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15 permits · verified 2026-09-11

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

In short

A salon or barber in Charleston, WV has 8 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Charleston, Office of the City Collector charges $3 per week, per full-time/part-time employee or self-employed individual working in Charleston for the city service fee (csf). 3 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-11 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a salon or barber in Charleston

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Barber/Beautician and Shop or School LicenseCity of Charleston, Office of the City Collector$2.00 per individual license for each barber, beautician, apprentice, or student working in the city (Sec. 18-112), plus $20.00 per shop license for each beauty shop or barbershop, and $20.00 per school license for each beauty-culture or barbering school (Sec. 18-113).annual — expires June 302026-09-11
Conditional Use Permit (and related $125 zoning application fee)only if it applies to youCity of Charleston, Planning/Zoning Department (Development Services)$125 one-time, per applicationone-time, per application2026-09-11
Salon LicenseWest Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists$90 for the initial license and opening inspection; renewal is $40 a yearannual — every license renews by 1 July2026-09-04

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 Charleston

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
City Service Fee (CSF)City of Charleston, Office of the City Collector$3 per week, per full-time/part-time employee or self-employed individual working in Charlestonongoing — remitted quarterly by the employer, or annually for a qualifying self-employed sole proprietor/single-member LLC on request2026-09-11
Zoning Certificate of Compliance (zoning verification, fee not published)only if it applies to youCity of Charleston, Planning/Zoning Department (Development Services)No feenot applicable2026-09-11
Commercial Building Permit & Certificate of Occupancy (fee not published)City of Charleston, Building CommissionNo feenot applicable2026-09-11
Business Registration & General Business LicenseCity of Charleston, Office of the City Collector$20 annual, flatannual — must be renewed by June 30 of each year2026-09-11
Business and Occupation (B&O) Privilege Tax — General ClassificationsCity of Charleston, Office of the City CollectorVaries — formula on the Charleston pageongoing — quarterly filing, or annual on written request below the $2,500/year threshold2026-09-11
Fire Protection Service ChargeCharleston Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Charleston pagenot stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-11
Sign Permit (fee not published)only if it applies to youCity of Charleston, Building CommissionNo feenot applicable2026-09-11

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

WV 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 youWest Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division$100 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youWest Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division$100 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youWest Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division$25 a year; a late-filed report adds $50 for a profit entity or $25 for a nonprofitannual — filed between 1 January and 30 June of the year after registration2026-09-04
Sales and Use Tax Registration — West Virginia position (through the Business Registration Certificate)only if it applies to youWest Virginia State Tax DivisionNo feenot applicable — no separate permit exists2026-09-04
Business Registration CertificateWest Virginia State Tax Division$30 one-time — the certificate never expirespermanent — valid until the business relocates, closes, or the certificate is suspended or revoked2026-09-04

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 Charleston?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a salon or barber in Charleston, WV, 8 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 8 that always apply, 4 carry a flat fee, coming to $143.00. That is a floor, not a total. 3 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Barber/Beautician and Shop or School License: $2.00 per individual license for each barber, beautician, apprentice, or student working in the city (Sec. 18-112), plus $20.00 per shop license for each beauty shop or barbershop, and $20.00 per school license for each beauty-culture or barbering school (Sec. 18-113).

The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Charleston permits page and the WV state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Charleston?

Permits for a salon or barber in Charleston, WV come from 7 separate offices: City of Charleston, Office of the City Collector, City of Charleston, Planning/Zoning Department (Development Services), City of Charleston, Building Commission, Charleston Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division, West Virginia State Tax Division, West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists. 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 Charleston 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 Charleston: Barber/Beautician and Shop or School License and Salon License.

Barber/Beautician and Shop or School License

A genuine, city-specific salon license dating to a 1938-era ordinance still in force: every individual practitioner (including apprentices and students) pays a personal $2.00 license, and the shop itself (or a barbering/cosmetology school) separately pays $20.00, both expiring June 30 annually and both required to be displayed at the workstation/premises. This sits on top of, not instead of, West Virginia's own state Salon License recorded at the state layer, and is layered under the General Business License and B&O Tax recorded above.

Salon License

West Virginia licenses cosmetology and barbering premises under one shared umbrella term, salon, rather than pricing a separate barber shop category — the statute and the board's own fee page both use the single term, so a barber shop and a cosmetology salon take the identical $90 opening fee and $40 annual renewal. The board must approve the facility and receive at least twenty days' written notice before a new salon opens.

Shared with other businesses in Charleston

  • Conditional Use Permit (and related $125 zoning application fee) — City of Charleston, Planning/Zoning Department (Development Services), $125 one-time, per application, one-time, per application. Also required for childcare centres, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics, fitness studios, retail stores and restaurants; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Charleston, WV; what each one involves is set out on the Charleston permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WV and are covered on the WV state page.

How does a salon or barber compare with other businesses in Charleston?

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Barber/Beautician and Shop or School License and Salon License. A retail store needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Charleston, WV, compared with a salon or barber
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a salon or barberOnly a salon or barber needsOnly it needs
Retail stores1120
Fitness studios2121
Auto repair shops3122
Childcare centres3122
Veterinary clinics3122
Restaurants4123
Coffee shops3033
Contractors and trades6036
Food trucks4034

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 retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Charleston permits page and the WV state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Code of the City of Charleston, Chapter 18, Article IV (Barbers and Beauticians), §§ 18-111–18-113 — the $2.00 individual license and $20.00 shop/school license, both expiring June 30 annuallyCity of Charleston, West Virginia (Code of Ordinances, via Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
  2. West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists — salon license feesWest Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  3. West Virginia Code section 30-27-17 — salon licensing, covering both cosmetology and barbering, renewed annually by 1 JulyState of West Virginia · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.