15 permits · verified 2026-10-09
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Odessa?
In short
A salon or barber in Odessa, 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. Odessa Fire Marshal's Office charges $150 per annual inspection for the annual fire inspection. 9 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Odessa
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Plumbing Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $50 base plus $0.05 per square foot for complete plumbing, or $0.025 for finish-out or rough-in only | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Fire Operational Permitonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | $100–$300 by permit type | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| 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 Odessa
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Sprinkler Permitonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Fire Alarm Permitonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Annual Fire Inspectiononly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | $150 per annual inspection | annual | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Remodel and Finish-Out Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Odessa Inspection Division | $100 change of use, owner or name | the fee schedule charges for a new certificate on a change of use, owner or business name | 2026-10-09 |
| Commercial Electrical Permit | City of Odessa Inspection Division | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-10-09 |
| Re-inspection Feeonly if it applies to you | City of Odessa Inspection Division | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | per inspection | 2026-10-09 |
| False Alarm Feeonly if it applies to you | Odessa Fire Marshal's Office | Varies — formula on the Odessa page | counted 1 January to 31 December | 2026-10-09 |
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 Odessa?
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 Odessa, 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, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $178.00. That is a floor, not a total. 9 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 ones particular to this business that vary:
Commercial Plumbing Permit: $50 base plus $0.05 per square foot for complete plumbing, or $0.025 for finish-out or rough-in only
Fire Operational Permit: $100–$300 by permit type
The other 7 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Odessa permits page and the TX state page.
Is Odessa 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 — Odessa sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Certificate of Occupancy: Odessa 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 Odessa?
Permits for a salon or barber in Odessa, TX come from 5 separate offices: Odessa Fire Marshal's Office, City of Odessa Inspection Division, 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.
- Odessa Fire Marshal's OfficeIssues 5 permits on this page, including Fire Sprinkler Permit, Fire Alarm Permit, Fire Operational Permit307 N. Lee Street, 2nd floor, Odessa, TX · 432-257-0524www.odessa-tx.gov/1229/Fire-Marshals-Office
- City of Odessa Inspection DivisionIssues 6 permits on this page, including Commercial Plumbing Permit, Commercial Building Permit, Commercial Remodel and Finish-Out Permitwww.odessa-tx.gov/1222/Building-Inspection-Permits
- 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 Odessa that other businesses do not?
1 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Odessa: 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 Odessa
- Commercial Plumbing Permit — City of Odessa Inspection Division, $50 base plus $0.05 per square foot for complete plumbing, or $0.025 for finish-out or rough-in only, not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics, fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
- Fire Operational Permit — Odessa Fire Marshal's Office, $100–$300 by permit type, 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 fitness studios page.
The other 9 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Odessa, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Odessa 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 Odessa?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A fitness studio needs 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 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 9 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 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 fitness studios page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Odessa 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.