15 permits · verified 2026-09-11
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Huntington?
In short
A salon or barber in Huntington, 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 Huntington, Finance Division charges $20 annual, flat for the general business license. 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 Huntington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Occupation Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Huntington, Planning & Zoning Division | $30 one-time application fee | not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-11 |
| Business and Occupation (B&O) Privilege Tax — Service and All Other Business | City of Huntington, Finance Division | 0.5% of gross income for Classification 12, 'Service and All Other Business,' on the City's own current fillable B&O Tax Return form — the most plausible classification for these industries, though the City's own materials do not map any specific business type to a named classification. Filed quarterly, 30 days after each quarter ends. | ongoing — quarterly filing (30 days after each calendar quarter ends) | 2026-09-11 |
| Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found)only if it applies to you | City of Huntington, Finance Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-11 |
| Salon License | West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists | $90 for the initial license and opening inspection; renewal is $40 a year | annual — every license renews by 1 July | 2026-09-04 |
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 Huntington
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License | City of Huntington, Finance Division | $20 annual, flat | annual — July 1 through June 30; renewal notices sent around June 1 | 2026-09-11 |
| Certificate of Occupancy Permit | City of Huntington, Planning & Zoning Division | $75 one-time | one-time — issued for a new occupancy or a change of business owner | 2026-09-11 |
| Building Permit Application | City of Huntington, Inspections & Permits | Varies — formula on the Huntington page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Huntington, Inspections & Permits | Varies — formula on the Huntington page | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-11 |
| City Service Fee | City of Huntington, Finance Division | $5 per week, per full-time/part-time employee or qualifying self-employed individual working in Huntington | ongoing — withheld each pay period by the employer, remitted per the employer's filing arrangement | 2026-09-11 |
| Fire Marshal Inspection (Certificate of Occupancy) | Huntington Fire Department | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-11 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | $100 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | West 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 nonprofit | annual — filed between 1 January and 30 June of the year after registration | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales and Use Tax Registration — West Virginia position (through the Business Registration Certificate)only if it applies to you | West Virginia State Tax Division | No fee | not applicable — no separate permit exists | 2026-09-04 |
| Business Registration Certificate | West Virginia State Tax Division | $30 one-time — the certificate never expires | permanent — valid until the business relocates, closes, or the certificate is suspended or revoked | 2026-09-04 |
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 Huntington?
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 Huntington, 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, 5 carry a flat fee, coming to $220.00. 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 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Business and Occupation (B&O) Privilege Tax — Service and All Other Business: 0.5% of gross income for Classification 12, 'Service and All Other Business,' on the City's own current fillable B&O Tax Return form — the most plausible classification for these industries, though the City's own materials do not map any specific business type to a named classification. Filed quarterly, 30 days after each quarter ends.
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Huntington permits page and the WV state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Huntington?
Permits for a salon or barber in Huntington, WV come from 7 separate offices: City of Huntington, Finance Division, City of Huntington, Planning & Zoning Division, City of Huntington, Inspections & Permits, Huntington Fire Department, 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.
- City of Huntington, Finance DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License, City Service Fee, Business and Occupation (B&O) Privilege Tax — Service and All Other Business, Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found)800 5th Avenue, Room 103, Huntington, WV 25701 (mail: P.O. Box 1659, Huntington, WV 25717) · (304) 696-5540www.cityofhuntington.com/business/taxes-and-fees/b-o-tax
- City of Huntington, Planning & Zoning DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Certificate of Occupancy Permit, Home Occupation Permit800 5th Avenue, Room 100, Huntington, WV 25701 · (304) 696-5540www.cityofhuntington.com/city-government/city-departments/planning-zoning
- City of Huntington, Inspections & PermitsIssues 2 permits on this page: Building Permit Application, Sign Permit800 5th Avenue, Room 103, Huntington, WV 25701 · (304) 696-5540www.cityofhuntington.com/city-government/city-departments/inspections-permits
- Huntington Fire DepartmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Marshal Inspection (Certificate of Occupancy)6 stations citywide; administration via City Hall, 800 5th Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701 · (304) 696-5950www.cityofhuntington.com/city-government/city-departments/fire-1
- West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Report1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Building 1, Charleston, WV 25305 · (304) 558-8000sos.wv.gov
- West Virginia State Tax DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Sales and Use Tax Registration — West Virginia position (through the Business Registration Certificate), Business Registration Certificate(304) 558-3333tax.wv.gov
- West Virginia Board of Barbers and CosmetologistsIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon Licensewww.wvbbc.com
What does a salon or barber need in Huntington that other businesses do not?
