15 permits · verified 2026-08-24
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Arlington?
In short
A salon or barber in Arlington, TX has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Arlington Planning and Development Services charges $150 per certificate for the temporary certificate of occupancy. 3 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 Arlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Based Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $50 per license | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Grease Interceptor Plumbing Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $60 per interceptor | one-time, per installation | 2026-08-24 |
| Backflow Prevention Device Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $30 per device, first device | one-time, per installation | 2026-08-24 |
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $75 per site | one-time, per site | 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 Arlington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | Varies — formula on the Arlington page | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $150 per certificate | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | Varies — formula on the Arlington page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Demolition Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $200 per building | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — New Structure | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $100 per certificate | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of use, tenant or owner | 2026-08-24 |
| Certificate of Occupancy — Existing Structure | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | $100 per certificate | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of use, tenant or owner | 2026-08-24 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Arlington Planning and Development Services | Varies — formula on the Arlington 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 Arlington?
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 Arlington, TX, 6 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 6 that always apply, 4 carry a flat fee, coming to $278.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 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 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Arlington permits page and the TX state page.
Is Arlington 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 — Arlington sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Demolition Permit: Arlington charges $200. Across 6 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Grand Prairie to $200 here, with a median of $106.50. Nowhere else covered here charges more.
Read the spread rather than the rank. Demolition Permit varies by $150 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 Arlington?
Permits for a salon or barber in Arlington, TX come from 4 separate offices: City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, 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 Arlington Planning and Development ServicesIssues 11 permits on this page, including Commercial Plan Review Fee, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, Commercial Building Permitwww.arlingtontx.gov/Business/Development-Resources
- 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 Arlington that other businesses do not?
1 of the 5 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Arlington: Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License.
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 Arlington
- Home Based Business License — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $50 per license, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for contractors and trades and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
- Grease Interceptor Plumbing Permit — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $60 per interceptor, one-time, per installation. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
- Backflow Prevention Device Permit — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $30 per device, first device, one-time, per installation. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.
- Zoning Verification Letter — City of Arlington Planning and Development Services, $75 per site, one-time, per site. Also required for restaurants, retail stores, auto repair shops, fitness studios, childcare centres and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Arlington, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Arlington 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 Arlington?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 3 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Home Based Business License and Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A auto repair shop needs Fire Permit, Specific Use Permit or Planned Development, Zoning Change and Commercial Site Plan Review, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Veterinary clinics | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 8 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Coffee shops | 10 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Restaurants | 19 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Retail stores | 20 | 3 | 2 | 17 |
| Childcare centres | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Food trucks | 6 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
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 contractors and trades page, restaurants page, fitness studios page and retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Arlington permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- 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.