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Renting a booth or a suite in a Minnesota salon? The big question is whether you need your own establishment license or whether you are covered by the salon you rent from. Here is exactly how Minnesota treats it in 2026 — the license question, the fees, the inspection rule, how your rent is taxed, and the steps and postings to get compliant — sourced to the state’s own rules and dated.
Yes, in most independent situations. Minnesota licenses the SALON (establishment); no separate 'booth' or 'chair' rental license class exists. Minn. Stat. 155A.29 subd. 1 bars offering cosmetology services for compensation except by a licensee in a LICENSED salon (verified: 'A person must not offer cosmetology services for compensation unless the services are provided by a licensee in a licensed salon...'). If a booth/suite renter operates their own distinct salon space (a private suite that is their own business), that space must hold its OWN salon establishment license and employ a licensed salon manager. A person renting only a chair/booth WITHIN an existing salon that operates as one salon can be covered by the owner's establishment license. Either way the renter must hold an individual practitioner license. (Minn. Stat. 155A.29; https://mn.gov/boards/cosmetology/salons/initial-salon-license/)
Initial salon license $350 for a 3-year term ($250 license + $100 application fee); salon renewal $225 for 3 years ($175 + $50). Verified against Minn. Stat. 155A.25. Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/155A.25
Yes. A board-issued individual practitioner license is required for the discipline practiced (cosmetologist, esthetician, advanced practice esthetician, nail technician, eyelash technician, or hair technician). Licenses run on a 3-year cycle. Verified fees (Minn. Stat. 155A.25): initial practitioner $195 ($155 license + $40 application), renewal $115 ($100 + $15). A solo suite operator who must serve as the salon's manager needs a manager license (manager/instructor renewal $145 = $130 + $15).
No pre-opening inspection is part of the initial salon application - you submit a completed application, business registration certificates, proof of insurance, and a salon floor plan (mn.gov/boards/cosmetology/salons/initial-salon-license). Licensed salons are then subject to periodic, unannounced BCE inspections after licensure; inspection reports are public via the board's Inspection Report Lookup. Minn. Stat. 155A.25 sets a $150 reinspection fee (verified). Confirm scheduling details with the board.
Minnesota has NO standalone booth/chair/suite-rental license. The establishment license attaches to the salon (defined as 'an area, room, or rooms employed to offer personal services,' Minn. Stat. 155A.23). A renter operating an independent salon suite must obtain their own salon license and employ a licensed salon manager (Minn. Stat. 155A.29 subd. 2 requires 'the employment of a manager, as defined in section 155A.23, subdivision 8'); a renter of a chair within an owner-operated single licensed salon may work under that owner's license. Every practitioner still needs their individual license and must work in a licensed salon (155A.29 subd. 1). The board treats the independent-contractor-vs-employee question as a tax matter and directs renters to IRS/Department of Revenue rules (BCE 'Independent Contractor or Employee?' resource, mn.gov/boards/cosmetology/salons/resourcesandforms).
Generally NOT subject to Minnesota sales tax. Cosmetology/barber/salon/spa SERVICES are not an enumerated taxable service in Minnesota, and booth/suite RENT is a lease of real property, which is not an enumerated taxable service under Minn. Stat. ch. 297A - so booth/suite rent is generally not taxed. Caveat: RETAIL PRODUCT sales (shampoo, tools, etc.) ARE taxable, so a renter who resells products must register with the Department of Revenue and collect sales tax. The Revenue 'Barber Shop, Salon, and Spa Services' guide does not address booth rent by name - confirm any specific rental arrangement with the Minnesota Department of Revenue. (Note: the live Revenue guide was inaccessible during this verification due to an anti-bot redirect; this treatment is consistent with Minn. Stat. ch. 297A and is retained but should be re-confirmed with the Department of Revenue.) Source: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/guide/barber-shop-salon-and-spa-services
Work through these in order — the kit turns them into a checklist you can tick off:
Minnesota licenses the salon as an establishment but has NO separate 'booth rental' or 'chair rental' license class - so an independent renter's obligation turns entirely on whether they operate their own salon space (own establishment license required) or rent a chair inside another owner's single licensed salon (covered by the owner's license). Uniquely, Minnesota also requires every salon to employ a licensed salon 'manager' (Minn. Stat. 155A.29 subd. 2), a role many states don't have, and all licenses run on an unusual 3-year cycle rather than annually. On the money side Minnesota is renter-friendly: cosmetology services are not taxed, and booth rent (a real-property lease) sits outside the sales-tax base - a sharp contrast with states that tax booth rent. The board explicitly defers the independent-contractor-vs-employee call to IRS rules rather than deciding it itself.