2 of the 4 permits particular to a salon or barber here apply to no other business type we cover in Huntington: Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found) and Salon License.
Home Occupation Permit
Required before operating any business from a home, on top of the standard state and city business registration. The Zoning Ordinance's own Section 1341.22, read directly, names permitted and prohibited home occupations by type: it expressly allows 'one chair beauty or barber shop with no products sold from the premise' (salon) and 'day care in accordance with Section 1341.13' (family day care, up to six children — childcare), and just as expressly prohibits 'veterinarian office,' 'restaurant,' and 'repairs of motor vehicles, trucks, and motorcycles' as home occupations, and bars 'wholesale or retail sales on the premises' for any home-based trade business except sales made by phone, mail, or online. The Home Occupation Permit is therefore listed here only for childcare and salon — the two of the ten industries covered here that the ordinance affirmatively allows to operate from a home.
Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found)
No fee applies. Unlike Charleston, which still enforces a genuine 1938-era Barbers and Beauticians ordinance pricing a $2.00 individual license and a $20.00 shop license, Huntington has no equivalent: the City's own current, comprehensive Fee Schedule itemizes every other city business license by name and includes none for barbers, beauticians, or cosmetology, and no dedicated barber/salon ordinance page or PDF is published on the City's own site. The Zoning Ordinance's own 'Personal Service' use category (which its own definition lists as including 'barber and beauty shops' among similar establishments) is permitted by right in every commercial and industrial district with no Conditional Use exposure. This project treats this as a genuine, confirmed difference from Charleston rather than an unchecked assumption — though, as with the auto-repair, veterinary, and fitness-studio records above, this project could not directly inspect a complete codified-ordinance table of contents for Huntington's own Business Regulation part to rule out a long-dormant, unadministered chapter (see this file's Access Note). A salon's Huntington-specific obligations are otherwise the same General Business License, B&O Tax, and Certificate of Occupancy requirements recorded elsewhere in this file, plus the Home Occupation Permit above if operated as a one-chair shop from a home with no products sold on-site.
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 Huntington
- Business and Occupation (B&O) Privilege Tax — Service and All Other Business — City of Huntington, Finance Division, 0.5% of gross income for Classification 12, 'Service and All Other Business,' on the City's own current fillable B&O Tax Return form — the most plausible classification for these industries, though the City's own materials do not map any specific business type to a named classification. Filed quarterly, 30 days after each quarter ends., ongoing — quarterly filing (30 days after each calendar quarter ends). Also required for childcare centres, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Huntington, WV; what each one involves is set out on the Huntington 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 Huntington?
The closest match is a childcare centre, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon/Barber/Cosmetology Municipal License (not found) and Salon License. A childcare centre needs Conditional Use Permit / Special Permit (Board of Zoning Appeals), Daycare/Family Daycare Facility Plan Review (Cabell-Huntington Health Department) and Child Care Centre License, which a salon or barber does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a salon or barber | Only a salon or barber needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare centres | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Fitness studios | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Contractors and trades | 6 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Food trucks | 5 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Retail stores | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
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 auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Huntington permits page and the WV state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Home Occupation Permit — the City's own current page pricing the permit at $30.00 and citing Zoning Ordinance Section 1341.22City of Huntington, Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- Zoning Ordinance of the City of Huntington, West Virginia (enacted 12/14/1998, last updated 6/16/2023) — the City's own complete current zoning text, including Table 1320.A (Permitted Uses), Article 1341 (General Regulations, including Section 1341.09 Day Care, Section 1341.11 Auto Service Station and Repair Shop, and Section 1341.22 Home Occupation), Article 1345 (Sign Regulations), Article 1357 (Filing Fees), Article 1359 (Conditional Use), and Article 1361 (Board of Zoning Appeals)City of Huntington, Department of Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- City of Huntington Fee Schedule — the City's own current, comprehensive cross-departmental fee schedule, pricing the General Business License ($20), Certificate of Occupancy ($75), Home Occupation ($30), Sign Permits ($5/$10), Building Permit Application ($20 plus cost), zoning filing fees ($160-$350), the City Service Fee ($5/week), and the full 15-classification B&O rate tableCity of Huntington · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists — salon license feesWest Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- 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.