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8 permits · verified 2026-09-30

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

In short

A salon or barber in Bucks County, PA has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations charges $125 one-time filing for the articles of incorporation. 2 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-30 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Bucks County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Massage Therapy Establishment Licenseonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of Health$100–$300 biennial license fee, by therapy-room count — one therapy room $100, two therapy rooms $200, three or more therapy rooms $300, paid once per 2-year license term2 years (biennial) — the license expires two years after the date of issuance2026-09-30
Cosmetology Salon LicensePennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs$142 application and initial registration2 years, expiring 31 January of odd-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 Bucks County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permitonly if it applies to youBucks County Department of HealthVaries — formula on the Bucks County pageper permit, one-time; site evaluation and permit issuance are billed as separate fee lines2026-09-30

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

PA 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 youPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations$125 one-time filingno expiry, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations$7 per year for a for-profit entityannual2026-09-03
General Business License — Pennsylvania positionPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable OrganizationsNo feeset by the issuing municipality2026-09-03
Sales, Use and Hotel Occupancy Tax Licenseonly if it applies to youPennsylvania Department of RevenueNo fee — no registration fee5 years, renewed automatically subject to compliance2026-09-03

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 Bucks County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a salon or barber in Bucks County, PA, 2 apply to every business of this type and 6 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 $142.00. That is a floor, not a total. 2 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Massage Therapy Establishment License: $100–$300 biennial license fee, by therapy-room count — one therapy room $100, two therapy rooms $200, three or more therapy rooms $300, paid once per 2-year license term

The other 1 variable fee belongs to permits that apply to every type of business here; its formula is set out on the Bucks County permits page and the PA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Bucks County?

Permits for a salon or barber in Bucks County, PA come from 4 separate offices: Bucks County Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, Bureau of Professional and Occupational 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 Bucks County that other businesses do not?

1 of the 2 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Bucks County: Cosmetology Salon License.

Massage Therapy Establishment License

A salon or fitness studio operating a 'Regulated Establishment' under Bucks County Ordinance No. 166 needs this BCDH-issued Massage Therapy Establishment license, which requires a Pennsylvania-licensed massage therapist to perform services and a criminal background check for the owner. Ordinance 166 §III.A(3) sets the fee as a biennial charge — 'The biennial license fee shall be as follows: $100 for a Regulated Establishment with one therapy room, $200 for a Regulated Establishment with two therapy rooms, and $300.00 for a Regulated Establishment with three or more therapy rooms' — and §III.D confirms the license 'shall expire two years after the date of issuance,' so this fee is paid once per 2-year term (per 2 years), never annually. The current ADM-71 fee schedule lists the identical $100/$200/$300 figures, confirming no adjustment has occurred since the ordinance's January 1, 2024 adjustment window opened. Ordinance 166 §I expressly excludes from 'Regulated Establishment' any salon with fewer than two therapy rooms whose primary services are manicure, pedicure, or hair grooming, so this license applies only to a salon or fitness studio with two or more dedicated therapy rooms, or one whose primary service is massage or another alternative therapy.

Cosmetology Salon License

$142 to open and $144 every two years to renew — one of the few licenses where renewal costs more than the initial application. The same figure covers a cosmetology, nail technology or esthetician salon. The license expires on 31 January of odd-numbered years whatever month you were licensed, so a salon opening in December pays for barely a year the first time round. Nail technicians, teachers and schools renew in EVEN years, so a salon with staff runs two cycles. A pre-license inspection is mandatory and the Board will not issue until it is done, which is the step that sets your opening date. Moving premises costs $105 where a new inspection is needed and $45 where it is not; a reinspection is $91. The shop license is entirely separate from the individual licenses of the people working in it — an owner who also practises needs both.

The other 1 local permit in the tables apply to every type of business in Bucks County, PA; what each one involves is set out on the Bucks County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across PA and are covered on the PA state page.

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

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Cosmetology Salon License. A fitness studio needs Public Health Bathing Place (Pool/Spa) Registration and Private/Residential Well Construction & Certification Permit, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Bucks County, PA, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios3112
Auto repair shops2022
Childcare centres4024
Coffee shops8028
Contractors and trades4024
Food trucks100210
Restaurants8028
Retail stores7027
Veterinary clinics2022

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 Bucks County permits page and the PA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Bucks County Ordinance No. 166, Massage Therapy Establishments (enacted January 19, 2022)Bucks County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  2. Bucks County Department of Health Environmental Services Fee Schedule, ADM-71 (Rev 08/2025), January 2026 through December 2026Bucks County Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
  3. 49 Pa. Code section 7.2 — cosmetology fees, the column effective 1 July 2024 being operativePennsylvania Code and Bulletin · 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.