthetics, cosmetology or manicuring salon licenseCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 801 CMR 4.00 — rates, the Commonwealth's consolidated schedule of licensing board feesCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Massachusetts — renew a barber, cosmetology or electrology license, with the expiration scheduleCommonwealth of Massachusetts · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 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.