How to Start a Nail Salon in Virginia: 150-Hour Nail Technician License, $120 Fees, $220 Salon License

October 29, 2026

Opening a nail salon in Virginia means handling two licensing tracks at once. The salon needs one shop license from the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), and every person who does nail work for pay needs an individual nail technician license from that same board. The business also needs a legal entity, possibly a local business license tax (BPOL), and a space that passes local building and fire review. This guide covers those pieces in the order you should handle them, with the fees that apply to each.

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and rules change, so confirm every figure with the agency named before you sign a lease or send money. If you have a partner, an investor, or a complicated lease, talk with a Virginia attorney and a CPA.

Materials and Documents You Need

Most of what you need to start is paperwork. Collect these before you file anything:

• A business name that is available in State Corporation Commission (SCC) records. You can reserve a name for $10 for 120 days.
• Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) for an LLC, or Articles of Incorporation (Form SCC619) for a corporation.
• A registered agent who meets Virginia’s residency and office rules.
• An Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, which is free.
• Proof of nail technician training, such as school transcripts showing your clock hours, for each technician.
• A government-issued photo ID and a completed individual application for each person who will do nail work.
• A written layout and ventilation plan you can show a landlord, contractor, or building official.
• A list of questions for your city or county Commissioner of the Revenue about the BPOL license tax, and for the zoning office about permitted use at your address.

Step 1: Get the Salon License From DPOR

Virginia has no general state business license. The SCC forms your entity but issues no business license. The license for the salon itself comes from the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology under Va. Code 54.1-704.1 and 18VAC41-20-120. One shop or salon license covers a nail salon, cosmetology salon, barbershop, waxing salon, and mobile salon.

Keep these rules in mind:

• The application fee is $220. Renewal is $220. Reinstatement after a lapse is $440 (18VAC41-20-140).
• The license is issued to the firm, not to you personally, and it cannot be transferred.
• If the legal entity behind the salon changes, you must file a new application within 30 days.
• Changes to the salon name, address, or management must be reported within 30 days.
• The Board may inspect the salon, so keep it ready for inspection from opening day.

Do not count on a specific processing time. Ask DPOR for current timing, apply as early as you can, and build a buffer between your approval date and your lease start date.

Renting chairs or stations to independent technicians does not remove this requirement. The salon still needs its shop license, and each person who does nail work for pay still needs an individual license.

Step 2: Earn Your Nail Technician License

To work as a nail technician in Virginia, you need training and both a written and a practical exam. The school curriculum minimum is 150 clock hours (18VAC41-20-200). Confirm that any school you use meets that minimum before you enroll, and keep every transcript. A wax technician curriculum is 115 hours. A cosmetologist, who has completed a 1,000-hour program, may also perform nail work, so ask DPOR how that applies to your situation.

The core path works like this:

• Training: Complete at least 150 clock hours at a school whose curriculum meets the rules, and get written proof of your hours.
• Written exam: Pass the written exam. The exam vendor sets the fee, and it cannot exceed $225 per candidate (18VAC41-20-60). Check the current vendor and fee with DPOR before you register.
• Practical exam: Pass the practical exam too. If you pass one part, that result is kept as long as you pass the other part within a year of your first sitting.
• Individual application: Apply for your individual license. The fee is $120 (see Step 3 for the full list).

Other routes exist, depending on your background:

• Temporary license: It has no fee, lasts 90 days, can be issued once, and requires direct supervision while you work.
• License by endorsement: This is available to people licensed in another state with substantially equivalent training and exams. Ask DPOR whether your out-of-state training qualifies.
• Apprenticeship: The regulation points to registered apprenticeship standards. Ask DPOR for the current hours and requirements, and do not rely on an hour count from any other source.

Step 3: Budget for the Fees

This is the fee list for the licensing and business filings covered in this guide. Confirm each figure on the agency page before you pay.

Item	Amount	Who issues it
Salon license application	$220	DPOR, Board for Barbers and Cosmetology
Salon license renewal	$220	DPOR
Salon license reinstatement	$440	DPOR
Individual nail technician application	$120	DPOR
Individual renewal (every two years)	$120	DPOR
Individual reinstatement	$240	DPOR
Exam fee	Set by the exam vendor, cannot exceed $225	Exam vendor
Temporary license	No fee	DPOR
Articles of Organization (LLC)	$100	SCC
Articles of Incorporation (corporation)	$75	SCC
Name reservation	$10 for 120 days	SCC
Assumed name (DBA) certificate	$10	SCC
LLC annual registration fee	$50	SCC
Corporation annual report and registration fee	$100 for up to 5,000 authorized shares, plus $30 for each additional 5,000 shares (check the SCC annual fee schedule)	SCC
Expedited LLC filing (online only, nonrefundable)	$50 or $100 next day, $200 same day	SCC
Business license tax (BPOL)	Set by your locality	Your city or county

Two fee notes. From July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2030, certain DPOR fees carry a separate $7.25 a year technology fee under 2026 HB 30, so check which of your fees are affected. The Cosmetology Compact is enacted but not yet active. It is hoped to start in early 2027, so check DPOR before you plan around it.

Step 4: Plan Ventilation and the Build-Out

Ventilation is the item most nail salon owners underestimate. Acrylic powders, gel products, and polish removers give off fumes throughout the day. Plan for mechanical ventilation or source-capture tables from the start, not as an add-on after the walls are up. Virginia nail salon ventilation rules come from more than one place, so you need answers from each source.

• DPOR’s licensing regulations set sanitation and facility standards for the salon, and the Board can inspect against them.
• Ventilation and fire requirements for the building come from your local building and fire officials, not from the Board.

