How to Start a Barbershop in Virginia: 750-Hour Barber License, $120 Application, $220 Shop License

October 29, 2026

Opening a barbershop in Virginia involves three separate layers of paperwork that people often confuse. The first is the shop license, which the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology issues through the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The second is an individual barber license for every person who cuts hair in the shop. The third is a local license tax that your city or county may or may not charge. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) forms your business entity but issues no business license. This guide covers each layer in the order you should handle them.

This article is informational only. It is not legal or tax advice. Entity choice, lease terms, hiring booth renters and sales tax are complex, so talk with a qualified Virginia attorney or CPA before you commit.

The Licenses You Need and What Each One Covers

Start with the facility license, because it determines whether the business can operate at all:

• Shop license (DPOR): One license covers a barbershop, cosmetology salon, nail salon, waxing salon and mobile shop or salon under Va. Code 54.1-704.1 and 18VAC41-20-120. It is issued to the firm, not to you personally.
• Individual barber license (DPOR): Every person who cuts hair for pay in the shop must hold one. Owners who cut hair need one too.
• Entity filing (SCC): An LLC or corporation, plus any assumed name (DBA) you plan to use.
• Local BPOL license tax: Business, Professional and Occupational License tax under Va. Code 58.1-3700 et seq. Whether you owe it depends on your locality.

Hair braiding alone is not licensed in Virginia, but cutting hair for pay in a shop is.

Step-by-Step Order of Operations

1. Choose and form your entity with the SCC, then get an EIN.
2. Confirm zoning and your local BPOL status before you sign a lease.
3. Complete barber training and pass both exams for yourself and any staff.
4. Apply for the $220 shop license with DPOR, early enough to meet your opening date.
5. Register for sales tax if you sell retail products, then set up hiring and payroll.
6. Build out and equip the space, then confirm sanitation and display requirements before opening.

Step 1: Form Your Business Entity

Most barbershop owners form a limited liability company (LLC). Virginia LLCs file Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) with the SCC for a $100 filing fee. You can file online through the SCC Clerk's Information System at https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/. Online filings can be expedited: next day for $50 or $100 (submitted by 2:00 PM Eastern, response by 4:00 PM the next business day), or same day for $200 (submitted by 10:00 AM Eastern, response by 4:00 PM). Expedited service is online only and nonrefundable.

Your LLC name must include 'limited company', 'limited liability company', 'LC', 'L.C.', 'LLC' or 'L.L.C.' and must be distinguishable from names already on file. You can reserve a name for $10 for 120 days.

A Virginia entity must keep a registered agent who is a Virginia resident with a Virginia street address, is available during business hours, and is either a member of the Virginia State Bar or a member, manager, officer, trustee or general partner of the entity. The entity cannot serve as its own agent.

Virginia LLCs file no annual report. Instead they pay a $50 annual registration fee to the SCC. The fee is due the last day of the 12th month after the month the LLC was organized, and every year after that. The SCC assesses the fee about two months ahead. A late payment adds a $25 penalty, and the LLC is canceled at the end of the third month after the due date.

If you form a corporation instead, the Articles of Incorporation (Form SCC619) carry a $75 filing fee. The annual report and annual registration fee depend on authorized shares, starting at $100 for up to 5,000 shares plus $30 for each additional 5,000 shares. Check the SCC annual fee schedule for the current amount.

If you will operate under a name other than your legal entity name, file an Assumed Name Certificate with the SCC for $10. It is not filed with the circuit court, and there is no newspaper publication. The SCC business page is at https://www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/.

Step 2: Lock Down Zoning and Your Local License Tax

Do this before you sign a lease. Ask the city or county zoning office whether a barbershop is a permitted use at that address. Then ask the Commissioner of the Revenue whether a BPOL license applies to your business.

BPOL is a local tax, not a state license. Virginia law lets a locality levy no general license at all under Va. Code 58.1-3704. Some counties with no general county license include Stafford, Rockingham, Bedford County, Washington County, Montgomery County, Louisa and Fluvanna. Towns can also displace the county tax. Each locality sets its own rate and filing deadline, so no statewide rate exists.

Population also sets a floor. In a locality with more than 50,000 people, a license cannot be required for gross receipts under $100,000. In a locality with 25,000 to 50,000 people, the floor is under $50,000. Below 25,000 people, no floor applies. Localities over 50,000 may waive the license for businesses up to a set gross receipts ceiling, which you should confirm with your locality.

When you talk to the landlord, ask about running water, sink location, and any inspection timing for the space. The shop license application requires the facility to meet the Board's requirements, so a space that needs major plumbing work will affect your schedule.

Step 3: Complete Barber Training and Pass Both Exams

Every person who cuts hair needs an individual license. The school curriculum minimums under 18VAC41-20-200 are:

• Barber: 750 clock hours
• Master barber (adds chemical services): 250 clock hours
• Dual barber and master barber program: 1,000 clock hours

Confirm with an approved school that its program meets these minimums before you enroll. Ask for the clock-hour count in writing.

Virginia requires both a written exam and a practical exam. If you pass one, that result stands as long as you pass the other within one year of your first sitting (18VAC41-20-60). The exam fee is set by an outside vendor and cannot exceed $225 per candidate. Confirm the exact price with DPOR and the vendor before you register.

If you are already licensed in another state, you may apply for licensure by endorsement without retesting, as long as your training and exams are substantially equivalent to Virginia's (18VAC41-20-30). If the training is not equivalent, three years of licensed work experience can substitute.

