13 permits · verified 2026-08-24
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Waco?
In short
A salon or barber in Waco, TX has 8 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Waco Inspection Services charges $50 per change of record for the certificate of occupancy. 7 of the 13 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 Waco
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backflow Prevention Device Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Waco Inspection Services | $40 first device, then $10 each | one-time, per installation | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Plumbing Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | $8 for each plumbing fixture, trap, grease and sand trap, water heater or gas-fired appliance; $20 per line per 100 feet of sewer, water and gas service; $10 per sump, grinder pump or lift station; $50 per boiler | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 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 Waco
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Waco Inspection Services | $50 per change of record | does not expire; a new certificate is required on a change of occupancy classification, tenancy, ownership, business name or type of business | 2026-08-24 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Waco Inspection Services | Varies — formula on the Waco page | 30 days initially, extendable twice by 15 days | 2026-08-24 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Waco Inspection Services | Varies — formula on the Waco page | off-premise sign registration is annual, due 1 October | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Plan Review Fee | City of Waco Inspection Services | Varies — formula on the Waco page | one-time, per application | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | Varies — formula on the Waco page | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Alteration and Repair Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | Varies — formula on the Waco page | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 2026-08-24 |
| Commercial Electrical Permit | City of Waco Inspection Services | Varies — formula on the Waco page | renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60 | 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 Waco?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a salon or barber in Waco, TX, 8 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 8 that always apply, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $128.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 13 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: $8 for each plumbing fixture, trap, grease and sand trap, water heater or gas-fired appliance; $20 per line per 100 feet of sewer, water and gas service; $10 per sump, grinder pump or lift station; $50 per boiler
The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Waco permits page and the TX state page.
Is Waco 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 — Waco sits where the table below puts it against every other TX jurisdiction covered here that publishes the same permit.
Certificate of Occupancy: Waco charges $50. Across 22 jurisdictions it runs from $50 here to $425 in Universal City, with a median of $105. 20 charge more and 1 charges 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 Waco?
Permits for a salon or barber in Waco, TX come from 4 separate offices: City of Waco Inspection 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 Waco Inspection ServicesIssues 9 permits on this page, including Certificate of Occupancy, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, Backflow Prevention Device Permit(254) 750-5612www.waco-texas.com/Business/Permits-Licenses
- 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 Waco 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 Waco: 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 Waco
- Backflow Prevention Device Permit — City of Waco Inspection Services, $40 first device, then $10 each, 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 auto repair shops page.
- Commercial Plumbing Permit — City of Waco Inspection Services, $8 for each plumbing fixture, trap, grease and sand trap, water heater or gas-fired appliance; $20 per line per 100 feet of sewer, water and gas service; $10 per sump, grinder pump or lift station; $50 per boiler, renewal is 50% of the original permit fee, minimum $60. 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 restaurants page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Waco, TX; what each one involves is set out on the Waco 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 Waco?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barbering and Cosmetology Establishment License. A auto repair shop needs Fire Marshal Operational Permit, 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 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Coffee shops | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 11 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Retail stores | 12 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
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 and restaurants page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Waco 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.