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13 permits · verified 2026-10-07

What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Brown County Wi?

In short

A salon or barber in Brown County Wi, WI has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services charges $100 one-time filing, on paper or online for the articles of incorporation. 7 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-07 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Brown County Wi

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Public Health Re-inspection, Late and Penalty Feesonly if it applies to youBrown County Health & Human Services, Public Health Division (Environmental Health Unit)Re-inspection for non-compliance: $150 (first), $300 (second), $450 (third). Certified Food Manager not on staff: $150 for the first offence; $255 if still out of compliance 12 months later. Operating without a valid Health Department license: $500. Licensed establishment closure / re-open: $107. Late penalty for establishment licenses not renewed by July 1: $150.per occurrence; charged when the triggering event happens2026-10-07
Tattoo or Body-Piercing Establishment Licenseonly if it applies to youBrown County Health & Human Services, Public Health Division (Environmental Health Unit)$238–$362 annual license fee (2026 Adopted Budget): Tattoo or Body Piercing Establishment $238; Combination Tattoo/Body Piercing Establishment $362annual license; the 2026 budget charges a $150 late penalty for establishment licenses not renewed by July 12026-10-07
Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment LicenseWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board$11 for a cosmetology establishment, initial and renewal alike; a barbering establishment renews at $63biennial — renews on 31 March of each odd-numbered year2026-09-03

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 Brown County Wi

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Emergency Alarm User Permit (burglar and hold-up alarms)only if it applies to youBrown County ClerkVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageone year; renew by January 1 each year (County Code §30.03(3)(b))2026-10-07
County Trunk Highway Access (Driveway) Permitonly if it applies to youBrown County Highway DepartmentVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageone-time, per access point2026-10-07
Sanitary Permit — Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (areas without public sewer)only if it applies to youBrown County Planning and Land Services Department, ZoningVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pagevalid two years from the date of issue, renewable (County Code §11.07(1)(c))2026-10-07
Shoreland Permit — Commercial, Industrial or Manufacturing Structure (unincorporated shorelands and Bellevue)only if it applies to youBrown County Planning and Land Services Department, ZoningVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageone-time, per project2026-10-07
County Trunk Highway Building Setback Permit (towns)only if it applies to youBrown County Highway DepartmentVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageper project; work must be completed within one year2026-10-07

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

WI 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 Incorporationonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$100 one-time filing, on paper or onlineperpetual, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
General Business License — Wisconsin positiononly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer ServicesNo feenot applicable2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$130 one-time online filing plus a $1 portal fee; $170 on paperperpetual, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$25 a year online; $40 on paper, which is the $25 plus a $15 paper surchargeannual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the anniversary of formation2026-09-03
Seller's Permit and Business Tax RegistrationWisconsin Department of Revenue$20 initial registration covering two years; $10 to renew each two-year period2 years2026-09-03

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 Brown County Wi?

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 Brown County Wi, WI, 2 apply to every business of this type and 11 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 2 that always apply, 2 carry a flat fee, coming to $31.00. 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 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Public Health Re-inspection, Late and Penalty Fees: Re-inspection for non-compliance: $150 (first), $300 (second), $450 (third). Certified Food Manager not on staff: $150 for the first offence; $255 if still out of compliance 12 months later. Operating without a valid Health Department license: $500. Licensed establishment closure / re-open: $107. Late penalty for establishment licenses not renewed by July 1: $150.

Tattoo or Body-Piercing Establishment License: $238–$362 annual license fee (2026 Adopted Budget): Tattoo or Body Piercing Establishment $238; Combination Tattoo/Body Piercing Establishment $362

The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Brown County Wi permits page and the WI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Brown County Wi?

Permits for a salon or barber in Brown County Wi, WI come from 7 separate offices: Brown County Clerk, Brown County Highway Department, Brown County Health & Human Services, Public Health Division (Environmental Health Unit), Brown County Planning and Land Services Department, Zoning, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services, Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board. 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 Brown County Wi 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 Brown County Wi: Tattoo or Body-Piercing Establishment License and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License.