Renters often expect a low-cost booth or chair permit. Minnesota doesn't have one. If your suite is your own separate business you need a full salon establishment license ($350, 3-year term, verified in Minn. Stat. 155A.25) - not a booth permit.
Minn. Stat. 155A.29 subd. 2 requires the salon to employ a licensed manager. A solo suite operator typically must hold (or upgrade to) a salon manager license, which carries its own qualification and renewal ($145, verified) beyond the basic practitioner license.
Haircuts and salon services are not taxable in Minnesota, so renters assume nothing is. But reselling retail products (shampoo, tools) IS taxable - selling product without registering with the Department of Revenue for sales tax is a common violation.
Licenses renew every 3 years (not annually), and the salon application is returned if incomplete: it requires business-registration certificates (assumed name / organization), proof of $25,000 per claim / $50,000 per policy year liability insurance (Minn. Stat. 155A.29 subd. 2), and a salon floor plan.
Timeline: Individual licensing is gated by schooling (cosmetology ~1,550 hours) and exams. Once you hold a practitioner license, forming the business and assembling the salon application (assumed name, insurance, floor plan) typically takes 1-3 weeks, and board processing of a complete salon application generally runs a few weeks - roughly 2-6 weeks from complete application to an issued salon license, longer if you must also obtain a manager license or complete initial schooling.
Cost: Salon establishment license $350 initial / $225 renewal (3-year term, verified Minn. Stat. 155A.25). Individual practitioner license $195 initial / $115 renewal (3 years); salon manager renewal $145. A $150 reinspection fee applies if reinspection is required. Add MN Secretary of State business registration (roughly $35-$155) and liability insurance premiums. No Minnesota sales tax on services or on booth/suite rent.
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Build my Minnesota kit →Yes, in most independent situations. Minnesota licenses the SALON (establishment); no separate 'booth' or 'chair' rental license class exists. Minn. Stat. 155A.29 subd. 1 bars offering cosmetology services for compensation except by a licensee in a LICENSED salon (verified: 'A person must not offer cosmetology services for compensation unless the services are provided by a licensee in a licensed salon...'). If a booth/suite renter operates their own distinct salon space (a private suite that is their own business), that space must hold its OWN salon establishment license and employ a licensed salon manager. A person renting only a chair/booth WITHIN an existing salon that operates as one salon can be covered by the owner's establishment license. Either way the renter must hold an individual practitioner license. (Minn. Stat. 155A.29; https://mn.gov/boards/cosmetology/salons/initial-salon-license/)
Initial salon license $350 for a 3-year term ($250 license + $100 application fee); salon renewal $225 for 3 years ($175 + $50). Verified against Minn. Stat. 155A.25. Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/155A.25
Yes. A board-issued individual practitioner license is required for the discipline practiced (cosmetologist, esthetician, advanced practice esthetician, nail technician, eyelash technician, or hair technician). Licenses run on a 3-year cycle. Verified fees (Minn. Stat. 155A.25): initial practitioner $195 ($155 license + $40 application), renewal $115 ($100 + $15). A solo suite operator who must serve as the salon's manager needs a manager license (manager/instructor renewal $145 = $130 + $15).
No pre-opening inspection is part of the initial salon application - you submit a completed application, business registration certificates, proof of insurance, and a salon floor plan (mn.gov/boards/cosmetology/salons/initial-salon-license). Licensed salons are then subject to periodic, unannounced BCE inspections after licensure; inspection reports are public via the board's Inspection Report Lookup. Minn. Stat. 155A.25 sets a $150 reinspection fee (verified). Confirm scheduling details with the board.
Generally NOT subject to Minnesota sales tax. Cosmetology/barber/salon/spa SERVICES are not an enumerated taxable service in Minnesota, and booth/suite RENT is a lease of real property, which is not an enumerated taxable service under Minn. Stat. ch. 297A - so booth/suite rent is generally not taxed. Caveat: RETAIL PRODUCT sales (shampoo, tools, etc.) ARE taxable, so a renter who resells products must register with the Department of Revenue and collect sales tax. The Revenue 'Barber Shop, Salon, and Spa Services' guide does not address booth rent by name - confirm any specific rental arrangement with the Minnesota Department of Revenue. (Note: the live Revenue guide was inaccessible during this verification due to an anti-bot redirect; this treatment is consistent with Minn. Stat. ch. 297A and is retained but should be re-confirmed with the Department of Revenue.) Source: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/guide/barber-shop-salon-and-spa-services
No. SalonBoothLicense gives general information based on each state's published cosmetology/barbering and tax rules, dated to when we last verified them, and is not a guarantee of licensure. Booth/suite rules also depend on local permitting and your written rental agreement. Always confirm with your state board and local authority.
Sources: mn.gov. Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state board and local authority before you open.