15 permits · verified 2026-08-24
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Abilene?
In short
A salon or barber in Abilene, TX has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 8 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Abilene Building Inspections charges $100 per certificate for the certificate of occupancy. 5 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-24 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Abilene
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grease Trap and Interceptor Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Abilene Building Inspections | $75 new or replacement | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Alarm Permit | City of Abilene Building Inspections | $50 per year | one year | 2026-08-24 |
| Fire Operational Permitonly if it applies to you | Abilene Fire Department | $50 per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation | $78 per license period | two years | 2026-08-21 |
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 Abilene
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Abilene Building Inspections | Varies — formula on the Abilene page | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Abilene Building Inspections | $100 per certificate | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Abilene Building Inspections | $300 per certificate | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Fire Protection System Permitonly if it applies to you | Abilene Fire Department | Varies — formula on the Abilene page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Floodplain Development Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Abilene Building Inspections | $150 per permit | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Electrical Permit | City of Abilene Building Inspections | Varies — formula on the Abilene page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Abilene Planning | Varies — formula on the Abilene page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Abilene Building Inspections | Varies — formula on the Abilene page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
TX registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to you | Texas Secretary of State | $300 one-time filing | no expiry | 2026-08-20 |
| Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to you | Texas Secretary of State | $25 one-time filing | up to ten years, renewable | 2026-08-21 |
| Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts | No fee — there is no fee for this permit | no expiry while actively engaged in business | 2026-08-21 |
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 Abilene?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a salon or barber in Abilene, TX, 7 apply to every business of this type and 8 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, 4 carry a flat fee, coming to $228.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 0 have no fee published at all.
The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Abilene permits page and the TX state page.
Is Abilene expensive for a salon or barber?
Comparing like with like — only the permits charged as a single flat fee, since a valuation formula has no figure to rank — Abilene sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Certificate of Occupancy: Abilene charges $100. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Waco to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 5 charge less, 11 charge more and 5 charge exactly the same.
Read the spread rather than the rank. Certificate of Occupancy varies by $375 between the cheapest and dearest jurisdiction here, which is the sort of gap worth knowing before you sign a lease on one side of a city line rather than the other.
Which offices issue these permits in Abilene?
Permits for a salon or barber in Abilene, TX come from 6 separate offices: City of Abilene Building Inspections, Abilene Fire Department, City of Abilene Planning, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Texas Secretary of State, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Abilene Building InspectionsIssues 8 permits on this page, including Commercial Plan Review Fee, Certificate of Occupancy, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy555 Walnut Street, Abilene, TX 79601 · 325-676-6232www.abilenetx.gov/563/Fee-Schedule
- Abilene Fire DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Fire Protection System Permit, Fire Operational Permit250 Grape Street, Abilene, TX 79601 · 325-676-6434www.abilenetx.gov/563/Fee-Schedule
- City of Abilene PlanningIssues 1 permit on this page: Sign Permit555 Walnut Street, Abilene, TX 79601 · 325-676-6237www.abilenetx.gov/563/Fee-Schedule
- Texas Department of Licensing and RegulationIssues 1 permit on this page: Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License(800) 803-9202www.tdlr.texas.gov
- Texas Secretary of StateIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Formation, Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)www.sos.state.tx.us
- Texas Comptroller of Public AccountsIssues 1 permit on this page: Texas Sales and Use Tax Permitcomptroller.texas.gov/taxes/permit
What does a salon or barber need in Abilene that other businesses do not?
1 of the 4 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Abilene: Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License.
Grease Trap and Interceptor Permit
$75 for a new or replacement sand trap, grease trap or interceptor, permitted under the plumbing schedule. A commercial irrigation system is $100 against $75 residential, and a new or replacement water or sewer service is $75.
Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License
Establishment licenses are valid for two years from the date of issue, so the $78 is a two-year cost rather than an annual one — worth halving before you compare it with a yearly permit elsewhere. The fee applies to standard and specialty establishments; a mini-establishment license is $70. It covers full-service, mobile and specialty establishments, and applies to licenses expiring on or after 1 September 2023. Individual practitioners are licensed separately from the establishment, so a salon needs both its own license and a license for each operator working in it.
Shared with other businesses in Abilene
- Commercial Alarm Permit — City of Abilene Building Inspections, $50 per year, one year. Also required for retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
- Fire Operational Permit — Abilene Fire Department, $50 per permit, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for auto repair shops, coffee shops, contractors and trades, fitness studios, restaurants and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 8 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Abilene, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Abilene permits page. The 3 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TX and are covered on the TX state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Abilene?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A coffee shop needs Commercial Mechanical Permit, Food Establishment Permit and Temporary Food Permit, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 13 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Retail stores | 14 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Contractors and trades | 9 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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 and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Abilene permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City of Abilene Fee ScheduleCity of Abilene · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-24
- Barbering and Cosmetology Fee Changes — TDLRTexas Department of Licensing and Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-22
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.