Nail Salon Permit Requirements in Boston, MA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

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

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

2. OSHA Hazard Communication Standard Compliance

   Nail salons handle hazardous chemicals. OSHA requires Safety Data Sheets, employee training, and adequate ventilation (29 CFR 1910.1200).

   Official government source

   Free (compliance requirement)·Implement before opening

   Free (compliance requirement)

   Implement before opening

1. Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering — Manicuring Salon License

   A nail salon in Massachusetts needs a manicuring salon license from the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, under the Division of Occupational Licensure, applied for online through the eLIPSE platform. Your application needs a scaled floor plan labeling every station and manicuring table, square footage, sinks, signage and bathrooms; a photo and government ID for each owner; a notarized CORI form for each owner; your entity's Certificate of Organization, Articles of Incorporation, or partnership agreement; a plumbing and electrical form; and a price list (gender pricing is prohibited). Salon names suggesting healing or medical benefits are not allowed. The license is not transferable — it covers only the exact space it was issued for, so moving, renovating, or selling the salon means a new application. Each manicurist working there must also hold an individual license.

   Official government source

   $136 application fee, non-refundable, paid online by debit or credit card. A salon offering both manicuring and aesthetics services without hair services needs two separate salon licenses and pays the fee for each.·Allow several weeks for processing, after which an inspector contacts you to schedule a final inspection. The salon must be fully set up with signage to pass, and a new salon must stay closed until the license is approved.

   $136 application fee, non-refundable, paid online by debit or credit card. A salon offering both manicuring and aesthetics services without hair services needs two separate salon licenses and pays the fee for each.

   Allow several weeks for processing, after which an inspector contacts you to schedule a final inspection. The salon must be fully set up with signage to pass, and a new salon must stay closed until the license is approved.

2. Individual Nail Technician License (per employee)

   Every nail technician working in the salon must hold a Massachusetts manicurist license from the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, under the Division of Occupational Licensure. You complete a 100-hour manicuring course in an approved program, apply through the eLIPSE platform with a DOL CORI form, and pass a written theory exam administered by PSI. The Board must approve you for the exam before you can schedule it. All staff licenses must be displayed in the salon.

   Official government source

   $68 manicurist application fee. Renewal is biennial; a late renewal costs an extra $57. A duplicate license is $17 and a name change is $27.·Once your application is processed, PSI emails you to schedule the exam. An incomplete application is held open for 180 days before it is treated as abandoned and you must reapply and repay. A Registered Manicurist license renews every two years on your birthday.

   $68 manicurist application fee. Renewal is biennial; a late renewal costs an extra $57. A duplicate license is $17 and a name change is $27.

   Once your application is processed, PSI emails you to schedule the exam. An incomplete application is held open for 180 days before it is treated as abandoned and you must reapply and repay. A Registered Manicurist license renews every two years on your birthday.

3. Massachusetts Sales Tax Registration for a Nail Salon

   The Massachusetts sales tax is 6.25% on sales of tangible personal property. Nail services themselves are not taxable: under 830 CMR 64H.1.1(5)(b) a beauty shop operator is treated as the consumer of the supplies it uses in rendering the service, so it pays sales tax when it buys polish, acrylic and other supplies and collects nothing from the client for the service. If you also sell products at retail — polish, files, lotions, gift items — you are a retailer as to those sales and must register with DOR on MassTaxConnect, collect 6.25%, and remit it. Buy the resale stock under a Sales Tax Resale Certificate (Form ST-4) so you are not taxed twice.

   Official government source

   No fee. The Department of Revenue does not charge anything to open a sales tax or meals tax account on MassTaxConnect, and there is no annual renewal charge for the registration itself.·You complete the MassTaxConnect registration in one online sitting and get a confirmation email straight away. The registration certificate is mailed to you once DOR approves the account, and it must then be displayed at each business location where customers can easily see it.

   No fee. The Department of Revenue does not charge anything to open a sales tax or meals tax account on MassTaxConnect, and there is no annual renewal charge for the registration itself.

   You complete the MassTaxConnect registration in one online sitting and get a confirmation email straight away. The registration certificate is mailed to you once DOR approves the account, and it must then be displayed at each business location where customers can easily see it.

1. City of Boston — Certificate of Registration (Business Certificate / DBA)

   Businesses operating under a trade name in Boston must file a Business Certificate (DBA) with the Boston City Clerk. This is required for any business not operating under the owner's full legal name. Valid for 4 years.

   Official government source

   $65·Same day (in person at City Hall) to 1 week

   $65

   Same day (in person at City Hall) to 1 week

2. City of Boston Inspectional Services — Certificate of Use and Occupancy

   A nail salon needs a Certificate of Use and Occupancy from Boston Inspectional Services confirming the space is approved for the intended use and meets building and fire code, with Boston Fire Department sign-off where applicable. New build-outs or a change of use require a building permit first, and ISD will not issue the certificate until all associated trade permits (electrical, plumbing, gas, sprinkler, sheet metal) are finalized by the building inspector; nail salons must also submit an affidavit on the salon's ventilation. Separately, Boston Public Health Commission issues a nail salon permit, and the salon itself must hold a manicuring salon license from the state Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering.

   Official government source

   Per Boston's published ISD fee schedule: 'use of premises' $50 primary fee; change of occupancy $50 for commercial; long form building permit $50 primary plus $10 per $1,000 of estimated cost of work (short form $20 plus $10 per $1,000); plumbing $20 plus $5 per fixture.·2-6 weeks depending on the scope of work and inspection scheduling

   Per Boston's published ISD fee schedule: 'use of premises' $50 primary fee; change of occupancy $50 for commercial; long form building permit $50 primary plus $10 per $1,000 of estimated cost of work (short form $20 plus $10 per $1,000); plumbing $20 plus $5 per fixture.

   2-6 weeks depending on the scope of work and inspection scheduling

3. Boston Nail Salon Permit (Boston Public Health Commission)

   Every business offering nail services in Boston must hold a valid annual nail salon operation permit from the Boston Public Health Commission's Environmental Health Office, issued under BPHC's Nail Salon Regulation. It covers sanitation, ventilation, and chemical handling. Before you sign a lease, confirm with Inspectional Services that the space's zoning and Certificate of Use and Occupancy allow a nail salon. Then mail the completed application, attachments, and fee to the Environmental Health Office at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Floor, or apply through the My Health Department portal. A mobile nail business needs a separate mobile permit application, and a business with both a fixed location and a mobile operation files both. This is distinct from the state manicurist and salon licenses issued by the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, which you also need.

   Official government source

   $100 for the first four stations, plus $20 for each additional station, paid by check or money order to the Boston Public Health Commission.·No permit is issued until BPHC has the complete application with fee and has inspected the salon against the Nail Salon Regulation. The permit is renewed every year, with an inspection at each renewal plus complaint-driven and random spot inspections.

   $100 for the first four stations, plus $20 for each additional station, paid by check or money order to the Boston Public Health Commission.

   No permit is issued until BPHC has the complete application with fee and has inspected the salon against the Nail Salon Regulation. The permit is renewed every year, with an inspection at each renewal plus complaint-driven and random spot inspections.

Official Sources

• Massachusetts Board of Cosmetology and Barbering
• City of Boston — Business Certificate
• City of Boston — Inspectional Services
• Boston Public Health Commission
• Massachusetts DOR — MassTaxConnect

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