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9 permits · verified 2026-10-08

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

In short

A salon or barber in Shelby County Tn, TN has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division charges $15 county license per location (county-only); for a Memphis location the Clerk also collects a $15 Memphis city license fee, $30 in total ($15 county + $15 city) for the county business tax license (standard or minimal activity). 3 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Shelby County Tn

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Barbershop Sanitation Permit (outside the municipalities)only if it applies to youShelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program$10 a year, as set by Shelby County Code § 8-107; due January 1 and paid by January 31calendar year2026-10-08
Cosmetology or Barber Shop LicenseTennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners$150 to open — a $100 license plus a $50 inspection; $75 to renew2 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 Shelby County Tn

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building Permit, Plan Review and Certificate of OccupancyMemphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development)Varies — formula on the Shelby County Tn pageper permit2026-10-08
County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity)only if it applies to youShelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division$15 county license per location (county-only); for a Memphis location the Clerk also collects a $15 Memphis city license fee, $30 in total ($15 county + $15 city)continuing; renewed at no fee once the annual state business tax return is filed and paid2026-10-08

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

TN 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 Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youTennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsVaries — formula on the TN pageno expiry, but an annual report on the same per-member scale is due each year2026-09-03
For-Profit Corporation Charteronly if it applies to youTennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a $20 annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Standard or Minimal Activity Business Licenseonly if it applies to youTennessee Department of Revenue$15 per jurisdiction per location — charged again by the city if it has enacted the taxannual for a standard license, renewed free when the tax return is filed2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youTennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsVaries — formula on the TN pageannual — due the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends2026-09-03
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of RegistrationTennessee Department of RevenueNo feeno expiry stated2026-09-03

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 Shelby County Tn?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a salon or barber in Shelby County Tn, TN, 3 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 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $150.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all.

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Shelby County Tn permits page and the TN state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Shelby County Tn?

Permits for a salon or barber in Shelby County Tn, TN come from 6 separate offices: Memphis and Shelby County Office of Construction Code Enforcement (Division of Planning and Development), Shelby County Clerk, Business Tax Division, Shelby County Health Department, Environmental Health & Food Safety Program, Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, Tennessee Department of Revenue, Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. 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 Shelby County Tn that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Shelby County Tn: Barbershop Sanitation Permit (outside the municipalities) and Cosmetology or Barber Shop License.

Barbershop Sanitation Permit (outside the municipalities)

The county code sets this fee: Shelby County Code § 8-107 states that 'Every barbershop shall pay to the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department an annual permit fee of $10.00', due January 1 and paid by January 31, and that new barbershops 'shall secure a permit before they open'; permits are not transferable. Section 8-106 applies these sanitary standards to barbershops 'outside the corporate limits of all municipalities within the county', and § 8-115 exempts duly registered cosmetologists operating under state law. The department now operates as the Shelby County Health Department, whose food safety program page lists barbershops among its non-food inspections. The $10 amount is not published on any Health Department fee page; contact the Health Department at 901-222-9158 for the current charge. The state barber shop license is separate.

Cosmetology or Barber Shop License

The two boards merged in 2014 but the licenses did not: barbering and cosmetology still sit under separate statutes and separate rule chapters, at the same headline price. A shop offering both needs a dual license, at $200 to open and $100 to renew. One divergence is worth knowing because the board's own public fee page understates it — the late renewal penalty is $50 on the cosmetology side and $75 on the barber side, and the rules control. A mobile shop is licensed at the same fees and must operate under a fixed primary shop. Applications and fees are good for only ninety days. The practitioners themselves are far cheaper at $60.

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

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

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbershop Sanitation Permit (outside the municipalities) and Cosmetology or Barber Shop License. A auto repair shop needs Tire Business Permit (unincorporated areas) and Automotive Repair Shop Licensing — Tennessee Position, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Shelby County Tn, TN, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2022
Childcare centres2022
Coffee shops4024
Contractors and trades2022
Fitness studios0020
Food trucks4024
Restaurants5025
Retail stores4024
Veterinary clinics1021

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 Shelby County Tn permits page and the TN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Shelby County Code, Chapter 8, Article IV — Barbershops (§§ 8-106, 8-107, 8-115)Shelby County Board of Commissioners (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  2. Tennessee Comp. R. & Regs. 0440-01 — cosmetology feesTennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. Tennessee Comp. R. & Regs. 0200-01 — barber fees and certificate termsTennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners · 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.