A temporary license is available for a newly trained person. It costs nothing, lasts 90 days, can be issued only once, and requires direct supervision (18VAC41-20-90). Apprenticeship routes follow the Board's registered apprenticeship standards. Check with DPOR for current hour requirements and eligibility rules, because this guide does not state an apprenticeship hour count.

Step 4: Apply for the $220 Shop License

The shop license application is $220, and the renewal is also $220. Reinstatement after a lapse costs $440. Apply through DPOR, and check the DPOR page for current processing times. This guide does not promise a timeline, so file early and build the schedule around the license.

Several rules apply once the license is issued:

• Not transferable: The license belongs to the firm. If the legal entity changes, the license is void, and a new application is due within 30 days.
• Report changes in writing within 30 days: This includes changes of name, address, officers or managers.
• Mobile shops: A mobile shop must list the physical address where the unit is permanently garaged.
• Disclosures: The applicant and responsible management must disclose felony convictions from the last 10 years and any discipline in other jurisdictions.
• Inspection: The Board may inspect the shop.

The shop license does not replace individual licenses. Every person who cuts hair in the shop must hold their own.

Step 5: Fees and Renewals at a Glance

Item	Fee	Notes
Shop or salon license application	$220	Issued to the firm
Shop license renewal	$220	Check DPOR for renewal dates
Shop license reinstatement	$440	After a lapse
Individual barber license application	$120	Per person
Individual renewal	$120	Every two years
Endorsement from another state	$120	Substantially equivalent training
Individual reinstatement	$240	Includes the renewal fee
Temporary license	No fee	90 days, issued once
Written and practical exams	Set by vendor, not over $225	Confirm with DPOR and the vendor

From 2026-07-01 through 2030-06-30, certain DPOR fees carry a separate $7.25 per year technology fee under the 2026 budget (HB 30). Check the DPOR fee page to see which of your fees include it.

Virginia has joined the Cosmetology Compact, but it does not yet apply to your license. Activation is hoped for in early 2027. Check DPOR for the current status before you plan any multistate work.

Step 6: Register for Taxes and Plan Your Staffing

If you sell retail products such as pomade, razors or shampoo, you will generally need a sales tax registration. Virginia's state sales tax is a 5.3% base rate (state plus local). The rate is 6% in the regional-tax localities, 6.3% in eight localities and 7% in the Historic Triangle (James City County, Williamsburg and York County). Groceries are taxed at 1%. Confirm with Virginia Tax which of your sales are taxable at https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sales-and-use-tax.

Your business income is taxed under the state corporate income tax of 6% flat if you form a corporation, or flows through to your personal return for many LLCs. Personal income tax rates run from 2% to 5.75%. Virginia Tax's main page is at https://www.tax.virginia.gov/.

If you hire employees, Virginia's minimum wage is $12.77 in 2026, $13.75 in 2027 and $15.00 in 2028. Whether a chair renter is an employee or an independent contractor is a classification question with real tax and legal consequences. Get advice from a CPA or attorney before you set up booth rental agreements.

Step 7: Setup, Sanitation and Display Requirements

Inspectors look for a clean, working shop. Plan for running water at the stations, sanitary tool handling, and a way to clean and store implements between clients. The Board's barber regulations under 18VAC41-20 set the specific standards, so read them before you build out the floor plan. Confirm the exact requirements with DPOR.

Display your shop license and each barber's individual license as the Board requires. Confirm placement with DPOR so you are not surprised during an inspection.

If you hire a contractor for the build-out, check that the contractor holds the correct Virginia contractor class. Since 2025-07-01, Class C covers projects over $1,000 to under $30,000, Class B covers $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A covers $150,000 or more. Verify the contractor's license with DPOR before work begins.

Get insurance quotes early. If you have employees, ask about workers' compensation coverage as well as general liability. Build-out permits, signage and occupancy approvals run through your locality, so ask the building department what it requires.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Cutting hair before your individual license is issued. Each person must hold their own license, including the owner.
• Assuming the shop license covers staff. It covers the firm only.
• Missing the 30-day reporting windows. Changes of name, address, officers or managers must be reported in writing within 30 days, and an entity change requires a new application within 30 days.
• Signing a lease before confirming zoning and BPOL status. Zoning and the local license tax are set locally.
• Assuming every locality charges BPOL. Some do not levy a general license at all.
• Letting one exam result lapse. If you pass only one exam, you must pass the other within one year of your first sitting.
• Filing an assumed name with the circuit court. In Virginia, the assumed name certificate goes to the SCC for $10.
• Forgetting the $50 LLC annual registration fee. It is due every year after the first deadline, and a late payment adds a $25 penalty.

What Results to Expect

Following this sequence may help you avoid rework, such as signing a lease for a space that cannot be licensed or training for a program that does not meet the curriculum minimums. Actual timing depends on DPOR processing, your locality's review, your training schedule and the build-out. Plan for several months between forming the entity and opening, and treat any timeline you find elsewhere as a starting estimate, not a promise.

Where to Get Free Help

The Virginia Small Business Development Center network offers free advising for new owners at https://www.virginiasbdc.org/. The SBA's Richmond district office lists resources at https://www.sba.gov/district/richmond. For the shop license and individual licenses, use the DPOR website. For the SCC filings, use the SCC business page and the CIS portal at https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/.

Disclaimer

This article is informational content about Virginia business formation and licensing. It is not legal or tax advice. Fees, processing times and requirements change, so verify every figure with the named agency before you file. For entity selection, lease negotiation, booth rental arrangements, sales tax and payroll, consult a qualified Virginia attorney or CPA.