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10 permits · verified 2026-09-05

What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Virginia Beach?

In short

A salon or barber in Virginia Beach, VA has 6 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 4 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and Inspections charges $75 flat for the certificate of occupancy. 5 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Virginia Beach

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor LicenseVirginia 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 charge2 years from the last day of the month of issue2026-09-03

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 Virginia Beach

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL)City of Virginia Beach, Office of the Commissioner of the RevenueVaries — formula on the Virginia Beach pageannual2026-09-05
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and Inspections$75 flatissued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-05
Commercial Building/Alteration PermitCity of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and InspectionsVaries — formula on the Virginia Beach pageone-time, per project2026-09-05
Fire Inspection FeeVirginia Beach Fire Prevention Bureau$50 per inspectionrecurring2026-09-05

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageno expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due2026-09-03
Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation2026-09-03
Dealer's Certificate of RegistrationVirginia Department of TaxationNo feeindefinite — valid until the business closes or the certificate is revoked2026-09-03
General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — usually due 1 March2026-09-03

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 Virginia Beach?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a salon or barber in Virginia Beach, VA, 6 apply to every business of this type and 4 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, 3 carry a flat fee, coming to $359.50. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all.

The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Virginia Beach permits page and the VA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Virginia Beach?

Permits for a salon or barber in Virginia Beach, VA come from 6 separate offices: City of Virginia Beach, Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue, City of Virginia Beach Planning & Community Development, Permits and Inspections, Virginia Beach Fire Prevention Bureau, 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.

What does a salon or barber need in Virginia Beach that other businesses do not?

1 of the 1 permit particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Virginia Beach: Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License.

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 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Virginia Beach, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 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.

Permits particular to each business type in Virginia Beach, VA, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1011
Childcare centres1011
Coffee shops4014
Contractors and trades2012
Fitness studios0010
Food trucks2012
Restaurants4014
Retail stores0010
Veterinary clinics2012

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 Virginia Beach permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 18VAC41-20-140 — Board for Barbers and Cosmetology fee scheduleVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  2. 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.