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13 permits · verified 2026-10-07

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

In short

A salon or barber in Dane County, 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 Dane County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment Licenseonly if it applies to youPublic Health Madison & Dane County, Environmental Health Division$86.05–$922.10 new license, combined PHMDC + State + pre-inspection: tattoo establishment $789.34 ($400.84 PHMDC + $13.50 State + $375.00 pre-inspection); body piercing establishment $789.34 (same components); combined tattoo and body piercing establishment $922.10 ($525.10 + $22.00 + $375.00). Temporary establishment: first day $86.05 ($76.05 PHMDC + $10.00 State), each additional day $29.25annual, July 1 to the following June 30; a license first issued between April 1 and June 30 expires June 30 of the following year (Ord. 48.15(1))2026-10-07
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 Dane County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sanitary Permit (Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System)only if it applies to youPublic Health Madison & Dane County, Environmental Health DivisionVaries — formula on the Dane County pagea sanitary permit is valid for two years (Ord. 46.08(5)); renewal or transfer $2012026-10-07
Well Location Permitonly if it applies to youPublic Health Madison & Dane County, Environmental Health DivisionVaries — formula on the Dane County pagevalid for one year or until construction is completed, whichever comes first (Ord. 45.21(12))2026-10-07
County Zoning Permit – Commercial Construction, Additions and Alterations (county-zoned towns)only if it applies to youDane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning DivisionVaries — formula on the Dane County pageone-time, per project2026-10-07
Conditional Use Permit, Rezone, Variance and Appeal (county-zoned towns)only if it applies to youDane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning DivisionVaries — formula on the Dane County pageone-time, per application2026-10-07
County Sign Permit (county-zoned towns)only if it applies to youDane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning DivisionVaries — formula on the Dane County pageone-time, per sign2026-10-07
County Trunk Highway Access Permit – Commercial Siteonly if it applies to youDane County Highway and Transportation DepartmentVaries — formula on the Dane County pageone-time, per access permit2026-10-07

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 Dane 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 Dane County, 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:

Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License: $86.05–$922.10 new license, combined PHMDC + State + pre-inspection: tattoo establishment $789.34 ($400.84 PHMDC + $13.50 State + $375.00 pre-inspection); body piercing establishment $789.34 (same components); combined tattoo and body piercing establishment $922.10 ($525.10 + $22.00 + $375.00). Temporary establishment: first day $86.05 ($76.05 PHMDC + $10.00 State), each additional day $29.25

The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Dane County permits page and the WI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Dane County?

Permits for a salon or barber in Dane County, WI come from 6 separate offices: Public Health Madison & Dane County, Environmental Health Division, Dane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning Division, Dane County Highway and Transportation Department, 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 Dane County that other businesses do not?

2 of the 2 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Dane County: Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License.

Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License

A salon or studio in Dane County offering tattooing, body piercing or permanent make-up needs an establishment license from Public Health Madison & Dane County. PHMDC's tattoo page says "All Dane County tattoo and body piercing facilities (including permanent make-up facilities) must be licensed and inspected each year", and that the City of Madison Clerk's Office "handles all tattoo and body piercing establishment licensing fees in Dane County". A new tattoo or body piercing establishment pays $789.34 ($400.84 PHMDC fee, $13.50 State fee and $375.00 pre-inspection fee) and a combined establishment $922.10 ($525.10, $22.00 and $375.00); a temporary establishment pays $86.05 for the first day ($76.05 PHMDC plus $10.00 State) and $29.25 for each additional day. The PHMDC fee and pre-inspection fee are those adopted by 2025 RES-364 (County Board adopted April 16, 2026, County Executive signed April 20, 2026, effective April 1, 2026, under Ord. 46.34(1)) and printed on PHMDC's published fee schedule dated May 4, 2026. Ord. 48.16(2) directs the division to collect the State fee in addition to the county fee. Reinspections cost $225, $337.50 and $675 (2025 RES-366). Each tattooist and body piercer also needs a practitioner license from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (Ord. 48.11(2), ch. SPS 221). A salon offering only hair, nail or skin services, without body art, has no body-art license.

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 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Dane County, WI; what each one involves is set out on the Dane County 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 Dane County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shops — Wisconsin Conduct Rules (ATCP 132), which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Dane County, WI, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1021
Childcare centres1021
Coffee shops6026
Contractors and trades3023
Fitness studios1021
Food trucks5025
Restaurants5025
Retail stores2022
Veterinary clinics1021

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

  1. General License Fees (fees effective May 4, 2026): public pool and water attraction, tattoo and body piercing, reinspection feesPublic Health Madison & Dane County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  2. 2025 RES-364 attachment — 2026 general license fees (adopted table)Dane County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  3. 2025 RES-364 — DATCP reimbursement update and PHMDC license fee schedulesDane County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  4. 2025 RES-366 attachment — general license reinspection fees (adopted table)Dane County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  5. Dane County Code of Ordinances ch. 48, Tattooing and Body Piercing (rev. 11/30/24) — ss. 48.11, 48.15, 48.16Dane County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  6. Tattoo and Body Piercing — establishment licensing and practitioner licensesPublic Health Madison & Dane County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  7. 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
  8. Wisconsin DSPS — credential fees and renewal dates (business and health credentials)Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  9. 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.