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14 permits · verified 2026-10-07

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

In short

A salon or barber in Racine County, WI has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 12 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Racine County Public Works & Development Services, Development Services charges $150 per permit for the home occupation permit (towns of burlington, dover, norway and waterford). 7 of the 14 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 Racine 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 youRacine County Public Health Division, Environmental Health (Human Services Department)$140–$375 license fee per establishment per license year: tattoo establishment $243 (+ $335 pre-license inspection); body piercing establishment $243 (+ $335); combined tattooing and body piercing $375 (+ $527); transient tattoo and/or body piercing establishment $140annual; expires June 30, and a license first issued between April 1 and June 30 expires June 30 of the following year (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 221.04(2)(a))2026-10-07
Home Occupation Permit (Towns of Burlington, Dover, Norway and Waterford)only if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Development Services$150 per permitpersonal to the named resident at one address; does not run with the land and is not transferable to another person or address (County Code § 20-1015(c))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 Racine County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Zoning Permit — Commercial, Recreational and Institutional (Towns of Burlington, Dover, Norway and Waterford)only if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Racine County pageexpires within nine months unless substantial work has commenced and is continuing; one extension for a like period on request and payment of the fee before expiry (County Code § 20-83)2026-10-07
County Sign Permit (Towns of Burlington, Dover, Norway and Waterford)only if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Racine County pageone-time, per sign2026-10-07
Zoning Occupancy Permit (Towns of Burlington, Dover, Norway and Waterford)only if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Racine County pageone-time, issued when the building or premises and the proposed use conform to the zoning ordinance (County Code §§ 20-102, 20-103)2026-10-07
Sanitary Permit — Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (areas not served by public sewer)only if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Racine County pagevalid for two years from the date of issue; renewable on written application and fee before expiry (County Code § 19-72)2026-10-07
Conditional Use, Rezoning, Variance and Site Plan Review (Towns of Burlington, Dover, Norway and Waterford)only if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Development ServicesVaries — formula on the Racine County pageone-time, per application2026-10-07
County Trunk Highway Access (Driveway) Permit — Commercialonly if it applies to youRacine County Public Works & Development Services, Public Works (Highway Permits)Varies — formula on the Racine 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 Racine County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 14 records listed for a salon or barber in Racine County, WI, 2 apply to every business of this type and 12 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 14 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: $140–$375 license fee per establishment per license year: tattoo establishment $243 (+ $335 pre-license inspection); body piercing establishment $243 (+ $335); combined tattooing and body piercing $375 (+ $527); transient tattoo and/or body piercing establishment $140

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

Which offices issue these permits in Racine County?

Permits for a salon or barber in Racine County, WI come from 6 separate offices: Racine County Public Health Division, Environmental Health (Human Services Department), Racine County Public Works & Development Services, Development Services, Racine County Public Works & Development Services, Public Works (Highway Permits), 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 Racine 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 Racine County: Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License.

Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License

A salon or studio offering tattooing or body piercing anywhere in Racine County outside the City of Racine needs an establishment license from the Racine County Public Health Division, which licenses tattoo and body-piercing establishments as the State's agent under County Code § 21-13 and Wis. Stat. § 463.16; the State rules are Wis. Admin. Code SPS 221, administered by the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Per the Division's April 2026 - March 2027 Environmental Health fee schedule (posted April 13, 2026), a tattoo establishment or a body piercing establishment is $243 with a $335 pre-license inspection fee, a combined tattooing and body piercing establishment is $375 with a $527 pre-license inspection fee, and a transient establishment is $140. The schedule also lists $199 where a tattooist or body piercer works without a practitioner's license, $199 where one works without bloodborne pathogen training (County Code § 21-17 requires that training every year), and $942 for operating without a permit plus the pre-license inspection and permit fees. The '2026 Fee' column of the county's Proposed Fee Schedule for the 2027 fiscal year matches; a roughly 2% increase is proposed for 2027 and has not been adopted. Licenses expire June 30 under SPS 221.04(2)(a). A salon offering only hair, nail or skin services, without tattooing or piercing, needs no body-art license. Contact the Division at 262-898-4460.

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.

Shared with other businesses in Racine County

  • Home Occupation Permit (Towns of Burlington, Dover, Norway and Waterford) — Racine County Public Works & Development Services, Development Services, $150 per permit, personal to the named resident at one address; does not run with the land and is not transferable to another person or address (County Code § 20-1015(c)). Also required for contractors and trades, fitness studios and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios page.

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

The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Tattoo and Body-Piercing Establishment License and Cosmetology or Barbering Establishment License. A fitness studio needs Recreational Water License (public pool or water attraction), which a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Racine County, WI, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Fitness studios2121
Veterinary clinics2121
Contractors and trades3122
Auto repair shops1031
Childcare centres1031
Coffee shops4034
Food trucks6036
Restaurants4034
Retail stores1031

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 fitness studios page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Racine County permits page and the WI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. April 2026 - March 2027 Racine County Public Health Division - Environmental Health Fees (posted April 13, 2026)Racine County Public Health Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  2. Racine County Code ch. 21, Public Health (§§ 21-1, 21-7, 21-13, 21-15, 21-16, 21-17, 21-18; Ord. No. 2021-71), Municode Supp. 33Racine County (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  3. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 221.04, Tattooing and body-piercing establishment and practitioner licenses (expiry, SPS 221.04(2)(a))Wisconsin State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  4. Proposed Fee Schedule for 2027 fiscal year ('2026 Fee' and '2027 Fee' columns; posted September 22, 2026)Racine County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  5. 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
  6. Wisconsin DSPS — credential fees and renewal dates (business and health credentials)Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  7. 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.