Before you sign a lease, ask the local building department what it will require for your planned layout, including the ventilation design. Ask for the answer in writing if you can. Ask the landlord whether the space already has suitable exhaust and what changes the landlord will allow.

Also complete the entity and EIN steps in Step 5 before you sign anything. If you hire a contractor for the build-out, check that the contractor holds the DPOR license class that matches the contract. Since July 1, 2025, the classes are Class C for contracts over $1,000 to under $30,000, Class B for $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A for $150,000 or more.

Step 5: Form the Entity, Handle Local Items, and Staff Correctly

Form your entity and get your EIN before you sign a lease. The lease, bank account, insurance, and salon license application all go more smoothly when the business name and legal owner are settled.

Form the entity

An LLC files Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011) with the SCC for $100. 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. The LLC name must contain “limited company,” “limited liability company,” “LC,” “L.C.,” “LLC,” or “L.L.C.,” and it must be distinguishable from names already on file.

Virginia LLCs file no annual report. They pay a $50 annual registration fee to the SCC instead. 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.

A corporation files Articles of Incorporation (Form SCC619) for $75 and pays an annual report and registration fee based on authorized shares. Corporations pay a flat 6% corporate income tax. Check the SCC for current figures before you choose a structure, and consider a CPA for the tax side.

Every Virginia entity needs a registered agent: a Virginia resident with a Virginia street registered office, available during business hours. The agent must also be a member of the Virginia State Bar, or a member, manager, officer, trustee, or general partner of the entity. An entity cannot be its own agent.

If you operate under a name different from your entity’s name, file an assumed name certificate (DBA) for $10. It is filed with the SCC, not the circuit court, and there is no newspaper publication.

Use the SCC Clerk’s Information System at https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/ for filings and name searches. The SCC business page is https://www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/.

Local items: BPOL, zoning, and sales tax

Virginia has no statewide business license, but some localities levy a local license tax called the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax under Va. Code 58.1-3700 and following. Each city or county administers its own BPOL, usually through the Commissioner of the Revenue. Not every locality levies a general license. Va. Code 58.1-3704 lets a locality levy none, and Stafford, Rockingham, Bedford County, Washington County, Montgomery County, Louisa, and Fluvanna are examples of localities without a general county license. Towns can also displace the county tax. Do not assume your locality has one or has none. Ask.

Whether BPOL applies to you depends on your locality and your gross receipts. State law sets population-based floors. A locality over 50,000 people cannot require a license for businesses with gross receipts under $100,000. A locality with 25,000 to 50,000 people cannot require one under $50,000. A locality under 25,000 people has no such floor. Localities over 50,000 people may waive the license for gross receipts up to $200,000, but confirm that waiver ceiling with your Commissioner of the Revenue. Localities set their own rates and filing deadlines, so no single rate applies across Virginia.

Zoning is also local. Ask the locality’s zoning office whether a nail salon is a permitted use at your address and whether you need any special approval. Do this before you sign.

If you sell retail products such as polish, tools, or aftercare, register for a sales tax permit with Virginia Tax at https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sales-and-use-tax. The base state sales tax rate is 5.3% (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). Confirm the rate for your address with Virginia Tax.

Staffing and day-one setup

• Verify every technician’s individual license through DPOR before that person performs a single service.
• Display the salon license and each technician’s license where clients can see them.
• Keep copies of all licenses, transcripts, and filing receipts in one binder or folder.
• Budget for wages. Virginia’s minimum wage is $12.77 in 2026, $13.75 in 2027, and $15.00 in 2028.
• Calendar your deadlines: the 30-day reporting windows, the LLC registration fee due date, and the individual renewal every two years.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming booth rental removes licensing. The salon still needs its license, and each person doing nail work for pay needs an individual license.
• Signing a lease before asking about ventilation. Fixing exhaust after build-out is far more expensive than planning it first.
• Hiring before verifying. Check each technician’s license before the first client.
• Missing the 30-day change windows. A new entity, name, address, or management change must be reported on time.
• Letting a name reservation lapse. A reservation lasts 120 days, so file your entity before it expires.
• Using one locality’s rules as a statewide rule. BPOL rates and deadlines are set locally.
• Confusing the DBA with a court filing. The $10 assumed name certificate goes to the SCC.

Tips for a Smoother Opening

• Apply for the salon license once your entity, address, and management are settled, so you avoid a new application.
• Ask DPOR which of your fees carry the $7.25 technology fee before you budget.
• Design the layout around ventilation first, then place stations and fixtures.
• Ask your Commissioner of the Revenue and zoning office for their requirements in writing.

What Results to Expect and How to Describe Them

A well-organized salon may help you open on schedule, keep inspection records clean, and reduce surprise costs. Results depend on your location, build-out, staffing, and the local rules that apply to you, so treat the timeline in this guide as a planning tool, not a promise.

The same care applies to how you describe services and products. Nail products are regulated by the FDA as cosmetics. Use hedged language such as “may help,” “designed to,” or “intended to leave nails looking smoother.” Do not claim that a product cures, treats, heals, or repairs nails or skin. Under FDA rules, a claim to treat a condition can change how a product is regulated. Results also vary by client, nail condition, technique, and product, so avoid guaranteed outcomes in your signage, pricing sheets, and social posts.

Next Steps

Start with the salon license application and the entity filing, since both shape everything after them. Then book your technician licensing, confirm your ventilation plan with the building department, and check your locality’s BPOL and zoning rules before you sign. Consult a Virginia attorney for lease and ownership questions, and a CPA for entity and tax decisions. This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice.