How to Start a Hair Salon in Georgia: Salon License, Owner Course and Cosmetology Rules

October 29, 2026

Opening a hair salon in Georgia involves two separate kinds of licensing. The salon itself needs a shop license from the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers, and every person who styles hair in that salon needs an individual license. Your business also has to be formed with the Secretary of State, registered for taxes if it sells taxable goods or has employees, and cleared for a local occupation tax certificate. This guide puts those steps in order of importance, using the rules and fees verified as of October 29, 2026.

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Board rules, fees and agency names can change, so confirm every figure on the agency page before you file. If your ownership structure, lease or staffing plan is complex, talk with a Georgia attorney and a CPA before you sign anything.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items first. Most of them are needed at more than one step.

• A business name that includes the word “Salon” or “Shop,” checked against the Secretary of State business records at the Georgia business search
• The legal structure you plan to use, most often a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation
• A salon street address in Georgia and a registered agent with a Georgia street address (a P.O. box is not allowed)
• Your individual license numbers, or the school and apprenticeship records you need to apply for them
• A list of every stylist, booth renter and apprentice who will work in the salon, with license numbers and expiration dates
• A Georgia Tax Center login if you plan to sell taxable retail products
• A call to the zoning office in the city or county where the salon will operate

Step 1: Get the Salon Shop License From the Board

The Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers licenses salons. It is one board for both cosmetologists and barbers, in place since 2015, and its rules are in Department 240. Licensing is run by the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Secretary of State. A bill to move the Board to the Department of Public Health has been proposed and its status is unconfirmed, so check with the Board about which agency handles your application before you file.

Under Rule 240-12-.01, the salon must be licensed by the Board before it conducts business. The key requirements are:

• Name: The business name must include the word “Salon” or “Shop” and must not mislead the public.
• Display: The shop license, or a current copy of the online verification, must be displayed in an open area within 15 feet of the entrance.
• Owner course: The owner must complete a Board-approved health, safety and sanitation course (see Step 2).
• Sanitation: The salon must follow the Board’s cleansing, disinfection and sanitation rules.
• Fee: The application carries a non-refundable processing fee. Older Board rules put it at $75, but confirm the current amount on the Board’s fee schedule and the shop application packet before you pay.

The rule requires the owner to complete the course. It does not say the owner must personally hold a cosmetology license. Anyone who performs services still needs an individual license, so if you plan to own the salon without cutting hair, ask the Board how ownership questions apply to your situation.

Ownership changes have a short deadline. If you buy an existing salon, file an application to register the ownership change within 30 days of the purchase. If a licensed salon is sold or closed, its license goes back to the Board within 30 days.

Step 2: Complete the Owner Health, Safety and Sanitation Course

Before the shop application is complete, the owner must finish a health, safety and sanitation course that the Board has approved. A generic online sanitation class may not meet the rule, so ask the course provider to confirm in writing that the course is Board-approved before you pay. Keep the completion certificate in your shop file and in your salon records, and make sure the name on the certificate matches the owner’s name on the application.

Step 3: Confirm Every Stylist’s Individual License

A salon license does not cover the people working inside it. Each person who performs hair services needs an individual license. Georgia licenses several occupations, including cosmetologists, hair designers, estheticians and nail technicians, plus apprentices. The two that most salon owners ask about are the Master Cosmetologist and the Hair Designer.

License	School route	Apprenticeship route
Master Cosmetologist	At least 9 months and 1,500 hours (250 theory and 1,250 service)	18 months and 3,000 hours
Hair Designer	At least 7 months and 1,350 hours (250 theory and 1,100 service)	14 months and 2,650 hours

For the full list of hours, exams and continuing education, see our Georgia cosmetology license guide. These points matter most for salon owners:

• Exams: Both the written and practical exams require a minimum score of 70%.
• Apprentices: An apprentice must be at least 16, train in a licensed shop under a licensed master who has held a license for at least 36 months, and hold a four-year apprentice license that cannot be renewed. Apprentice hours cannot be combined with school hours.
• Continuing education: Each renewal requires 5 hours: 3 in a Board-approved health and safety course and 2 in a listed topic. The first renewal is exempt. Reinstating a lapsed license requires 5 hours for each lapsed period.

Keep a copy of each stylist’s license, check expiration dates, and calendar renewals. A stylist or booth renter with a lapsed license is practicing without a license, so make checking licenses a standing task rather than something you do once.

Step 4: Choose and Form Your Business Entity

Most salon owners form a limited liability company. File Articles of Organization through the Secretary of State eCorp portal at ecorp.sos.ga.gov. Articles of Organization cost $110 in total: the $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge. A corporation files Articles of Incorporation for the same $110. Read our guide to starting an LLC in Georgia for the full filing walkthrough.

Plan around these figures:

• Name reservation: You can reserve a name for 30 days for $35.
• Online filings take about 7 to 10 business days. Paper filings take about 15 business days.
• Expedited review costs $120 for 2 business days, $275 for same-day review if received by noon, or $1,200 for one-hour review on business days.

