10 permits · verified 2026-09-06
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Baltimore?
In short
A salon or barber in Baltimore, MD has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office charges $45 per use, per building or part of a building for the use and occupancy permit. 3 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-06 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Baltimore
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit | Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office | $1 per square foot, minimum $13 for each consolidated area of signage. | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-06 |
| Barbershop Permitonly if it applies to you | Maryland State Board of Barbers, Department of Labor | $225 to open — a $56 permit plus a $169 pre-opening inspection; $56 to renew | 2 years | 2026-09-03 |
| Beauty Salon Permit | Maryland State Board of Cosmetologists, Department of Labor | $225 to open — a $56 permit plus a $169 pre-opening inspection; $56 to renew | 2 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 Baltimore
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use and Occupancy Permit | Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office | $45 per use, per building or part of a building | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-06 |
| Commercial Building Permit | Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office | Varies — formula on the Baltimore page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-06 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
MD registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trader's License | Comptroller of Maryland, State License Bureau | Varies — formula on the MD page | 1 May to 30 April, whenever it is bought | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax License | Comptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration Division | No fee | no expiry — effective until surrendered or revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but a $300 annual report is due every 15 April | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division | $120 one-time minimum — $100 filing plus a $20 organization and capitalization fee | perpetual, but a $300 annual report is due every 15 April | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division | $300 a year | annual — due 15 April, extendable to 15 June | 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 Baltimore?
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 Baltimore, MD, 6 apply to every business of this type and 4 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, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $270.00. 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 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: $1 per square foot, minimum $13 for each consolidated area of signage.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Baltimore permits page and the MD state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Baltimore?
Permits for a salon or barber in Baltimore, MD come from 6 separate offices: Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office, Comptroller of Maryland, State License Bureau, Comptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration Division, Maryland State Board of Barbers, Department of Labor, Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division, Maryland State Board of Cosmetologists, Department of Labor. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits OfficeIssues 3 permits on this page: Use and Occupancy Permit, Sign Permit, Commercial Building Permit(443) 984-1809permits.baltimorecity.gov
- Comptroller of Maryland, State License BureauIssues 1 permit on this page: Trader's LicenseState License Bureau, 80 Calvert Street, Room 314, Annapolis, MD 21404-1751 · (410) 260-6240jportal.mdcourts.gov/license
- Comptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax LicensePO Box 549, Annapolis, MD 21411-0001 · (410) 260-7980www.marylandtaxes.gov
- Maryland State Board of Barbers, Department of LaborIssues 1 permit on this page: Barbershop Permit100 South Charles Street, Tower I, Baltimore, MD 21201 · (410) 230-6190labor.maryland.gov/license/barbers
- Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report700 East Pratt Street, Suite 2700, Baltimore, MD 21202-6377 · (410) 767-1340egov.maryland.gov/businessexpress
- Maryland State Board of Cosmetologists, Department of LaborIssues 1 permit on this page: Beauty Salon Permit100 South Charles Street, Tower I, Baltimore, MD 21201 · (410) 230-6190labor.maryland.gov/license/cos
What does a salon or barber need in Baltimore 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 Baltimore: Barbershop Permit and Beauty Salon Permit.
Barbershop Permit
Identical in price and structure to a beauty salon permit — $56 plus a $169 inspection to open and $56 to renew — but issued by a different board under a different chapter, and expiring on a different date: barbershops run to 31 May of an odd year where salons run to 31 October. A shop doing both trades therefore holds two permits on two clocks. A mobile barbershop costs the same $225 and requires the applicant already to own premises.
Beauty Salon Permit
The $225 is two charges: a $56 permit and a $169 pre-opening inspection that must happen before the permit issues, with a temporary license emailed meanwhile. Renewal is just the $56, unless you are more than forty-five days late, when the inspection fee is charged again. One permit covers every limited service — nails, lashes, blow-dry, esthetics all fall under the same license and there is no booth-rental permit at all. A premises offering both cosmetology and barbering needs two applications and two fees. One discrepancy worth knowing: the board's own forms page still cites a $150 inspection fee while the regulation says $169, and $56 plus $169 is exactly the $225 the board charges, so the regulation is the one to trust.
Shared with other businesses in Baltimore
- Sign Permit — Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, Permits Office, $1 per square foot, minimum $13 for each consolidated area of signage., 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 veterinary clinics page.
The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Baltimore, MD; what each one involves is set out on the Baltimore permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MD and are covered on the MD state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Baltimore?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbershop Permit and Beauty Salon Permit. 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 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 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 veterinary clinics page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Baltimore permits page and the MD state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Maryland State Board of Barbers — forms and feesMaryland Department of Labor · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- COMAR 09.22.01.14 — State Board of Cosmetologists feesMaryland Department of Labor · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Maryland State Board of Cosmetologists — forms and feesMaryland Department of Labor · 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.