Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

8 permits · verified 2026-10-02

What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Montgomery County Md?

In short

A salon or barber in Montgomery County Md, MD has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) and the Board of License Commissioners for Montgomery County charges $100 a year for the beauty salon and barbershop beer, wine, and liquor license. 1 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Montgomery County Md

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Beauty Salon and Barbershop Beer, Wine, and Liquor Licenseonly if it applies to youMontgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) and the Board of License Commissioners for Montgomery County$100 a yearannual2026-10-02
Barbershop Permitonly if it applies to youMaryland State Board of Barbers, Department of Labor$225 to open — a $56 permit plus a $169 pre-opening inspection; $56 to renew2 years2026-09-03
Beauty Salon PermitMaryland State Board of Cosmetologists, Department of Labor$225 to open — a $56 permit plus a $169 pre-opening inspection; $56 to renew2 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.

MD 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
Trader's LicenseComptroller of Maryland, State License BureauVaries — formula on the MD page1 May to 30 April, whenever it is bought2026-09-03
Sales and Use Tax LicenseComptroller of Maryland, Revenue Administration DivisionNo feeno expiry — effective until surrendered or revoked2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMaryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division$100 one-time filingperpetual, but a $300 annual report is due every 15 April2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMaryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division$120 one-time minimum — $100 filing plus a $20 organization and capitalization feeperpetual, but a $300 annual report is due every 15 April2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youMaryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, Corporate Charter Division$300 a yearannual — due 15 April, extendable to 15 June2026-09-03

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 Montgomery County Md?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a salon or barber in Montgomery County Md, MD, 3 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 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $225.00. That is a floor, not a total. 1 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all.

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Montgomery County Md permits page and the MD state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Montgomery County Md?

Permits for a salon or barber in Montgomery County Md, MD come from 6 separate offices: Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) and the Board of License Commissioners for Montgomery County, 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.

What does a salon or barber need in Montgomery County Md that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Montgomery County Md: Beauty Salon and Barbershop Beer, Wine, and Liquor License, Barbershop Permit and Beauty Salon Permit.

Beauty Salon and Barbershop Beer, Wine, and Liquor License

The Board of License Commissioners for Montgomery County may issue this license, created by 2025 Md. Laws (HB1095) as Md. Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. §25-1002, to a holder of a beauty-salon permit issued under Bus. Occ. & Prof. Art. §5-501. It authorizes serving up to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.7 ounces of liquor per customer during a cosmetology service, or at a permitted fundraising event, not later than 9 p.m.; it is not transferable between locations and requires alcohol-awareness training. The annual license fee is $100.00, confirmed verbatim in the enrolled Act's own text ('The annual license fee is $100.'), effective July 1, 2025. This is a Montgomery-County-only license directly relevant to salons and barbershops that want to offer a complimentary drink during a service, separate from any general ABS/Board of License Commissioners licensing that would otherwise apply only to restaurants or retail alcohol sellers.

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.

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 Montgomery County Md?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Beauty Salon and Barbershop Beer, Wine, and Liquor License, Barbershop Permit and Beauty Salon Permit. A auto repair shop needs Motor Vehicle Repair/Towing Registration — 1 to 5 Employees, Motor Vehicle Towing-Only Registration — by Truck Count, Motor Vehicle Repair/Towing Registration — 6 to 10 and 11+ Employees and Automotive Repair Facility Registration — State of Maryland position, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Montgomery County Md, MD, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops4034
Coffee shops6036
Food trucks4034
Restaurants7037
Retail stores1031

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 Montgomery County Md permits page and the MD state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 2025 Md. Laws (HB1095), enrolled text — Md. Alcoholic Beverages & Cannabis Art. §25-1002(G), beauty salon and barbershop beer, wine, and liquor license, annual fee $100, effective July 1, 2025Maryland General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  2. Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) — overview pageMontgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
  3. Maryland State Board of Barbers — forms and feesMaryland Department of Labor · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. COMAR 09.22.01.14 — State Board of Cosmetologists feesMaryland Department of Labor · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. 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.