If the salon will operate under a name other than the entity’s legal name, you need a trade name registration (a DBA). Trade names are filed with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the business is chiefly carried on, not with the Secretary of State. Clerk fees are about $165 plus newspaper publication once a week for two weeks. Confirm the exact amount with your county clerk, and see the Secretary of State business division FAQ.

Georgia levies no franchise tax on a typical single-member or partnership LLC. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, pay a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000 depending on net worth.

Step 5: Get an EIN

Most salons need an employer identification number (EIN) for payroll, tax filings and bank accounts. Follow our guide to getting an EIN in Georgia once your entity is formed, and use the entity name exactly as it appears on your Articles.

Step 6: Get the Local Occupation Tax Certificate

Georgia has no general state business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and a Department of Revenue sales tax registration is not a business license. The local license is an occupation tax certificate, often called a business license. It is issued by the city, or by the county for unincorporated areas, under O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13.

Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns, and each sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. A business inside a city pays the city, not the county. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for many salons the county is the issuer. Confirm which office covers your address before you apply.

Private employers with more than 10 employees must file an E-Verify affidavit to get the certificate (O.C.G.A. 36-60-6). Under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6(c), the city or county asks for proof of your state license first. Plan the order of steps accordingly: get the Board shop license before you apply for the local certificate, and ask the local office whether zoning approval comes first. Cosmetology salons are not on the statutory list of professions that a local government may charge a per-practitioner fee, so the local office applies its ordinary formula. Confirm the amount with your city or county. See also Georgia business license requirements and Georgia E-Verify requirements for business licenses.

Step 7: Register for Sales Tax if You Sell Products

Many salons sell shampoo, styling products or accessories. If you sell taxable goods or have employees, register with the Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center. Registration is free. The state sales tax rate is 4%, and combined state and local rates run from 6% to 9% depending on county and city. Atlanta’s combined rate is 8.9%.

Georgia issues no separate resale permit. When you buy inventory for resale, give suppliers Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption. If you also sell products online to customers outside your area, remote sellers owe collection once they reach $100,000 of Georgia sales or 200 separate transactions. Our guide to Georgia sales tax for new businesses and online sellers covers the details.

Step 8: Plan Workers’ Compensation and Payroll Obligations

Workers’ compensation insurance is required once you have three or more workers, and part-time workers count. Review the Georgia workers’ compensation requirements before you hire your first stylist or assistant. Georgia has no state paid sick leave or family leave mandate, so check any leave commitments you make to staff against your own policies.

Booth renters need their own individual licenses. Whether a stylist is a booth renter or an employee affects taxes, insurance and liability, so have your CPA or attorney review the arrangement before you sign any booth lease.

Step 9: Plan for State Income Tax

Georgia income tax is a single flat rate, and the corporate rate equals the individual rate. Check the current rate for your tax year on the Department of Revenue website, and review our Georgia business taxes overview to understand how your entity type is taxed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing a name without “Salon” or “Shop.” The name requirement applies to the shop license, so fix the name before you file.
• Applying for the local certificate first. The city or county will ask for proof of your state license, so the order of filings matters.
• Letting a stylist’s license lapse. The salon is exposed when a stylist works without a current license.
• Missing the 30-day deadlines. Ownership changes and sold or closed salons both have a 30-day clock.
• Skipping the annual registration. An LLC files its first annual registration in the year after it forms, and the filing window runs from January 1 to April 1. A corporation files its first annual registration within 90 days of incorporating. The annual registration costs $60 ($50 plus a $10 service charge), and a late filing carries a $25 penalty. An entity that stays delinquent can be administratively dissolved, and reinstatement costs about $260.
• Assuming the state issues a business license. The local occupation tax certificate is the license most salons need in addition to the Board license.
• Confusing a DBA with the entity name. A trade name is filed with the county Clerk of Superior Court, not the Secretary of State.

Ongoing Compliance Checklist

• Confirm that the shop license or its online verification is displayed within 15 feet of the entrance
• Check every stylist’s license expiration date each quarter
• Track each renewal’s 5 hours of continuing education, including the 3 hours of health and safety content
• File the Secretary of State annual registration between January 1 and April 1
• Renew the local occupation tax certificate on the city or county schedule
• Notify the Board within 30 days of any ownership change

What Results to Expect

Completing these steps in order can help your salon open with fewer delays and stay in compliance after opening. Results depend on your filings, the requirements of your local office and how quickly you respond to agency requests, so this guide does not promise particular approval dates or outcomes. If you sell hair care products, remember that FDA rules govern product claims. Avoid describing a product as treating or curing a condition unless you have a basis to make that claim, and have your marketing reviewed before you publish it.

Where to Get Help

The Georgia Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia offers free business advising at georgiasbdc.org. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Georgia district page at sba.gov lists local resources. For the Board application and fee schedule, contact the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Secretary of State.

Disclaimer: This article is informational content only. It is not legal, tax or licensing advice. Confirm all fees, deadlines and agency requirements with the relevant agency, and consult a qualified Georgia attorney and CPA for your specific situation.