8 permits · verified 2026-08-22
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Houston?
In short
A salon or barber in Houston, TX has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Houston Public Works charges $94 one-time for the temporary certificate of occupancy. 3 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-22 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Houston
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Building Permitonly if it applies to you | Houston Public Works | $47.00 up to $7,000 valuation, then a base charge per band plus a per-$1,000 increment: $5.36 to $150,000; $5.03 to $200,000; $4.70 to $300,000; $4.36 to $500,000; $4.02 to $1,000,000; $3.68 to $5,000,000 | one-time | 2026-08-22 |
| 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 Houston
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | Houston Public Works | Varies — formula on the Houston page | one-time | 2026-08-22 |
| Fire Alarm Permitonly if it applies to you | Houston Fire Department | Varies — formula on the Houston page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-08-22 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | Houston Public Works | $94 one-time | maximum of 30 calendar days | 2026-08-22 |
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 Houston?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a salon or barber in Houston, TX, 3 apply to every business of this type and 5 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, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $78.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 8 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:
Structural Building Permit: $47.00 up to $7,000 valuation, then a base charge per band plus a per-$1,000 increment: $5.36 to $150,000; $5.03 to $200,000; $4.70 to $300,000; $4.36 to $500,000; $4.02 to $1,000,000; $3.68 to $5,000,000
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Houston permits page and the TX state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Houston?
Permits for a salon or barber in Houston, TX come from 5 separate offices: Houston Public Works, Houston Fire Department, 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.
- Houston Public WorksIssues 3 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy, Structural Building Permit, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy(832) 395-2500www.houstonpermittingcenter.org
- Houston Fire DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Alarm Permit500 Jefferson Street, Suite 1700, Houston, TX 77002 · (832) 394-6700www.houstontx.gov/fire
- 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 Houston 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 Houston: Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License.
Structural Building Permit
Worked example: a $250,000 fit-out falls in the $200,001-$300,000 band, so $1,066.86 for the first $200,000 plus $4.70 for each additional $1,000 — $1,301.86 before add-ons. A $33.56 administrative fee applies to the issuance or amendment of a building permit (Sec. 10-2 with Sec. 1-14), and the minimum occupancy permit fee is $91.06 (Sec. 118.1.3).
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.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Houston, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Houston 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 Houston?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A fitness studio needs Fire Permit — Places of Assembly, Fire Marshall Approval and Health Spa Certificate of Registration, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Retail stores | 8 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Restaurants | 16 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 7 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
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 Houston permits page and the TX state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- City-Wide Fee ScheduleCity of Houston, Finance Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-08-22
- 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.