1.3 Salon Licensure, Operations & Physical Space Standards

Salon Licensure, Operations & Physical Space Standards

An individual license lets a nail technician practice; it does not license the place where services happen. Under Minn. Stat. § 155A.29, subd. 1, cosmetology services may be offered for compensation only when a licensee provides them in a licensed salon, or as the law otherwise allows. The state exam's Practice Requirements domain (45%) leans heavily on the salon rules below.

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1. Getting and Keeping a Salon License

A salon is an indoor area, room, or rooms used to offer cosmetology services; it does not include a customer's home (§ 155A.23, subd. 9, as amended in 2026). A salon license is required for each physical location, and a licensed salon may not share physical space with another licensed salon except restrooms or sit inside another salon's perimeter (Minn. R. 2105.0310, subp. 1).

Application Contents (Minn. R. 2105.0310, subp. 2)

• Salon name, legal names of owners, address, phone, and email; notarized signatures of owners or controlling officers
• Certificate of Assumed Name (if the salon uses a name other than the owner's legal name) and Certificate of Organization (except sole proprietorships and general partnerships)
• Social Security number (sole proprietor) or state tax ID
• Certificate of professional liability insurance: at least $25,000 per claim and $50,000 per policy year for each practitioner (§ 155A.29, subd. 2)
• Certificate of workers' compensation insurance, unless the salon is not required to carry it
• A statement attesting that the salon complies with building codes, the State Fire Code, and applicable OSHA requirements
• A legible floor plan drawn to scale showing entrances, exits, and the required areas and equipment
• The name, license number, and notarized signature of the DLSM

Fees (§ 155A.25): $350 initial salon license ($250 + $100 application fee), $225 renewal ($175 + $50), $300 expedited initial salon license, and a $50 late renewal fee. Salon licenses run three years and expire on the last day of the month of initial licensure in the year due (Minn. R. 2105.0330). A salon whose renewal has not issued by the expiration date must stop operating until licensed. If the complete renewal is not received within six months of expiration, the salon must apply as a new salon.

Changes That Require a New License (Minn. R. 2105.0322)

A salon must never let an unlicensed person perform board-regulated services, paid or unpaid, and must keep proof of current professional liability coverage on the premises for the salon and every licensee, including practitioners who lease space (Minn. R. 2105.0322, subps. 2 and 4).

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2. Physical Requirements (Minn. R. 2105.0360)

Local mechanical or building codes may require more, such as exhaust at nail stations, so a salon must meet whichever standard is stricter. On the state exam, the Board's own rule is the HVAC fan requirement above.

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3. Operational Requirements (Minn. R. 2105.0370)

• A readily accessible first aid kit meeting ANSI Z308.1-2015 or the current version of that standard.
• Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): paper or electronic safety data sheets for every product containing hazardous chemicals, available to all personnel at all times; and, at least once every 12 months, training for all licensees on the health effects of those products and the protective measures the salon uses, including best work practices, spill cleanup, emergency procedures, and PPE.
• The active salon license showing the current DLSM posted facing the public at the reception area or at each customer entrance.
• Every licensee meets the license-display rule and carries a valid picture state ID to show board staff on request.
• Inspection results posted as required by Minn. R. 2105.0115.

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4. Special Salon Types

Salons in Private Residences (§ 155A.29, subd. 3a; Minn. R. 2105.0393)

┌──────────────────────────────┐ ║ ┌──────────────────────────────┐
│  LICENSED SALON SPACE        │ ║ │  LIVING QUARTERS             │
│  • never used for living     │ ║ │  • no services performed     │
│  • all services happen here  │ ║ │  • bathroom may be shared if │
│  • no laundry tub used as a  │ ║ │    medications and hazardous │
│    shampoo bowl              │ ║ │    products are locked away  │
└──────────────────────────────┘ ║ └──────────────────────────────┘
      permanent solid floor-to-ceiling partition; any door kept CLOSED at all times

• The salon may not be in a room used for residential purposes, and the salon space may never be used for living.
• A permanent, solid partition from floor to ceiling separates it from the residence, and any door between them stays closed at all times.
• If the salon space has no restroom, licensees and customers may use the residential bathroom, with medications and hazardous substances kept in locked cupboards. The rule does not require a separate client entrance.
• If the owner or DLSM is home when an inspector arrives, the inspector must be admitted even if the salon is closed.

Suite-Style Salons (Minn. R. 2105.0397)

Either one salon license covers every suite on the premises (the license holder and DLSM then answer for all suites), or each suite holds its own salon license. The salon needs a designated handwashing sink and disinfecting area. The salon license is posted at the reception area and each customer entrance as a purchased duplicate, never a photocopy. Practitioner licenses are posted at the station or inside the suite, and safety data sheets are kept in the suite or a central location.

Mobile Salons (§ 155A.29, subd. 2a; Minn. R. 2105.0395)

• The license covers one specific vehicle or towed structure and does not transfer to another. All services happen inside it.
• A permanent business address, and the Board is told locations and schedules; itineraries are reported on request.
• Potable water tanks with gauges, and a wastewater tank 15% larger than the supply tank. The salon may not operate when potable water is at 10% or less or a waste tank is at 90% or more.
• A working restroom with a hand sink and a chemical or composting toilet. Carpet is allowed only in the driving area.
• Carbon monoxide, smoke, and combustible gas alarms; services only while parked with the engine off, leveled, and at least two wheel chocks in place.

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Inspection Scenario

Scenario: Chloe's licensed home salon, first licensed in 2024, gets an unannounced inspection. The inspector finds: (1) a fabric curtain between the salon and the laundry room; (2) new carpet under the manicure table; (3) the pedicure tub plugged into a power strip that is plugged into an extension cord; (4) no exhaust system, with the HVAC thermostat fan set to "auto"; and (5) the laundry tub being used as the salon's only sink.

Outcome: Each is a rule violation. The curtain must become a permanent floor-to-ceiling partition (2105.0393). Carpet is not allowed in a work area of a salon licensed after 2016 (2105.0360, subp. 4). A power strip may not feed from an extension cord (subp. 5). Without exhaust, the fan must be switched to "on" all business day (subp. 7). The salon also needs a proper designated sink (subp. 6). Chloe must act immediately, bring the salon into compliance within 10 business days, and report corrections if an order to comply was issued (Minn. R. 2105.0115, subp. 2).