Opening a nail salon in Florida: the salon license
What Florida Board of Cosmetology (DBPR) publishes about licensing the salon itself, checked on September 7, 2026.
- Before opening
- A Florida cosmetology salon license (form COSMO 6) must be issued and available for posting before a salon can open for business. A change of location, name or ownership voids the previous license and needs a new application.
- Source: Florida DBPR - Cosmetology salon license checklist (COSMO 6) · Checked September 7, 2026
- Inspection
- All salons are inspected after the license has been issued, except flea market salons, which must be inspected before a license can be issued. Safety and sanitary standards are in Rule 61G5-20.002, Florida Administrative Code.
- Source: Florida DBPR - Cosmetology salon license checklist (COSMO 6) · Checked September 7, 2026
- Fee and how to apply
- No exam is required for a salon license. The Board's page does not print the amount: the fee is stated in the COSMO 6 application itself. Online applications pay by card or electronic check; mailed applications enclose a check payable to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
- Source: Florida DBPR - Cosmetology salon license checklist (COSMO 6) · Checked September 7, 2026
- When the inspector comes
- The Board's FAQ answers this plainly: you can open the salon as soon as your license is issued, and you do not wait to be inspected. After the license is issued an inspector will visit the salon unannounced for the initial inspection, within approximately 90 days.
- Source: Florida Board of Cosmetology - Frequently Asked Questions · Checked September 21, 2026
- Running the salon out of your home
- Yes. The conditions: the salon facilities must be separated from the living quarters by a permanent wall; there must be a separate entrance to the salon, not one that goes through the living quarters; and the toilet and lavatory must be separate from the ones the household uses. Beyond that, a home salon must meet all the other salon requirements, and it still needs its own salon application and application fee.
- Source: Florida Board of Cosmetology - Frequently Asked Questions · Checked September 21, 2026
- MMA is banned
- Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a poisonous and harmful ingredient sometimes used in artificial nail products. Florida banned its use in cosmetology salons in 2004. A salon using it can be reported to the Division of Regulation on 1.850.488.6603, or by filing a complaint online on the Department's site.
- Source: Florida Board of Cosmetology - Frequently Asked Questions · Checked September 21, 2026
Every line carries its own check date, because a page is only as trustworthy as its oldest line.
The oldest line on this page was checked September 7, 2026