Cosmetology, Salon, Barber, or Barbershop Licensing in Hillsborough County
Florida DBPR licenses cosmetologists and barbers and separately licenses salons, specialty salons, and barbershops. A Hillsborough location must also resolve parcel jurisdiction, building/use approval, and County and municipal business-tax requirements. State professional or establishment licensing does not authorize a location's land use.
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Who needs this
People practicing cosmetology or barbering and owners opening, moving, or taking over a salon, specialty salon, mobile salon, or barbershop in Hillsborough County.
Steps
- 1
Choose the Florida license path
Use the current DBPR Cosmetology or Barbers page to identify the individual credential and whether the physical establishment also needs a salon, specialty-salon, mobile-salon, or barbershop license. Individual and establishment licenses are separate.
www2.myfloridalicense.com/cosmetology/ - 2
Complete the current education and examination requirements
Florida Statute § 477.019 sets the cosmetologist education and examination route, including 1,200 training hours and a school-certification route after 1,000 actual hours. Section 476.114 sets the barber examination route, including 900 training hours and a school-certification route after 600 actual hours. Use DBPR's current application for the exact credential.
flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/477.019 - 3
Resolve the shop or salon jurisdiction and use
Confirm whether the proposed location is in unincorporated Hillsborough, Tampa, Plant City, or Temple Terrace. Ask that authority whether the proposed personal-service use, build-out, signage, occupancy, parking, plumbing, ventilation, and change of use require zoning confirmation or permits before committing to the site.
hcfl.gov/businesses/permits-and-records - 4
Apply for the establishment license
A cosmetology salon or specialty salon applies under Florida Statute § 477.025; a barbershop applies under § 476.184. Submit DBPR's current application and required information. The statutes authorize inspection and require approval before operation; barbershop licenses and individual certificates must be displayed.
flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/476.184 - 5
Complete local building and safety work
Use the building authority for the parcel for any tenant build-out, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, signage, fire, or occupancy work. Do not treat a DBPR establishment license as the local construction permit.
tampa.gov/development-coordination - 6
Obtain applicable County and city business-tax receipts
Apply for the Hillsborough County local business tax receipt and provide regulated-business approval when requested. For Tampa, Plant City, or Temple Terrace, confirm and obtain any separate municipal receipt using that city's current classification.
hillstaxfl.gov/taxes/business-tax-services/new-regulated-bus - 7
Renew and keep credentials displayed
Track the current DBPR renewal cycle and continuing-education requirements for each individual and establishment credential. Maintain local receipts and update the licensing and building authorities before moving or materially changing the location.
www2.myfloridalicense.com/barbers/
Requirements
- Current DBPR individual credential for each regulated practitioner.
- Separate DBPR establishment license for a salon, specialty salon, mobile salon, or barbershop when applicable.
- Parcel-specific County or city use and building approval for the location and any build-out.
- Hillsborough County and applicable municipal business-tax receipts.
- Current continuing education, renewal, display, sanitation, and inspection compliance for each credential.
Documents
- Education and examination records required by the selected DBPR application
- Business entity, owner, and establishment address information
- Lease or ownership authorization and proposed floor/build-out information
- Local permits, inspection approvals, and business-tax receipts when applicable
Fees
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DBPR cosmetology salon renewal | $45 renewal shown on DBPR's Cosmetology page, accessed 2026-09-24; confirm the current initial application and any other credential fee in the selected application. | |
| DBPR barber or restricted-barber renewal | $75 renewal shown on DBPR's Barbers page, accessed 2026-09-24; confirm initial application, examination, and credential-specific charges. | |
| DBPR barbershop renewal | $110 renewal shown on DBPR's Barbers page, accessed 2026-09-24. Florida Statute § 476.184 separately states a $125 shop-location transfer fee, accessed 2026-09-24. | |
| County, municipal, and construction charges | Use the current classification and project-specific schedules for the parcel; amounts vary by business activity, city, and build-out. |
Good to know
This is a shared Florida license path with Hillsborough-specific site, construction, and local-tax routing; no Pinellas local requirement is reused.The published DBPR page amounts are renewal fees, not universal initial-license totals. Use the current selected application for initial, examination, endorsement, delinquent, or transfer charges.The statutory training-hour statements were rechecked against the 2025 Florida Statutes on 2026-09-24.