13 permits · verified 2026-09-12
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Manchester?
In short
A salon or barber in Manchester, NH has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division charges $100 a year; a late fee of $50 is added after 1 April for the annual report. 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Manchester
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found)only if it applies to you | City of Manchester, Office of the City Clerk, Business Licensing & Enforcement Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-12 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department | $25.00 non-refundable application fee, plus: on private property, $50.00 per sign up to 50 sq ft of face area or $1.50 per sq ft above 50 sq ft; over public property, the identical $50.00/$1.50-per-sq-ft structure; a temporary outdoor sign is $35.00 each instead. | not applicable | 2026-09-12 |
| Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License | New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification | $110 to apply or renew, plus a $100 inspection fee | not stated on the board's own fee page | 2026-09-04 |
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 Manchester
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department | Varies — formula on the Manchester page | one-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business use | 2026-09-12 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department | Varies — formula on the Manchester page | one-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-12 |
| Fire Alarm / Sprinkler System Plan Review and Inspection | Manchester Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | Varies — formula on the Manchester page | one-time, per project or system | 2026-09-12 |
| Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (Variance, Special Exception, Appeal)only if it applies to you | City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department | Varies — formula on the Manchester page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| Site Plan / Planned Development Review (Planning Board)only if it applies to you | City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department | Varies — formula on the Manchester page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
NH registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $100 a year; a late fee of $50 is added after 1 April | annual — due 1 April every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division | $100 one-time filing; a $2 handling charge applies to any electronic filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Taxonly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration | No fee | the filing thresholds are adjusted for inflation every two years | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Positiononly if it applies to you | New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
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 Manchester?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a salon or barber in Manchester, NH, 4 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $110.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: $25.00 non-refundable application fee, plus: on private property, $50.00 per sign up to 50 sq ft of face area or $1.50 per sq ft above 50 sq ft; over public property, the identical $50.00/$1.50-per-sq-ft structure; a temporary outdoor sign is $35.00 each instead.
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Manchester permits page and the NH state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Manchester?
Permits for a salon or barber in Manchester, NH come from 6 separate offices: City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department, Manchester Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, City of Manchester, Office of the City Clerk, Business Licensing & Enforcement Division, New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration, New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development DepartmentIssues 5 permits on this page, including Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permit, Sign PermitOne City Hall Plaza, West Wing, 2nd Floor, Manchester, NH 03101 · (603) 624-6450www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Planning-and-Comm-Dev/Building
- Manchester Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Alarm / Sprinkler System Plan Review and Inspection100 Merrimack Street, Manchester, NH 03101 · (603) 669-2256www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Fire/Fire-Prevention/Fire-Permits
- City of Manchester, Office of the City Clerk, Business Licensing & Enforcement DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found)One City Hall Plaza, Manchester, NH 03101 · (603) 624-6455www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/City-Clerk/Licenses-and-Permits
- New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Annual Report, Certificate of Formation (LLC), Articles of Incorporation107 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 271-3246www.sos.nh.gov/corporations-0
- New Hampshire Department of Revenue AdministrationIssues 2 permits on this page: Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax, General Business License and Sales Tax — New Hampshire Revenue Department Position109 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301 · (603) 230-5920www.revenue.nh.gov
- New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and CertificationIssues 1 permit on this page: Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License7 Eagle Square, Concord, NH 03301www.oplc.nh.gov
What does a salon or barber need in Manchester 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 Manchester: Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found) and Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License.
Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found)
No fee applies. The City Clerk's own current Business License Application names no barber, beauty, or cosmetology category anywhere on the form — a genuine difference from the Tattoo/Body Piercing Shop category the same form does license by name. A salon's Manchester-specific obligations are the same commercial building permit, Certificate of Occupancy, and zoning approvals recorded elsewhere in this file, on top of New Hampshire's own state-layer Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License.
Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License
A hundred and ten dollars for the shop license itself, whether applying, renewing or reinstating, with a further $100 inspection fee charged on the initial visit and on routine inspections after that. This is separate from the far cheaper individual practitioner licenses, each $55 to apply, renew or reinstate, covering barbers, master barbers, cosmetologists, manicurists and estheticians individually.
Shared with other businesses in Manchester
- Sign Permit — City of Manchester, Planning & Community Development Department, $25.00 non-refundable application fee, plus: on private property, $50.00 per sign up to 50 sq ft of face area or $1.50 per sq ft above 50 sq ft; over public property, the identical $50.00/$1.50-per-sq-ft structure; a temporary outdoor sign is $35.00 each instead., not applicable. 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 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Manchester, NH; what each one involves is set out on the Manchester permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NH and are covered on the NH state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Manchester?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found) and Barbering, Cosmetology or Esthetics Shop License. A retail store needs Conditional Use Permit and Business License — Retail Store (general retail exempt; High Impact Retail Sales covered), which 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Coffee shops | 7 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Restaurants | 7 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
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 Manchester permits page and the NH state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Business License Application — the City Clerk's own current form, listing every licensable Business Activity, the square-footage license fee worksheet, and the Peddler/Hawker fee scheduleCity of Manchester, Office of the City Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- New Hampshire Board of Barbering, Cosmetology and Esthetics — shop license feesNew Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification · 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.