12 permits · verified 2026-09-08
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in St Paul?
In short
A salon or barber in St Paul, MN has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division charges $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person for the articles of incorporation. 3 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in St Paul
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Sign Permit | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | Wall and projecting signs: $3.00/sq ft, $85 minimum. Freestanding and roof signs: $3.00/sq ft, $91 minimum. Awnings: $2.00/linear ft, $85 minimum. Temporary/portable sign: $85 flat. A marquee over public property is $167. | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-08 |
| Salon/Barbershop Licensing — City of Saint Paul positiononly if it applies to you | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-08 |
| Barber Shop Registrationonly if it applies to you | Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners | $85 a year, initial and renewal alike | 1 year — expires 30 June | 2026-09-03 |
| Salon License | Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners | $350 initial license for three years — $250 plus a $100 application fee; $225 to renew | 3 years, expiring on the last day of the month of initial licensure | 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 St Paul
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Certificate of Occupancy | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | Varies — formula on the St Paul page | recurring, by occupancy type — Assembly and Institutional every 2 years; Business, Education, Factory, Mercantile, and Storage every 3 years; Hazardous every 1 year | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | Varies — formula on the St Paul page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
| General Business License — City of Saint Paul positiononly if it applies to you | City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
MN registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person | perpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Minnesota state positiononly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | set by the city | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person | perpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | annual — due by 31 December every year after the year of formation | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Account | Minnesota Department of Revenue, Business Registration | No fee | valid until cancelled or revoked | 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 St Paul?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a salon or barber in St Paul, MN, 5 apply to every business of this type and 7 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, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $350.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 5 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Business Sign Permit: Wall and projecting signs: $3.00/sq ft, $85 minimum. Freestanding and roof signs: $3.00/sq ft, $91 minimum. Awnings: $2.00/linear ft, $85 minimum. Temporary/portable sign: $85 flat. A marquee over public property is $167.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the St Paul permits page and the MN state page.
Which offices issue these permits in St Paul?
Permits for a salon or barber in St Paul, MN come from 5 separate offices: City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Minnesota Department of Revenue, Business Registration, Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners, Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and InspectionsIssues 5 permits on this page, including Fire Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit, Business Sign Permit375 Jackson Street, Suite 220, Saint Paul, MN 55101-1806 · (651) 266-8989www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections
- Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — Minnesota state position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Renewal332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101 · (651) 296-2803www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens
- Minnesota Department of Revenue, Business RegistrationIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Account600 North Robert Street, St Paul, MN 55146 · (651) 282-5225www.revenue.state.mn.us/minnesota-tax-id-requirements
- Minnesota Board of Barber ExaminersIssues 1 permit on this page: Barber Shop Registration335 Randolph Avenue, Suite 120, Saint Paul, MN 55102 · (651) 201-2820mn.gov/boards/barber-examiners
- Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist ExaminersIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon License1000 University Avenue West, Suite 100, St Paul, MN 55104mn.gov/boards/cosmetology
What does a salon or barber need in St Paul that other businesses do not?
3 of the 4 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in St Paul: Salon/Barbershop Licensing — City of Saint Paul position, Barber Shop Registration and Salon License.
Salon/Barbershop Licensing — City of Saint Paul position
Per the City's Business License Fees page, no license fee applies. That page lists Massage Center, Massage Practitioner, Tanning Facility and Steam Room/Bath House as its personal-care-adjacent license types and names no salon, barbershop or cosmetology category, so no City salon license fee is listed for a salon, barbershop or cosmetology business.
Barber Shop Registration
Minnesota keeps two entirely separate boards for barbering and cosmetology, at different addresses, on quite different economics: eighty-five dollars a year here against three hundred and fifty for three years there. The premises credential is a registration rather than a license, and the shop must at all times be under the direct supervision of a registered barber whose owner holds a current shop registration card. Everything expires on 30 June regardless of when it was issued, and the board mails renewal notices in May purely as a courtesy — it says explicitly that renewing on time is the owner's responsibility with or without the form. Restoring a lapsed registration costs $105 and a change of ownership or location $55.
Salon License
One price covers every salon type — cosmetology, nail, esthetician and advanced practice esthetician all pay the same. Three years makes it good value against the barber shop's annual $85, though the shapes are so different that comparing them is awkward. Expediting an initial license costs a further $300. The penalties are where it bites: fifty dollars for a late renewal, a hundred for failing to display the current license, a hundred and fifty for a reinspection and five hundred if an inspector finds an expired salon operating. The board must decide a complete application within fifteen working days, or five for an expedited or military application.
Shared with other businesses in St Paul
- Business Sign Permit — City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, Wall and projecting signs: $3.00/sq ft, $85 minimum. Freestanding and roof signs: $3.00/sq ft, $91 minimum. Awnings: $2.00/linear ft, $85 minimum. Temporary/portable sign: $85 flat. A marquee over public property is $167., 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 auto repair shops page.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in St Paul, MN; what each one involves is set out on the St Paul permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MN and are covered on the MN state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in St Paul?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon/Barbershop Licensing — City of Saint Paul position, Barber Shop Registration and Salon 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 | 3 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 4 | 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 auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the St Paul permits page and the MN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City of Saint Paul — Business Licenses and Permits (consolidated fee table)City of Saint Paul, DSI · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- Minnesota Statutes section 154.003 — barber board fees including shop registrationMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners — Owning a Barbershop, stating that all barber shop registrations expire June 30 annuallyMinnesota Board of Barber Examiners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Minnesota Statutes section 155A.25 — cosmetology fees, including the three-year salon licenseMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · 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.