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16 permits · verified 2026-09-28

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

In short

A salon or barber in Oakland County, MI has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 14 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records charges $10 one-time filing fee for the assumed name (dba) certificate. 5 of the 16 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Oakland County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Salon / Cosmetology Licensing — Michigan LARA (Oakland County)only if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Body Art Practitioner Permit (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only)only if it applies to youOakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services Unit$75–$100 standard practitioner permit $100.00; temporary permit (up to 14 days) $75.00, with a minimum 45-day wait between temporary permitspermits expire December 31 each year effective January 1, 2026; a transition rule keeps a permit issued on or after October 1 valid through December 31 of the following year2026-09-28
Body Art Facility License (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only)only if it applies to youOakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitStandard facility license $150.00; temporary facility license (up to 14 days) $50.00; plan review $75.00; inspection fee $55.00 — priced consistently on Oakland County's own Body Art page on two independent reads.the facility license requires a bi-annual OCHD inspection; a temporary facility license covers up to 14 days2026-09-28
Cosmetology Establishment LicenseMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing$75 application and first two-year license; $50 to renew2 years2026-09-03
Barbershop Licenseonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing$130 application and first two-year license; $80 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.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Oakland County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — Oakland County Positiononly if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable — the county's Business Development page states that Oakland County does not require a business license2026-09-28
Zoning Approval — City, Village or Township Issues (Oakland County)only if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Assumed Name (DBA) Certificateonly if it applies to youOakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records$10 one-time filing fee5 years, renewable2026-09-28
On-Site Sewage Disposal (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youOakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitVaries — formula on the Oakland County pageper project, for new construction, repair/replacement or alteration of an on-site sewage disposal system; the installer license itself renews annually2026-09-28
Water Well Permitonly if it applies to youOakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services UnitVaries — formula on the Oakland County pageper well, for the specific construction, replacement, augmentation, irrigation, geothermal or abandonment project applied for2026-09-28
Building/Construction Permit — Local Community Issues (Oakland County)only if it applies to youOakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities ManagementNo feenot applicable2026-09-28

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

MI 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 (LLC)only if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau$50 one-time filing, non-refundableno expiry, but an annual statement is due every 15 February2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau$60 one-time minimum — a $10 fee plus an organization fee from $50, banded by authorised sharesno expiry, but an annual report is due every 15 May2026-09-03
General Business License — Michigan state positiononly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNo feenot applicable at state level2026-09-03
Sales Tax LicenseMichigan Department of TreasuryNo feeissued yearly, valid January to December2026-09-03
Annual Report or Annual Statementonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing BureauVaries — formula on the MI pageannual — 15 February for an LLC, 15 May for a corporation2026-09-03

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 Oakland County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a salon or barber in Oakland County, MI, 2 apply to every business of this type and 14 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 2 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $75.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 16 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Body Art Practitioner Permit (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only): $75–$100 standard practitioner permit $100.00; temporary permit (up to 14 days) $75.00, with a minimum 45-day wait between temporary permits

Body Art Facility License (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only): Standard facility license $150.00; temporary facility license (up to 14 days) $50.00; plan review $75.00; inspection fee $55.00 — priced consistently on Oakland County's own Body Art page on two independent reads.

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Oakland County permits page and the MI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Oakland County?

Permits for a salon or barber in Oakland County, MI come from 7 separate offices: Oakland County Government — Business Development and Facilities Management, Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), Environmental Health Services Unit, Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Vital Records, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan Department of Treasury, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing. 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 Oakland County that other businesses do not?

5 of the 5 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Oakland County: Salon / Cosmetology Licensing — Michigan LARA (Oakland County), Body Art Practitioner Permit (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only), Body Art Facility License (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only) and 2 more.

