12 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Loudoun County?
In short
A salon or barber in Loudoun County, VA has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division charges $30 a year, flat, where gross receipts are $200,000 or less for the bpol tax — base/flat tax. 6 of the 12 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 Loudoun County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | Above $200,000 in annual gross receipts, the BPOL tax is charged per $100 of gross receipts by classification, as posted on the Commissioner of the Revenue's current rate table: Retail Merchant $0.17 (retail-store, and over-the-counter sales at a coffee shop or restaurant); Business Service $0.17 (service-classified business activity, including off-site catering); Personal Service $0.23 (salon, see the separate salon BPOL record); Professional Services $0.33 (veterinary, Ch. 840.01(u) names 'veterinarians' explicitly); Repair Service $0.16 (auto-repair); and Contractors (and Contracting/Developers) $0.13. Every one of these posted rates sits at or under the statewide caps the General Assembly sets in Code of Va. §58.1-3706 (20 cents retail, 36 cents repair/personal/business services, 58 cents financial/real estate/professional services, 16 cents contracting). Fitness-studio's applicable classification and rate are not published in Ch. 840's definitions, the live rate table, the full 90-item statewide classification list at 23VAC10-500-500, or the county's own taxpayer guide — Personal Service ($0.23), Business Service ($0.17) and Amusements ($0.21) are each plausible candidates with no ruling or guide distinguishing among them, so no cents figure for fitness-studio is published here; a fitness studio should confirm its specific classification with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Business Tax Division, 703-777-0260. | Annual; filing and payment due March 1 | 2026-10-02 |
| Salon BPOL Classification — Personal Service | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | Personal Service classification: $0.23 per $100 of gross receipts once annual gross receipts exceed $200,000 (below that threshold, the $30 flat tax applies instead). | Annual; filing and payment due March 1 | 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 Loudoun County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPOL Tax — Base/Flat Tax | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | $30 a year, flat, where gross receipts are $200,000 or less | Annual; filing and payment due March 1 | 2026-10-02 |
| Health Clearance Review (of a Building/Zoning Permit)only if it applies to you | Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health Services | $25 per building/zoning permit application reviewed, as posted on the Department's current fee schedule | One-time, per building/zoning permit review | 2026-10-02 |
| Building & Trade Permits / Commercial Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Loudoun County Department of Building and Development | Varies — formula on the Loudoun County page | Per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| Incorporated-Towns BPOL Stacking (Not a County Fee Inside Town Limits)only if it applies to you | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | No fee | not applicable — this is a jurisdictional scope rule, not a recurring filing | 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 Loudoun County?
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 Loudoun County, VA, 5 apply to every business of this type and 7 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 5 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $264.50. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts: Above $200,000 in annual gross receipts, the BPOL tax is charged per $100 of gross receipts by classification, as posted on the Commissioner of the Revenue's current rate table: Retail Merchant $0.17 (retail-store, and over-the-counter sales at a coffee shop or restaurant); Business Service $0.17 (service-classified business activity, including off-site catering); Personal Service $0.23 (salon, see the separate salon BPOL record); Professional Services $0.33 (veterinary, Ch. 840.01(u) names 'veterinarians' explicitly); Repair Service $0.16 (auto-repair); and Contractors (and Contracting/Developers) $0.13. Every one of these posted rates sits at or under the statewide caps the General Assembly sets in Code of Va. §58.1-3706 (20 cents retail, 36 cents repair/personal/business services, 58 cents financial/real estate/professional services, 16 cents contracting). Fitness-studio's applicable classification and rate are not published in Ch. 840's definitions, the live rate table, the full 90-item statewide classification list at 23VAC10-500-500, or the county's own taxpayer guide — Personal Service ($0.23), Business Service ($0.17) and Amusements ($0.21) are each plausible candidates with no ruling or guide distinguishing among them, so no cents figure for fitness-studio is published here; a fitness studio should confirm its specific classification with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Business Tax Division, 703-777-0260.
Salon BPOL Classification — Personal Service: Personal Service classification: $0.23 per $100 of gross receipts once annual gross receipts exceed $200,000 (below that threshold, the $30 flat tax applies instead).
