13 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Henrico County?
In short
A salon or barber in Henrico County, VA has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections charges $25 per plan re-review beyond the first two reviews included in the base permit fee for the plan re-review fee. 7 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a salon or barber in Henrico County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant | Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section | No tax due if gross receipts are $1,000,000.00 or less. Above that threshold, the tax is the greater of $30.00 flat or 0.20% of the amount by which gross receipts exceed $1,000,000.00. | Annual; due March 1. License year ends December 31. | 2026-10-02 |
| Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License | Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Barbers and Cosmetology | $234.50 every two years — a $220 fee plus a $7.25-a-year technology charge | 2 years from the last day of the month of issue | 2026-09-03 |
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 Henrico County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit (Base Fee)only if it applies to you | Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections | Varies — formula on the Henrico County page | Per project. | 2026-10-02 |
| Plan Re-Review Feeonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections | $25 per plan re-review beyond the first two reviews included in the base permit fee | Per re-review. | 2026-10-02 |
| Provisional Use Permitonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals | Varies — formula on the Henrico County page | Per application. | 2026-10-02 |
| BPOL Business License Application (All Industries) | Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section | Varies — formula on the Henrico County page | Annual; due March 1. License year ends December 31. | 2026-10-02 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Feeonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections | $25 per temporary certificate of occupancy request or extension | Per request or extension. | 2026-10-02 |
| Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals Applicationonly if it applies to you | Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals | $300 per variance or Board of Zoning Appeals application | Per application. | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
VA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | no expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation | 2026-09-03 |
| Dealer's Certificate of Registration | Virginia Department of Taxation | No fee | indefinite — valid until the business closes or the certificate is revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — usually due 1 March | 2026-09-03 |
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 Henrico County?
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 Henrico County, VA, 4 apply to every business of this type and 9 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 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $234.50. 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 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant: No tax due if gross receipts are $1,000,000.00 or less. Above that threshold, the tax is the greater of $30.00 flat or 0.20% of the amount by which gross receipts exceed $1,000,000.00.
The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Henrico County permits page and the VA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Henrico County?
Permits for a salon or barber in Henrico County, VA come from 6 separate offices: Henrico County Department of Building Construction & Inspections, Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning Appeals, Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License Section, Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk, Virginia Department of Taxation, Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Barbers and Cosmetology. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Henrico County Department of Building Construction & InspectionsIssues 3 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit (Base Fee), Plan Re-Review Fee, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Feehenrico.gov/services/building-permit-commercial
- Henrico County Division of Planning / Board of Zoning AppealsIssues 2 permits on this page: Provisional Use Permit, Variance / Board of Zoning Appeals Applicationhenrico.gov/pdfs/planning/apps/fees.pdf
- Henrico County Department of Finance, Business License SectionIssues 2 permits on this page: BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant, BPOL Business License Application (All Industries)henrico.gov/finance/business-license
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Registration Fee, General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)1300 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219 · (804) 371-9733www.scc.virginia.gov
- Virginia Department of TaxationIssues 1 permit on this page: Dealer's Certificate of RegistrationPO Box 1115, Richmond, VA 23218-1115 · (804) 367-8037www.tax.virginia.gov/register-business-virginia
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Barbers and CosmetologyIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23233-1485 · (804) 367-8509www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/BarberCosmo
What does a salon or barber need in Henrico County 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 Henrico County: Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License.
BPOL Business License — Retail Merchant
Henrico's BPOL tax for a retail merchant is calculated only on the portion of gross receipts that exceeds $1,000,000 in a license year, not on the full gross-receipts figure: a retailer with $1.5 million in receipts owes tax on the $500,000 above the threshold, not on the full $1.5 million. Below $1,000,000 an application is still required, but no tax is due. Above it, the tax is the greater of a flat $30.00 or 0.20% of the excess over $1,000,000, as set directly in Henrico Code §20-648, read from the county's own codified Chapter 20 ordinance text. This category applies to a retail-store business, and also to a salon, fitness studio, or auto-repair business whose activity is classified as retail rather than as a professional or business service under the ordinance's own definitions — the Professional/Business Services category listed separately for this jurisdiction applies instead when a business is service-classified.
Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License
The regulation says $220 and the counter charges $234.50, because a technology fee of $7.25 a year was added from 1 July 2026 and runs until 30 June 2030, after which the figure drops back. One license covers a barber shop, cosmetology salon, nail salon or waxing salon, but an esthetics spa is licensed under a separate chapter at the same price — so a salon adding master esthetics services pays twice. There is no late fee at all, which sounds generous and is not: you get thirty days, and from day thirty-one you owe the full $440 reinstatement. After two years past expiry reinstatement is impossible and you reapply from scratch. The license belongs to the firm and does not transfer, so dissolving or converting the company voids it. The owner need not be a licensed practitioner.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Henrico County, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Henrico County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VA and are covered on the VA state page.
How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Henrico County?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Licensing — Commonwealth of Virginia position, 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 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Food trucks | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 0 | 2 | 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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Henrico County permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Henrico County Code, Chapter 20, Taxation (BPOL license tax, Article XI, §§20-350–20-821)Henrico County Attorney's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Henrico County Department of Finance — Business License pageHenrico County Department of Finance · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- 18VAC41-20-140 — Board for Barbers and Cosmetology fee scheduleVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC41-20-160 — expiration of barber and cosmetology licensesVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.