Opening a salon in Tennessee: the licenses
What licenses do I need to open a salon in Tennessee?
- Hold a personal license in the service the shop will offer
- Obtain the county or city business license before the shop application
- Apply for the shop license at core.tn.gov at least three weeks before opening
- Have the shop ready for inspection, because the application expires in 90 days
- Pass the Board's inspection before opening for business
- Name a licensed manager for every hour the shop is open
Two state licenses, one local license
A Tennessee salon needs its people licensed, its shop licensed, and its business licensed, in that order of dependency. The shop application cannot be finished without the local business license.
The Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board licenses the individuals and the shop. It licenses cosmetologists, aestheticians, manicurists, natural hair stylists, eyelash specialists, and cosmetology shops, along with the barbering equivalents. The current requirements sit in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62, Chapter 4 for cosmetology and Title 62, Chapter 3 for barbering.
The county or city business license underneath both is laid out in how to get a Tennessee business license. The state's own shop application asks for it by name, which is the detail that decides your order of errands.
T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 4The Board states cosmetology licensing requirements sit in T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 4, and barbering requirements in Title 62, Chapter 3. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
The shop license the inspection stands behind
The Board defines a shop as any premises, building, or part of a building, including a residence, in which a person is authorized to engage in cosmetology, barbering, manicuring, aesthetics, skin care, or natural hair styling. All individuals who practice in these professions must perform all services within a licensed shop.
A shop cannot simply apply and open. Shops must submit an application, pay the appropriate fee, and receive a passing inspection before opening for business. Every new shop or change of location must be inspected and approved by a Board inspector before opening. The initial inspection is made within ten days of the online application, with the inspector calling the applicant directly to schedule.
A home salon is still a shop under that definition. The same inspection, the same equipment list, and the same manager rule apply inside a residence as inside a storefront.
The Board defines a shop as any premises, including a residence, where cosmetology professions are practiced, and all services must be performed within a licensed shop. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
10 daysThe Board states shops must submit an application, pay the fee, and receive a passing inspection before opening, with the initial inspection within ten days of the application. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
The local business license the state application demands
The shop application's required attachments put the county license in writing. The Board lists them: a business license obtained through your local county or city tax agent, an eligibility verification form for each owner, and proof of identity for each owner.
Two of those three drop away for a registered company. If the business is an LLC or incorporated through the Secretary of State, the owner only needs to mark the box on the eligibility form, and proof of identity is not required. Forming the entity simplifies the state paperwork, but it does not remove the local license, which is why the two pages belong side by side on does an LLC need a business license.
The full-service shop application is completed online at core.tn.gov at least three weeks before the planned opening, and the fee is $150. The application and fees are only valid for 90 days: if the shop is not ready for inspection within that window, the owner reapplies and pays the fee again.
The Board lists a business license obtained through the local county or city tax agent among the required attachments for a cosmetology shop application. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
$150The Board states the initial full service cosmetology shop application is filed at core.tn.gov at least three weeks before opening, and the application and fees are valid for 90 days. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
The individual licenses and what each costs
The Board publishes one fee table for both sides of the salon, personal and premises, and the personal side is the cheaper half.
An original individual cosmetologist license costs $60, and the same figure covers master barbers, manicurists, aestheticians, natural hair stylists, and eyelash specialists. An instructor license is $80 original, and a hair braider registration is $30. Renewals for individuals run $60, with instructors at $70.
On the premises side, a new shop, a relocated shop, or a change of ownership costs $150 across the shop types, and a new dual shop, offering both cosmetology and barbering, costs $200. Shop renewals run $75, and dual shop renewals $100. A failure to remit fees by the expiration date draws a penalty, and the Board states plainly that penalties are never waived.
| Transaction | Individual | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Original license | $60 cosmetologist | $150 new shop |
| Instructor | $80 original | $200 new dual shop |
| Renewal | $60 | $75 shop, $100 dual |
| Hair braider registration | $30 | Shops licensed per type |
$60The Board's fee schedule states an individual cosmetologist license is $60 original and $60 renewal, an instructor license $80, and a hair braider registration $30. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
$150 new shopThe Board's fee schedule states a new shop, relocation, or change of ownership costs $150, a new dual shop $200, shop renewal $75, and dual shop renewal $100. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
What the inspector looks for
The Board publishes the equipment list an inspector checks, and it is concrete: a shampoo bowl with hot and cold running water and a chair in the work area, an enclosed labeled storage area for clean towels, a covered labeled container for soiled towels, a covered trash container, a dry sanitary compartment, a wet disinfectant, one standard workstation per operator, an ultraviolet sanitizer, a first-aid kit, and a minimum of one working restroom.
A shop offering limited services can request a waiver of certain equipment. The Board cites Tenn. Comp. R. and Regs. 0200-03-.17 for that waiver, subject to approval by the Executive Director, and publishes the request form for it. A small studio is not automatically exempt; it is exempt only if the Board approves the request.
The current inspection sheet and shop license must be conspicuously posted for the public to see, and all licenses must be posted by each workstation. The postings are part of the inspection posture, not decoration.
The Board lists pre-inspection equipment including a shampoo bowl with hot and cold running water, a wet disinfectant, an ultraviolet sanitizer, a first-aid kit, and a working restroom. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
Tenn. Comp. R. and Regs. 0200-03-.17The Board cites Tenn. Comp. R. and Regs. 0200-03-.17 as allowing shops offering limited services to request a waiver of certain equipment, subject to approval by the Executive Director. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
The manager rule and the yearly calendar
A salon cannot run itself on licenses alone. All full-service shops must have a licensed cosmetologist, manicurist, aesthetician, eyelash specialist, or natural hair stylist acting in the role of manager at all times the shop is open, and the owner may occupy that role if properly licensed.
The yearly calendar has three entries. The local business license renews on its anniversary, the shop license renews at $75, and each personal license renews at $60. The Board can write violations to the shop, the owner, the manager on duty, and individual licensees, and violations can bring civil penalties, suspension, or revocation.
Build the shop with the three-week lead time in mind and renew on a calendar rather than on memory. The fee totals across every layer are in what Tennessee business licenses cost, and the order of errands is in the Tennessee business license checklist.
The Board states full-service shops must have a licensed manager on duty at all times the shop is open, and the owner may hold the role if properly licensed. — Tennessee Cosmetology and Barber Examiners Board, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Can I open a salon inside my home in Tennessee?
Yes, but as a licensed shop, not as a license-free shortcut. The Board's definition of a shop includes a residence, so the application, the $150 fee, the equipment list, and the inspection all apply, and the local business license is still required.
What happens if my shop is not ready for inspection within 90 days?
The Board states that the application and fees are only valid for 90 days. If the shop is not ready for inspection within that window, it is necessary to reapply and pay a new application fee.
Does my LLC ownership change the shop application?
It simplifies two attachments. The Board states that if the business is an LLC or incorporated through the Secretary of State, the owner only marks the box on the eligibility form and proof of identity is not required. The local business license attachment remains either way.
How long before opening should the shop application go in?
At least three weeks, per the Board's instruction for the initial full service cosmetology shop application, with the initial inspection following within ten days of the online application.
Can a booth renter open a shop instead of a full salon?
The Board licenses shops by type, including manicure shops, skin care shops, natural hair styling shops, and dually-licensed shops, with a limited service equipment waiver available under Tenn. Comp. R. and Regs. 0200-03-.17 subject to approval. The services actually offered decide which shop license fits.