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Loudoun County permits page and the VA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Loudoun County?
Permits for a salon or barber in Loudoun County, VA come from 6 separate offices: Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division, Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health Services, Loudoun County Department of Building and Development, 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.
- Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: BPOL Tax — Base/Flat Tax, BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts, Salon BPOL Classification — Personal Service, Incorporated-Towns BPOL Stacking (Not a County Fee Inside Town Limits)P.O. Box 8000, Leesburg, VA 20177 · 703-777-0260www.loudoun.gov/1552/Business-License-Tax
- Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health ServicesIssues 1 permit on this page: Health Clearance Review (of a Building/Zoning Permit)www.loudoun.gov/6338/Fee-Schedule
- Loudoun County Department of Building and DevelopmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Building & Trade Permits / Commercial Plan Reviewwww.loudoun.gov/5126/Fee-Schedules
- 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 Loudoun County 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 Loudoun County: Salon BPOL Classification — Personal Service and Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License.
Salon BPOL Classification — Personal Service
A salon in unincorporated Loudoun County is taxed under the BPOL tax's Personal Service classification, at $0.23 per $100 of gross receipts once annual gross receipts exceed $200,000 (below that threshold, the $30 flat tax applies instead — see the BPOL base/flat record). Codified Ordinances Ch. 840.01(u) does not name 'salon' or 'barber shop' directly, but its catch-all clause expressly incorporates 23VAC10-500, the Virginia Department of Taxation's statewide BPOL classification regulation, for any term the county ordinance leaves undefined; 23VAC10-500-500, item 8, enumerates 'Barber shops, beauty parlors, and hairdressing establishments' under the Personal Service category, which is how this classification is derived for a salon operating in the county. No separate county barber or cosmetology chapter exists in Loudoun's Codified Ordinances; state licensing of barbers and cosmetologists is handled by the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology, outside the scope of this county-level file.
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.
Shared with other businesses in Loudoun County
- BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts — Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division, Above $200,000 in annual gross receipts, the BPOL tax is charged per $100 of gross receipts by classification, as posted on the Commissioner of the Revenue's current rate table: Retail Merchant $0.17 (retail-store, and over-the-counter sales at a coffee shop or restaurant); Business Service $0.17 (service-classified business activity, including off-site catering); Personal Service $0.23 (salon, see the separate salon BPOL record); Professional Services $0.33 (veterinary, Ch. 840.01(u) names 'veterinarians' explicitly); Repair Service $0.16 (auto-repair); and Contractors (and Contracting/Developers) $0.13. Every one of these posted rates sits at or under the statewide caps the General Assembly sets in Code of Va. §58.1-3706 (20 cents retail, 36 cents repair/personal/business services, 58 cents financial/real estate/professional services, 16 cents contracting). Fitness-studio's applicable classification and rate are not published in Ch. 840's definitions, the live rate table, the full 90-item statewide classification list at 23VAC10-500-500, or the county's own taxpayer guide — Personal Service ($0.23), Business Service ($0.17) and Amusements ($0.21) are each plausible candidates with no ruling or guide distinguishing among them, so no cents figure for fitness-studio is published here; a fitness studio should confirm its specific classification with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Business Tax Division, 703-777-0260., Annual; filing and payment due March 1. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, veterinary clinics, auto repair shops and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Loudoun County, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Loudoun 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 Loudoun County?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon BPOL Classification — Personal Service and Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License. A retail store needs nothing here that 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Restaurants | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 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 auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Loudoun County permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Business Tax Rates — current BPOL per-$100 rate table by classificationLoudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Loudoun County Codified Ordinances Ch. 840, Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) Tax, full definitions (Ord. 96-08, 04-13, 11-18, 22-16)Loudoun County, Virginia (American Legal Publishing) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- 23VAC10-500-500 — statewide BPOL classification of businesses (90-item enumeration), including item 8 "Barber shops, beauty parlors, and hairdressing establishments" and item 4 "Amusements and recreation services"Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Taxation (Virginia Administrative Code) · 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.