Public Health Re-inspection, Late and Penalty Fees

These charges sit on top of the Brown County Public Health Division license fees for food establishments, pools and other establishment licenses in the county outside the City of De Pere. Per the Rates and Fees appendix of the 2026 Adopted Budget (adopted October 29, 2025), a re-inspection for non-compliance costs $150 the first time, $300 the second and $450 the third; the county's transient application explains these apply when a priority or critical violation is not corrected by the date set, and the third comes with a closure order. A food establishment without a Certified Food Manager on staff pays $150, or $255 if still out of compliance 12 months later. Operating without a valid Health Department license carries a $500 penalty, closure and re-opening of a licensed establishment costs $107, and an establishment license not renewed by July 1 carries a $150 late penalty. The 2027 Proposed Budget, published October 1, 2026, proposes a change to the closure / re-open fee. Contact the Environmental Health Unit at 920-448-6400.

Tattoo or Body-Piercing Establishment License

A salon or studio that offers tattooing or body piercing in Brown County outside the City of De Pere needs an establishment license from the Brown County Health & Human Services Public Health Division. The Department of Safety and Professional Services list of delegated agents for tattoo and body art establishment licensing (current as of 9/21/2026) names "County of Brown" and, separately, "City of De Pere, Brown County". Under Wis. Stat. §463.16(4) an agent local health department establishes and collects the license fee, and §463.16(9) folds the State fees into it. The division's Body Art page cites Wis. Admin. Code SPS 221. Per the Rates and Fees appendix of the 2026 Adopted Budget, adopted by the County Board on October 29, 2025, a tattoo or body piercing establishment is $238 and a combination tattoo and body piercing establishment is $362. The 2027 Proposed Budget, published October 1, 2026, proposes a change to these fees. A salon offering only hair, nail or skin services, without tattooing or piercing, needs no body-art license. Contact the Environmental Health Unit at 920-448-6400.

Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License

Eleven dollars is among the cheapest premises licenses in the country, and it is not an extraction error: the whole cosmetology family — practitioner, establishment, school, aesthetics, manicuring, electrology — sits at $11 while the whole barbering family sits at $63, and every late fee in the schedule is exactly the renewal plus $25, which is a clean internal check. A license is needed before opening, before relocating and before a change of ownership. Because renewal falls on a fixed date rather than an anniversary, an establishment licensed in, say, February of an odd year must still renew the following month — the first term can be a few weeks. The department's credential fee table lists a barbering establishment at $63 for both the initial license and renewal.

The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Brown County Wi, WI; what each one involves is set out on the Brown County Wi permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WI and are covered on the WI state page.

How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Brown County Wi?

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Tattoo or Body-Piercing Establishment License and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License. A fitness studio needs Public Swimming Pool License, which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Brown County Wi, WI, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios2121
Retail stores3122
Restaurants5124
Coffee shops6125
Food trucks6125
Auto repair shops1031
Childcare centres1031
Contractors and trades4034
Veterinary clinics1031

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 Brown County Wi permits page and the WI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Brown County 2026 Adopted Budget, Rates and Fees AppendixBrown County, Wisconsin · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  2. Brown County Code ch. 37 — Health licenses (§37.02 jurisdiction; §37.07 fees in the annual budget; §37.08), revised 04-16-2024Brown County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  3. Application for Transient Food Establishment License — license year ending June 30, 2027Brown County Health & Human Services, Public Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  4. Brown County 2027 Proposed Budget — Appendices, "Rates and Fees" (published October 1, 2026; proposed only)Brown County Executive · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  5. Wis. Stat. §463.16 — local health department agents for tattoo and body-piercing establishmentsWisconsin Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  6. Delegated Agents for Tattoo and Body Art Establishment Licensing and Inspection (current as of 9/21/2026)Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  7. Business Licensing — Body Art (cites Wis. Admin. Code SPS 221)Brown County Health & Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  8. Wisconsin DSPS form 1397 — instructions for cosmetology establishment licensure, stating the $11 feeWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  9. Wisconsin DSPS — credential fees and renewal dates (business and health credentials)Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  10. Wisconsin DSPS — cosmetology establishment, the renewal date and when a license is requiredWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · 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.