Opening a nail salon in Oklahoma: the salon license

Fees and term

The Board's page lists, under the heading Two Year License Renewal Effective November 1, 2025: Initial Establishment $120, Establishment Renewal $90. Note that application form 501, revised October 2024, still prints $65 for a Nail Establishment, the figure from before the move to a two-year cycle. The Board's page is the newer source, but call before mailing a check.

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Home page · Checked September 7, 2026

Which form

An individual owner files form 501 (Establishment License Application, Individual Owner). A corporation or LLC files form 510. Changes to an existing establishment go on form 571 (Establishment Change Order Request).

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Forms · Checked September 7, 2026

Apply before you open

Form 501 asks for the date you will open or take over the establishment, and states that a $10 penalty is added to the license fee if the application is made after that date. Only a cashier's check or money order payable to OSBCB is accepted, no personal checks. The Board may require further documentation on review.

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Form 501, establishment license application for an individual owner (PDF) · Checked September 7, 2026

Inspection

Rule 175:10-5-1: the Board issues an establishment license on receipt of the application, the fee and a notarized affidavit from the applicant stating that the establishment meets every license requirement. The initial inspection comes AFTER that, to confirm it. If the establishment fails that first inspection it may be required to close and stop providing services to the public until it is in compliance. A change of ownership makes it a new establishment, which must go through the initial license requirements again. A change of location or of name needs an affidavit and a $5 reprint fee, within 10 days of the change.

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Rule book, effective December 1, 2025 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

What the premises must have

Rule 175:10-5-2 sets the minimum: at least one shampoo basin and shampoo chair, and at all times at least one dry and one wet sanitizer for disinfecting implements after each use. The Board's sanitation and disinfection rules, which it supplies to each establishment, must be posted in the establishment. Rule 175:10-7-4 adds that carpet is prohibited in work areas, and that covered trash containers are required: one for every two chairs, one for each nail station, one between every two pedicure chairs, and one in each restroom.

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Rule book, effective December 1, 2025 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

A salon inside a home or another business

Rule 175:10-7-1: an establishment may not operate inside a residence, a beauty or barber supply house or another business unless the rooms where services are provided are separate and apart from it. The establishment area must have a separate entrance and must be identified with signage, so that the Board and consumers can tell which area is under inspection. That area must be divided off by a solid divider, partition, wall, display counter or shelves measuring at least six feet from the floor to the top. All doors and windows between the living quarters and the establishment must be kept closed during business hours.

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Rule book, effective December 1, 2025 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

Chemicals and ventilation

Rule 175:10-7-3: every room must have ventilation good enough to quickly rid the immediate premises of fumes from products such as artificial nail products and bleach, to the city and state codes. Chemicals must stay in their original containers, stored in overhead or locked cabinets, never in areas used by customers such as bathrooms, and may only be mixed and applied as the manufacturer's label instructs, patch test included. Rule 175:10-7-14 prohibits methyl methacrylate (MMA) outright, and requires at least two sets of manicuring implements for each practicing manicurist, so that one disinfected set is always ready for the next client.

Source: Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering - Rule book, effective December 1, 2025 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

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The oldest line on this page was checked September 7, 2026