12 permits · verified 2026-08-27
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Richardson?
In short
A salon or barber in Richardson, TX has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 6 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department charges $150 minimum fee, commercial for the commercial electrical installation permit. 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-08-27 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Richardson
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Registration | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | $100 per registration or renewal | not stated in the published schedule | 2026-08-27 |
| Fire Code Operational Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Richardson Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office | $50–$100 per permit, then annual renewal | 1 year | 2026-08-27 |
| 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 Richardson
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | Varies — formula on the Richardson page | per permit | 2026-08-27 |
| Commercial Electrical Installation Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | $150 minimum fee, commercial | per permit | 2026-08-27 |
| Interior Finish and Alteration Permit | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | Varies — formula on the Richardson page | per permit | 2026-08-27 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | $100 per certificate, waived with a building permit | not stated in the published schedule | 2026-08-27 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | Varies — formula on the Richardson page | per permit | 2026-08-27 |
| Miscellaneous Commercial Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department | Varies — formula on the Richardson page | per permit | 2026-08-27 |
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 Richardson?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a salon or barber in Richardson, TX, 6 apply to every business of this type and 6 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. 5 of the 12 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 Code Operational Permit: $50–$100 per permit, then annual renewal
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Richardson permits page and the TX state page.
Is Richardson 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 — Richardson sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Certificate of Occupancy: Richardson 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.
Contractor Registration: Richardson charges $100. Across 6 jurisdictions it runs from $50 in Allen to $100 here, with a median of $100. 2 charge less and 3 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 Richardson?
Permits for a salon or barber in Richardson, TX come from 5 separate offices: City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department, City of Richardson 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.
- City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services DepartmentIssues 7 permits on this page, including Commercial Building Permit, Commercial Electrical Installation Permit, Interior Finish and Alteration Permit411 W Arapaho Road, Richardson, TX 75080www.cor.net/departments/building-inspection
- City of Richardson Fire Department, Fire Marshal's OfficeIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Code Operational Permit300 N Greenville Avenue, Richardson, TX 75081www.cor.net/departments/fire-department
- 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 Richardson 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 Richardson: 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 Richardson
- Contractor Registration — City of Richardson Building Inspection Division, Community Services Department, $100 per registration or renewal, not stated in the published schedule. Also required for auto repair shops, contractors and trades, restaurants and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
- Fire Code Operational Permit — City of Richardson Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office, $50–$100 per permit, then annual renewal, 1 year. 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 restaurants page.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Richardson, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Richardson 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 Richardson?
The closest match is a contractor or trade, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A contractor or trade needs Waste Hauler Permit, Industrial Pre-Treatment Permit and Electrical Contractor License, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 10 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Fitness studios | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 11 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Coffee shops | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
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 and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Richardson 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.
