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11 permits · verified 2026-09-05

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

In short

A salon or barber in Paterson, NJ has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Paterson Department of Health and Human Services, Mercantile Licensing Division charges $125 a year, or part of a year; a $50 application fee and $100 renewal fee also apply for the mercantile license. 5 of the 11 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Paterson

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign PermitPaterson Construction Code Enforcing AgencyFlat or projecting signs: $1.25–$2.50 per square foot on a sliding scale, minimum $58. Roof, pole or billboard signs: $2.50–$5.00 per square foot, minimum $75.one-time, per sign2026-09-05
Non-Life-Hazard Commercial Fire RegistrationCity of Paterson Department of Public Safety, Fire Division, Bureau of Fire PreventionBanded by square footage: under 1,000 sq ft $60; 1,000–4,999 sq ft $120; 5,000–9,999 sq ft $300; 10,000 sq ft or more $500.annual2026-09-05
Cosmetology and Hairstyling Shop LicenseNew Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, Division of Consumer Affairs$250–$350 initial — $350 in the first year of the biennial cycle, $250 in the second; $200 to renewbiennial — renews in July of even-numbered 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 Paterson

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of OccupancyPaterson Construction Code Enforcing AgencyVaries — formula on the Paterson pageissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-05
Mercantile LicenseCity of Paterson Department of Health and Human Services, Mercantile Licensing Division$125 a year, or part of a year; a $50 application fee and $100 renewal fee also applycalendar year — expires December 31 regardless of issue date2026-09-05
Commercial Building PermitPaterson Construction Code Enforcing AgencyVaries — formula on the Paterson pageone-time, per project2026-09-05

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

NJ 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
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$75 a year; $30 for a nonprofitannual — due the last day of the entity's anniversary month2026-09-03
General Business License — New Jersey Business Action Center Positiononly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeset by the municipality2026-09-03
Certificate of Incorporationonly if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to youNew Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services$100 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each anniversary month2026-09-03
Business Registration (Form NJ-REG)New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise ServicesNo feeone-time registration — no renewal2026-09-03

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 Paterson?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 11 records listed for a salon or barber in Paterson, NJ, 7 apply to every business of this type and 4 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 7 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $125.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 11 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Sign Permit: Flat or projecting signs: $1.25–$2.50 per square foot on a sliding scale, minimum $58. Roof, pole or billboard signs: $2.50–$5.00 per square foot, minimum $75.

Non-Life-Hazard Commercial Fire Registration: Banded by square footage: under 1,000 sq ft $60; 1,000–4,999 sq ft $120; 5,000–9,999 sq ft $300; 10,000 sq ft or more $500.

Cosmetology and Hairstyling Shop License: $250–$350 initial — $350 in the first year of the biennial cycle, $250 in the second; $200 to renew

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

Which offices issue these permits in Paterson?

Permits for a salon or barber in Paterson, NJ come from 5 separate offices: Paterson Construction Code Enforcing Agency, City of Paterson Department of Public Safety, Fire Division, Bureau of Fire Prevention, City of Paterson Department of Health and Human Services, Mercantile Licensing Division, New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, Division of Consumer Affairs. 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 Paterson that other businesses do not?

1 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Paterson: Cosmetology and Hairstyling Shop License.

Non-Life-Hazard Commercial Fire Registration

This is Paterson's own annual registration/inspection fee for commercial occupancies. A private hydrant annual inspection is a separate $200. Food vending vehicles are regulated entirely by the Health Division under a separate chapter (243, $500 or $900 a year) with no fire-specific charge found anywhere in that chapter.

Cosmetology and Hairstyling Shop License

One license covers six shop types — cosmetology and hairstyling, beauty culture, barbering, skin care, manicuring and hair braiding — because New Jersey has no separate barber board and no separate barber shop fee. The initial cost depends on where in the two-year cycle you apply: a $150 application fee that includes the inspection, plus $200 in the first year of the cycle or $100 in the second. Renewal is $200. The hard trap is lateness: more than ninety days past expiry the board will not renew at all and the owner must reapply as an initial license, so the $50 reinstatement fee is available only inside that window. The shop must employ a practitioner with three years' experience and occupy at least three hundred and fifty square feet, with a certificate of occupancy, zoning and fire permits attached to the application. The owner need not personally be licensed.

Shared with other businesses in Paterson

  • Sign Permit — Paterson Construction Code Enforcing Agency, Flat or projecting signs: $1.25–$2.50 per square foot on a sliding scale, minimum $58. Roof, pole or billboard signs: $2.50–$5.00 per square foot, minimum $75., 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 retail stores page.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Paterson, NJ; what each one involves is set out on the Paterson permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across NJ and are covered on the NJ state page.

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

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Cosmetology and Hairstyling Shop License. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Paterson, NJ, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios2210
Retail stores2210
Auto repair shops4212
Veterinary clinics4212
Coffee shops6214
Restaurants6214
Childcare centres1031
Contractors and trades4034

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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Paterson permits page and the NJ state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Paterson Code chapter 215 — Fire Safety, non-life-hazard commercial registration and inspection feesCity of Paterson (eCode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
  2. New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling — application to operate a new shopNew Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. New Jersey Administrative Code chapter 13:28 — Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling fee schedule (Internet Archive capture of the official document, 20 February 2025; the live file now returns 404)New Jersey Division of Consumer 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.