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15 permits · verified 2026-09-14

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

In short

A salon or barber in Fargo, ND has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Fargo Fire Department charges $70 per year, per operational permit type for the annual fire operational permit. 4 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-14 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Fargo

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity of Fargo Inspections DepartmentA permanent sign is charged at $50.00 or $0.50 per square foot of display area — the schedule's own term is 'face' area — whichever is greater, with double-sided signs counted as a single face. Portable signs are licensed separately: $50.00 per calendar year for the license to place portable signs, plus $15.00 each time a sign is placed.permanent sign permits are one-time per sign; the portable sign license runs a calendar year2026-09-14
Salon and Barber Shop — State Board License Applies (Fargo)only if it applies to youCity of Fargo Auditor's Office, Licensing DepartmentNo feenot applicable2026-09-14
Barbershop LicenseNorth Dakota Board of Barber Examiners$50 a year; opening a new shop adds a one-time $100 inspection feeannual2026-09-04
Cosmetology Establishment LicenseNorth Dakota State Board of Cosmetology$100–$150 up to $150 for the original license and up to $100 a year to renew — statutory maximums the board may chargeannual — every establishment license expires December 312026-09-04

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 Fargo

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Business License — City of Fargo positiononly if it applies to youCity of Fargo Auditor's Office, Licensing DepartmentNo feenot applicable2026-09-14
Certificate of Occupancy — 2026 Commercial Fee Schedule Position (Fargo)City of Fargo Inspections DepartmentNo feeone-time — issued once final inspections confirm code compliance2026-09-14
Annual Fire Operational Permitonly if it applies to youFargo Fire Department$70 per year, per operational permit typeannual2026-09-14
Commercial Building PermitCity of Fargo Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the Fargo pageone-time, per project; expiration not separately stated in the published schedule2026-09-14
Conditional Use Permit / Board of Adjustment Varianceonly if it applies to youCity of Fargo Planning and Development DepartmentVaries — formula on the Fargo pageone-time per application2026-09-14

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

ND 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 Incorporationonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$100 one-time filing, domesticperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Corporation Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$25 a year; late fees escalate to $45 within 90 days and $85 afterannual — domestic corporations due before August 2, foreign corporations before May 162026-09-04
LLC Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$50 a year; a late filing adds a further $50annual — due before November 16 every year2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division$135 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Sales Tax PermitNorth Dakota Office of State Tax CommissionerNo feeno expiration — no periodic renewal is required at all2026-09-04
General Business License — State of North Dakota positiononly if it applies to youNorth Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

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 Fargo?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a salon or barber in Fargo, ND, 5 apply to every business of this type and 10 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 $50.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 15 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:

Sign Permit: A permanent sign is charged at $50.00 or $0.50 per square foot of display area — the schedule's own term is 'face' area — whichever is greater, with double-sided signs counted as a single face. Portable signs are licensed separately: $50.00 per calendar year for the license to place portable signs, plus $15.00 each time a sign is placed.

Cosmetology Establishment License: $100–$150 up to $150 for the original license and up to $100 a year to renew — statutory maximums the board may charge

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Fargo permits page and the ND state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Fargo?

Permits for a salon or barber in Fargo, ND come from 8 separate offices: City of Fargo Inspections Department, City of Fargo Auditor's Office, Licensing Department, Fargo Fire Department, City of Fargo Planning and Development Department, North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services Division, North Dakota Board of Barber Examiners, North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology, North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner. 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 Fargo 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 Fargo: Salon and Barber Shop — State Board License Applies (Fargo), Barbershop License and Cosmetology Establishment License.

Sign Permit

Read directly from the City's own Sign Regulations page. One procedural point matters for a business owner planning a wall-mounted sign: the same page states that 'Permits for signs that are hung on a building must be written to a licensed sign hanger unless the work is done by the property owner' — and a sign hanger license is one of the trades on the City's closed licensing list, at $125.00 per year. Signs are prohibited on the boulevard and other city right-of-way. A sign involving structural or electrical work would separately require the building permit recorded above.

Salon and Barber Shop — State Board License Applies (Fargo)

No fee applies at city level, because Fargo formerly licensed barbershops and no longer does: 'Article 25-18 of chapter 25 of the Fargo Municipal Code was repealed by Ord. No. 2309' in 1987. Salon establishment licensing is a state function — N.D.A.C. 32-03-01-01 requires that 'All individuals, firms, associations, corporations, partnerships, and other entities desiring to operate an establishment shall make application to the board for a license prior to commencing business,' with N.D.C.C. 43-11-28 setting maximum fees of $150.00 for an original establishment license and $100.00 per year to renew. Two adjacent personal-care trades are licensed locally by Fargo Cass Public Health rather than by the Auditor, and a salon expanding into them would pick up a city obligation: a massage therapy establishment license, which FCPH prices at $50.00 per year, and body art establishment and technician licenses under Article 25-33. A tanning facility permit exists under §25-3605. The massage figure sits on a page framed around 2024 and the body art and tanning fees are set 'by resolution' without a published amount, so neither is recorded here as a confirmed fee.

Barbershop License

Barbering is licensed separately from cosmetology, at a flat $50 a year regardless of shop size, plus a one-time $100 inspection fee the first time a shop opens. An expired license restores for the annual fee plus a $20 penalty.

Cosmetology Establishment License

These are the statutory ceilings set by a 2025 legislative update; the board's actual charged fee could run lower. A late renewal adds $50 within a year of lapsing, or $100 a year for every year expired beyond that.

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

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

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon and Barber Shop — State Board License Applies (Fargo), Barbershop License and Cosmetology Establishment License. A fitness studio needs Fitness Studio — Aquatic Facility License Only Where a Pool Is Operated (Fargo), which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Fargo, ND, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios2131
Retail stores2131
Auto repair shops3132
Veterinary clinics3132
Coffee shops4133
Restaurants4133
Childcare centres2042
Contractors and trades4044
Food trucks3043

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 Fargo permits page and the ND state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Sign Regulations — the permanent sign permit fee ($50.00 or $0.50 per square foot of face area, whichever is greater), the portable sign license, and the requirement that building-mounted sign permits be written to a licensed sign hangerCity of Fargo Inspections Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-14
  2. Business & Occupational Licensing — the City Auditor's own current page stating that Fargo does not require a business license for every type of commerce, and listing the closed set of trades and activities that do require oneCity of Fargo · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  3. North Dakota Century Code section 43-04-42 — barbershop annual license fee and new-shop inspection feeNorth Dakota Legislative Branch · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  4. North Dakota Century Code section 43-11-28 — cosmetology establishment license fee cap and annual December 31 expirationNorth Dakota Legislative Branch · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.