Salon / Cosmetology Licensing — Michigan LARA (Oakland County)

No fee applies at the county level. Oakland County's Business Development 'Tools & Templates' page states that 'Oakland County does not require a business license' and that 'Licensing is managed by the State of Michigan,' and directs a new business to check with its city or township for any local license. Cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, manicuring and electrology are all state-licensed professions in Michigan under the LARA Board of Cosmetology. The one county license that can reach a salon is conditional: a salon that offers tattooing, body piercing or branding needs the Body Art Facility License and Practitioner Permit that OCHD Environmental Health administers under Public Act 375 of 2010, listed separately for this county. A hair, nail or skin salon without body-art services needs only whatever building and sign permits its own city, village or township requires.

Body Art Practitioner Permit (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only)

Each individual who tattoos, pierces or brands at a licensed Body Art Facility in Oakland County needs a Body Art Practitioner Permit of their own, separate from the facility's own license. A standard permit is $100.00 and a temporary permit (up to 14 days) is $75.00, with at least a 45-day wait required between temporary permits for the same practitioner. Effective January 1, 2026, practitioner permits expire December 31 each year; a transition rule keeps a permit issued on or after October 1 valid through December 31 of the following year rather than expiring within weeks of issuance. OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, applies as a training-adjacent safety standard to practitioners but is not itself the licensing authority for this permit.

Body Art Facility License (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only)

A salon that performs tattooing (including scarification), body piercing (other than pre-sterilized single-use stud-and-clasp ear piercing) or branding needs a Body Art Facility License, co-issued with the State of Michigan and administered by OCHD, which also performs a bi-annual inspection. The standard facility license is $150.00 a year; a temporary facility license covering up to 14 days is $50.00; plan review before opening or remodeling is $75.00; and the inspection fee is $55.00. These figures come from Oakland County's own Body Art page and match the county's 2026 Environmental Health Fee Schedule. A hair, nail or skin salon without any of these services is outside this record; this is a conditional requirement, not a blanket salon-industry rule.

Cosmetology Establishment License

A barbershop and a cosmetology establishment are licensed by different boards at very different prices, which catches anyone running a combined shop: $75 to open and $50 to renew here, against $130 and $80 for a barbershop — seventy-three per cent more at the start. The license issues only after inspection. There is a sixty-day grace period after expiry, and relicensing costs $95. Expiration dates vary between licensees rather than falling on a common date, so the date printed on the license is the one that matters; the renewal window opens ninety days before it. Payment is by card only.

Barbershop License

Michigan keeps barbering and cosmetology apart, with separate boards and separate prices, and the barbershop is much the dearer: $130 to open against $75, and $80 to renew against $50. Inspection is required before issue. Relicensing costs $150. For scale, the practitioners themselves pay far less than their premises — a barber's own license is $60 for two years and a cosmetologist's $48.

The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Oakland County, MI; what each one involves is set out on the Oakland County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MI and are covered on the MI state page.

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon / Cosmetology Licensing — Michigan LARA (Oakland County), Body Art Practitioner Permit (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only), Body Art Facility License (conditional — salon, tattooing/piercing/branding only) and 2 more. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair Facility Registration — Michigan Department of State (Oakland County), Motor Vehicle Repair Facility Registration and Mechanic Certification, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Oakland County, MI, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops3053
Childcare centres2052
Coffee shops6056
Contractors and trades3053
Fitness studios2052
Food trucks7057
Restaurants5055
Retail stores2052
Veterinary clinics5055

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 Oakland County permits page and the MI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Business Development, Tools & Templates — states 'Oakland County does not require a business license' and directs businesses to check with their city or townshipOakland County, Michigan · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  2. MCL 333.13101, Michigan Public Health Code Part 131 — Body Art FacilitiesMichigan Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Body Art — facility license, temporary license, plan review, inspection and practitioner permit feesOakland County Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  4. Body Art Safety (Health A-Z)Oakland County Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-29
  5. Michigan LARA — cosmetology establishment licensing guideMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  6. Michigan LARA — barbershop licensing guideMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · 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.