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11 permits · verified 2026-09-08

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

In short

A salon or barber in Columbia, SC 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. South Carolina Board of Barber Examiners, Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation charges $250 to open; renewal is $125 for the barbershop permit. 5 of the 11 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 Columbia

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Salon Business License — Class 4 Rate Applies (Columbia)only if it applies to youCity of Columbia Business License Division, Finance DepartmentNo feenot applicable2026-09-08
Sign PermitCity of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center$10.00 for a commercial zoning permit under $50,000 in value, plus $1.00 for each additional $50,000 above that.one-time, per sign2026-09-08
Barbershop PermitSouth Carolina Board of Barber Examiners, Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation$250 to open; renewal is $125biennial for a fixed shop; a mobile barbershop renews annually under the statute2026-09-03
Salon LicenseSouth Carolina Board of Cosmetology, Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation$100 to open; renewal is $72biennial, on the board's own renewal cycle2026-09-03

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 Columbia

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business LicenseCity of Columbia Business License Division, Finance DepartmentVaries — formula on the Columbia pageannual — license year runs May 1 to April 302026-09-08
Commercial Building PermitCity of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development CenterVaries — formula on the Columbia pageone-time, per project2026-09-08

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

SC 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
Corporate Annual Report and License Feeonly if it applies to youSouth Carolina Department of RevenueVaries — formula on the SC pageannual — due on the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the tax year ends2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youSouth Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings$110 one-time filingperpetual — an LLC files no annual report in South Carolina2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youSouth Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings$135 at filing — $110 to the Secretary of State plus the $25 initial license feeperpetual, but an annual report and license fee are due every year2026-09-03
Retail LicenseSouth Carolina Department of Revenue$50 for each permanent location, and it is not refundableno expiry while the same person trades at the same location2026-09-03
Local Business LicenseSouth Carolina Department of RevenueVaries — formula on the SC page1 May to 30 April, the same in every South Carolina jurisdiction2026-09-03

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 Columbia?

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 Columbia, SC, 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, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $400.00. 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 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Sign Permit: $10.00 for a commercial zoning permit under $50,000 in value, plus $1.00 for each additional $50,000 above that.

The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Columbia permits page and the SC state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Columbia?

Permits for a salon or barber in Columbia, SC come from 6 separate offices: City of Columbia Business License Division, Finance Department, City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center, South Carolina Department of Revenue, South Carolina Board of Barber Examiners, Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings, South Carolina Board of Cosmetology, Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. 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 Columbia 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 Columbia: Salon Business License — Class 4 Rate Applies (Columbia), Barbershop Permit and Salon License.

Salon Business License — Class 4 Rate Applies (Columbia)

Appendix B of Ordinance 2023-087, the City's business license class schedule, assigns classes by NAICS sector and names no salon-specific category: a salon or other personal care business (NAICS 8121) falls under sector 81 'Other services', Class 4, and pays the standard Class 4 business license rate shown in the Business License record. Under that schedule there is no separate fee for a salon beyond the Class 4 business license.

Barbershop Permit

A barbershop costs two and a half times what a salon costs — $250 to open against $100, and $125 to renew against $72 — even though the two boards sit in the same building. As with a salon, the permit is location-specific and not transferable, a change of owner or of location costs the full $250 again, and the application must be filed at least fifteen working days before opening with no trading until the fees are paid and the inspection passed. A change of name or of manager is only $10. The physical rules are unusually prescriptive and worth reading before signing a lease: at least five feet between barber chairs measured centre to centre, complete separation from any residence, a ceiling-height partition from any room in other use, smooth-finished walls, ceilings and floors, no exposed pipework, adequate toilet facilities, an accessible working fire extinguisher, and a cabinet of clean towels plus a container for soiled ones for each barber. Note a live conflict on mobile units: the statute says a mobile barbershop permit is renewed annually while the regulation says biennially.

Salon License

A hundred dollars to open and $72 to renew, which is among the cheapest salon licensing in the country — but the license is unusually brittle. It is valid only for the named owner at the named location and is not transferable, so a change of owner, a change of location and even a change of name each require a fresh $100 application rather than an amendment. A new location must be applied for twenty working days before opening and must pass an inspection within ten working days before the license issues. A salon closed permanently must return its license, and any closure beyond sixty days must be notified. Renewing late costs $122 rather than $72. One caution on the renewal date: the regulation says renewal is due before 1 July, while the board runs its cosmetology cycle to 10 March of odd-numbered years, and the regulation has not been conformed to the practice — confirm your own date with the board rather than relying on either.

Shared with other businesses in Columbia

  • Sign Permit — City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center, $10.00 for a commercial zoning permit under $50,000 in value, plus $1.00 for each additional $50,000 above that., 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 veterinary clinics page.

The other 2 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Columbia, SC; what each one involves is set out on the Columbia permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across SC and are covered on the SC state page.

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

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon Business License — Class 4 Rate Applies (Columbia), Barbershop Permit and Salon License. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Columbia, SC, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios1130
Retail stores1130
Veterinary clinics2131
Auto repair shops3132
Coffee shops3132
Restaurants3132
Childcare centres1041
Contractors and trades3043

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 veterinary clinics page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Columbia permits page and the SC state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Columbia Ordinance 2023-087 — Business Licence Ordinance amendment, Appendix A rate table and Appendix B class scheduleCity of Columbia · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  2. South Carolina Regulations chapter 10 — the fee schedules for the barber, contractor, residential builder and veterinary boardsSouth Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. South Carolina Code chapter 40-7 — barbershop registration, inspection before opening and mobile barbershop renewalSouth Carolina General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. South Carolina Regulation 35-15 — salon licenses, tied to a named owner and a named location and not transferableSouth Carolina Board of Cosmetology · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  5. South Carolina Code section 40-13-250 — biennial renewal of cosmetology licensesSouth Carolina General Assembly · 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.