2.1 Establishment Licenses & Physical Facility Requirements

Quick Answer: A Kansas salon offering nail services needs its own establishment license. To get one, you file the Board's establishment application, pay the $60 new-salon fee, and pass an in-person compliance inspection. Once you pass, you may open right away. Facilities must be well lit and well ventilated and clean, with hot and cold running water and at least one restroom. Nail salons also need a hand-washing sink separate from the restroom. Home salons need a separate outside entrance and a solid partition from the living quarters, though the restroom may be inside the home. Mobile units have their own water, sink and toilet rules.

Why the Establishment Needs Its Own License

Two parts of K.S.A. 65-1902(a) work together:

• (10) No person may own or operate a school, salon or clinic where cosmetology, esthetics, nail technology or electrology is taught or practised without a valid Board-issued school, salon or clinic license.
• (11) No person may practise in a school, salon or clinic unless the owner or operator holds that license.

The owner is also liable under K.S.A. 65-1909(a)(1) for employing, or allowing, anyone to perform licensed services without a valid license. The Board's fine schedule charges the owner $500 per unlicensed individual for a first offense and $1,000 for consecutive later offenses.

Applying for an Establishment License

The Board's Cosmetology Profession Establishment License Application (revised 01/06/2025) covers a new salon, a complete change of ownership and a change of location.

1. One application per license type. A salon offering both esthetics and nail technology files a separate application for each.
2. Fee: $60 for a new salon or clinic (K.A.R. 69-11-1).
3. Compliance inspection: an inspector contacts the person named on the application to set an appointment. If the appointment is missed, or canceled with less than 24 hours' notice, the application is denied and you must reapply.
4. Set up before the inspection: the salon must be fully set up and working. If it fails, the application is denied and you reapply.
5. After passing: you may open immediately, and the license arrives within about 2 weeks. The Board says to allow about 3 weeks overall for processing and inspection.

Statute backs this up. Under K.S.A. 65-1904a(a), the Board inspects the equipment and premises and issues the license only if they comply with the Board's rules and the KDHE sanitation standards. The renewal exam asks the same point: after a new-establishment application, the Board inspects before services may begin.

Existing license at the address: if another owner's salon license is still active at your location, you need one of three things. The prior owner returns it marked "closed," or the prior owner signs your application authorizing operation, or the building owner signs that the prior owner has vacated. You may operate before your own inspection only if the prior owner has signed.

Keeping the License Valid

Physical Facility Standards (K.A.R. 28-24-13)

Every owner of a school, establishment or mobile establishment must meet these requirements:

• (a) Light and air. The premises must be well lit and well ventilated, by natural or mechanical methods that remove fumes, vapor or dust. Floors, walls, ceilings, furniture and fixtures must be clean and in good repair. The Board's FAQ says that in a well-ventilated salon, air moves freely with no build-up of fumes, vapor or dust. An owner may need more ventilation depending on the salon's size and services.
• (b) Residential rooms. If a room used as a residence adjoins the licensed area, a solid partition must separate them. The partition may contain a door that stays closed except for entering and leaving.
• (c) Other businesses. If an unlicensed business shares or adjoins the space and the Board finds a health risk, the owner must add a solid partition, a separate outside entrance or both. The establishment application requires a solid partition whenever a salon shares a room, suite or space with another business, such as a medical office, body art or tanning.
• (d) Water. Plumbing must supply hot and cold running potable water at all times and dispose of used water.
• (e) Restrooms. Each establishment needs at least one restroom in the same building, and a school needs two. Each restroom needs a working toilet and a hand-washing sink with hot and cold water, a liquid soap dispenser, and disposable towels or an air dryer. It must be kept sanitary. A restroom sink may not be used for services or for cleaning instruments.
• (f)(2) Service sink. An establishment that provides nail technology, esthetics or electrology must have a hand-washing sink with hot and cold running water separate from the restroom. The Board's checklist adds that the sink must be inside the licensed premises.

Home Salons

K.S.A. 65-1904a(b) lets a licensee practise in their own home if the home meets the Board and KDHE rules. The establishment application sets these conditions:

• a separate, outside entrance for the salon;
• a solid partition between the salon and the living quarters, with any door kept closed during business hours;
• the restroom may be located in the living quarters;
• the salon's required sink must be in the licensed area.

The general rules also apply. No animals are allowed except assistance dogs, there is no smoking or food preparation in the service area, and waste receptacles must be covered (section 2.3).

Mobile Establishments

A mobile establishment is a self-contained, enclosed mobile unit licensed for cosmetology, nail technology, esthetics or electrology (K.A.R. 28-24-1(k)). Mobile units offering these services for pay need a mobile establishment license. Under K.A.R. 28-24-13(g):

1. All equipment must be securely anchored.
2. No services while the unit is in motion.
3. The unit must have a hand-washing sink with hot and cold running water.
4. It needs a self-contained potable water supply with a tank of at least 20 gallons, and holding tanks of at least the same capacity.
5. It needs one or more self-contained, recirculating, flush chemical toilets with a holding tank.

Practical Details Inspectors Check

• Rolling carts are allowed. The cart and everything in it (linens, instruments, single-use items and products) must meet the sanitation rules, and inspectors must be able to access it (Board FAQ).
• Laundry: linens must be washed in a washing machine with detergent and hot water and dried completely. The washing machine does not have to be in the establishment (Board FAQ).
• Disinfectant supplies: the EPA-registered disinfectant or bleach, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and the manufacturer-labeled container must be on hand (Chapter 4).