12 permits · verified 2026-09-09
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Salt Lake City?
In short
A salon or barber in Salt Lake City, UT 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. Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code charges $59 one-time filing for the articles of incorporation. 5 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-09 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Salt Lake City
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permit | City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division | Priced on the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule as the general building permit, plus a plan-checking fee of $0.15 per dollar of the calculated building permit fee (roughly a 15% surcharge) and a $17 inspection tag fee per inspection. | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-09 |
| Cosmetology Facility Permit | Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau) | Plan Review and Initial Permit: $305 plus $20/station. Permit Renewal: $220 plus $20/station. Follow-Up Inspection: $135. Temporary Cosmetology Facility Permit: $110 plus $20/station. | annual (renewal cycle inferred from the schedule's own 'Permit Renewal' line; not independently restated elsewhere) | 2026-09-09 |
| Salon or Barbershop Establishment License — State Fee Schedule Position (Utah)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Professional Licensing | No fee | not applicable — only individual practitioners are licensed | 2026-09-04 |
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 Salt Lake City
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License | City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake City page | annual (renewal cycle not stated in the published fee schedule) | 2026-09-09 |
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | City of Salt Lake City, Planning Division | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake City page | one-time, no stated expiration | 2026-09-09 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division | Varies — formula on the Salt Lake City page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division | No fee | one-time, no expiration | 2026-09-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
UT registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax License | Utah State Tax Commission | No fee | ongoing — no fixed expiration, with a filing frequency the state assigns and can revisit | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $59 one-time filing | perpetual, but a renewal is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration)only if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | No fee | set by the city or county | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $18 a year; a late renewal adds $10 | annual — due in the calendar month tied to the entity's own formation anniversary | 2026-09-04 |
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 Salt Lake City?
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 Salt Lake City, UT, 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.
5 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: Priced on the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule as the general building permit, plus a plan-checking fee of $0.15 per dollar of the calculated building permit fee (roughly a 15% surcharge) and a $17 inspection tag fee per inspection.
Cosmetology Facility Permit: Plan Review and Initial Permit: $305 plus $20/station. Permit Renewal: $220 plus $20/station. Follow-Up Inspection: $135. Temporary Cosmetology Facility Permit: $110 plus $20/station.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Salt Lake City?
Permits for a salon or barber in Salt Lake City, UT come from 7 separate offices: City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing Division, City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division, City of Salt Lake City, Planning Division, Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau), Utah State Tax Commission, Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, Utah Division of Professional Licensing. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City of Salt Lake City Finance Department, Business Licensing DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License451 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 535-6644www.slc.gov/Finance/business-licensing
- City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Building Permit (Commercial), Certificate of Occupancy451 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 535-6000www.slc.gov/buildingservices/building-permits
- City of Salt Lake City, Planning DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Zoning Verification Letter451 South State Street, Room 406, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 535-7757www.slc.gov/planning/zoning
- Salt Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (Food Protection Bureau)Issues 1 permit on this page: Cosmetology Facility Permit788 East Woodoak Lane (5380 South), Murray, UT 84107 · (385) 468-3845www.saltlakecounty.gov/health/food-protection
- Utah State Tax CommissionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax License210 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84134 · (801) 297-2200tax.utah.gov
- Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial CodeIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Organization (LLC), General Business License — Utah State Position (Entity Registration), Annual Renewal160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 530-4849corporations.utah.gov
- Utah Division of Professional LicensingIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon or Barbershop Establishment License — State Fee Schedule Position (Utah)160 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 · (801) 530-6628commerce.utah.gov/dopl
What does a salon or barber need in Salt Lake City that other businesses do not?
2 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Salt Lake City: Cosmetology Facility Permit and Salon or Barbershop Establishment License — State Fee Schedule Position (Utah).
Cosmetology Facility Permit
Utah's own cosmetology board (DOPL) licenses only the individual practitioner, never the salon itself (see this site's Utah state page) — this county permit is the actual premises-level requirement for a Salt Lake City salon. The same fee schedule prices near-identical Body Art (tattoo/piercing) and Tanning facility categories separately, for a salon that also offers those services. On the city's own Business Licensing fee schedule, a salon pays only the base Commercial license fee (recorded above) — no separate salon or barbershop category exists there.
Salon or Barbershop Establishment License — State Fee Schedule Position (Utah)
There is no state establishment fee listed for a salon or barbershop. The Division of Professional Licensing's own current fee schedule lists individual licenses under the barbering and cosmetology sections but no salon, shop or establishment line, while the same document does list a $250 establishment fee for a funeral service establishment and a $145 fee for a registered massage establishment; a $250 figure quoted elsewhere for a Utah salon matches that funeral service line. Every individual working in a salon must hold their own license — barber, cosmetologist, esthetician, nail technician or hair designer, each $60 to apply and $52 to renew on a two-year cycle expiring 30 September of odd-numbered years — and operating with an unlicensed practitioner is a violation attributed to the location.
Shared with other businesses in Salt Lake City
- Sign Permit — City of Salt Lake City, Department of Community and Neighborhoods, Building Services Division, Priced on the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule as the general building permit, plus a plan-checking fee of $0.15 per dollar of the calculated building permit fee (roughly a 15% surcharge) and a $17 inspection tag fee per inspection., one-time, per sign. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Salt Lake City, UT; what each one involves is set out on the Salt Lake City permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across UT and are covered on the UT state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Salt Lake City?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Cosmetology Facility Permit and Salon or Barbershop Establishment License — State Fee Schedule Position (Utah). A fitness studio needs Fitness Studio Business License — City Fee Schedule Position (Salt Lake City), 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 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Salt Lake City permits page and the UT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Salt Lake County Health Department Fee Schedule, published September 1, 2026Salt Lake County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing — fiscal year 2026 fee schedule, covering cosmetology, contracting and veterinary licensingUtah Division of Professional Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.