Commercial Compliance Hub

9 permits · verified 2026-08-25

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

In short

A salon or barber in El Paso, TX has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department charges $110 per certificate for the certificate of occupancy. 3 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-25 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in El Paso

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Fire Operational Permitonly if it applies to youEl Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office$125–$205 per license, by hazardnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment LicenseTexas Department of Licensing and Regulation$78 per license periodtwo years2026-08-21

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 El Paso

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Plan ReviewCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the El Paso pageper review2026-08-25
Commercial Building PermitCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections DepartmentVaries — formula on the El Paso pagenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Certificate of OccupancyCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department$110 per certificatenot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25
Demolition Permitonly if it applies to youCity of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department$115 per permitnot stated in the published schedule2026-08-25

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Certificate of Formationonly if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$300 one-time filingno expiry2026-08-20
Assumed Name Certificate (DBA)only if it applies to youTexas Secretary of State$25 one-time filingup to ten years, renewable2026-08-21
Texas Sales and Use Tax PermitTexas Comptroller of Public AccountsNo fee — there is no fee for this permitno expiry while actively engaged in business2026-08-21

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 El Paso?

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 El Paso, TX, 5 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 5 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $188.00. 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 0 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Fire Operational Permit: $125–$205 per license, by hazard

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the El Paso permits page and the TX state page.

Is El Paso 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 — El Paso sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.

Certificate of Occupancy: El Paso charges $110. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Waco to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 11 charge less and 10 charge more.

Demolition Permit: El Paso charges $115. Across 6 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Grand Prairie to $200 in Arlington, with a median of $106.50. 3 charge less and 2 charge more.

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 El Paso?

Permits for a salon or barber in El Paso, TX come from 5 separate offices: City of El Paso Planning and Inspections Department, El Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, 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.

What does a salon or barber need in El Paso 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 El Paso: 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 El Paso

  • Fire Operational Permit — El Paso Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, $125–$205 per license, by hazard, not stated in the published 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 auto repair shops page.

The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in El Paso, TX; what each one involves is set out on the El Paso 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 El Paso?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A auto repair shop needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in El Paso, TX, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1110
Contractors and trades3112
Fitness studios3112
Coffee shops6115
Retail stores8117
Restaurants9118
Childcare centres2022
Food trucks4024
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 shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the El Paso permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 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.