Hair Salon Permit Requirements in Hartford, CT

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Connecticut Department of Public Health - Hairdresser and Cosmetician License (individual)

   Connecticut issues a single combined 'registered hairdresser and cosmetician' licence to individuals; there is no separate cosmetician credential. The applicant must complete 1,500 hours of training at an approved school and pass the state examination. CGS Sec. 20-253 sets the examination fee at $100 and the biennial renewal at $100, and the licence must be displayed conspicuously wherever the holder works. Connecticut does not license salons as establishments - CGS Sec. 20-258 only requires that a hairdressing shop be operated by someone who has held this individual licence for at least two years, and DPH inspects shops for sanitary condition.

   Official government source

   $100 examination/application fee and $100 biennial renewal (CGS Sec. 20-253)·Licences renew once every two years on the schedule set by CGS Sec. 19a-88; DPH accepts a late renewal application within 90 days of expiry

   $100 examination/application fee and $100 biennial renewal (CGS Sec. 20-253)

   Licences renew once every two years on the schedule set by CGS Sec. 19a-88; DPH accepts a late renewal application within 90 days of expiry

2. Connecticut Department of Revenue Services — Sales Tax Permit

   Required for all businesses selling tangible personal property or taxable services in Connecticut. Connecticut charges a 6.35% state sales tax and taxes certain services (broader base than many states). Register with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services via myconneCT; a $100 registration fee applies.

   Official government source

   $100 (registration fee)·Immediate (online via myconneCT)

   $100 (registration fee)

   Immediate (online via myconneCT)

1. Connecticut Hairdresser and Cosmetician License (individual) plus Hartford salon oversight

   Connecticut does not license cosmetology salons as establishments. CT DPH licenses the individual - a single combined 'hairdresser and cosmetician' credential - and its Salon Information page states only that DPH works with local health directors on salon inspections and that each hairdressing shop, store or place shall be under the management of a registered hairdresser and cosmetician. So the salon itself is inspected rather than state-licensed, and the establishment-level requirements in Hartford come from the city's Health & Human Services Environmental Health division. Every practitioner working in the salon must hold the DPH licence and display it where they work.

   Official government source

   $100 initial application, $100 renewal and $100 reinstatement for the individual DPH hairdresser and cosmetician licence; Hartford's own establishment fees are set by the city's Environmental Health division·The DPH licence renews on the biennial schedule set by CGS Sec. 19a-88; salon inspections by DPH and the local health director are periodic rather than a one-time pre-opening approval

   $100 initial application, $100 renewal and $100 reinstatement for the individual DPH hairdresser and cosmetician licence; Hartford's own establishment fees are set by the city's Environmental Health division

   The DPH licence renews on the biennial schedule set by CGS Sec. 19a-88; salon inspections by DPH and the local health director are periodic rather than a one-time pre-opening approval

2. No general Hartford business license (category-specific licenses only)

   Hartford does not require a general business license. The Licenses & Inspections Division licenses only specific regulated categories - food establishments, mobile vendors, laundromats, amusement devices, parking lots and similar activities. Service businesses such as plumbing, salons, tutoring, pet sitting or photography are not licensed by the city, though they may need a state license, zoning approval, or a certificate of occupancy for commercial space.

   Official government source

   No fee - Hartford issues no general business license·Not applicable

   No fee - Hartford issues no general business license

   Not applicable

Official Sources

• Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Salon License
• City of Hartford Licenses and Inspections Division
• Connecticut Department of Revenue Services — Sales Tax Permit

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