How to Start a Nail Salon in Georgia: Nail Technician License, Hours and Salon License

October 29, 2026

To open a nail salon in Georgia, you need two kinds of state licenses before you take a paying client. The location needs a shop license, and every person who does nail work needs an individual nail technician license. The Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers regulates both under its Department 240 rules. Licensing runs through the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Georgia Secretary of State. After the licenses come the standard business steps: forming your entity, getting an EIN, obtaining a local occupation tax certificate, and registering for sales tax if you sell products.

This guide follows that order of importance. The shop and technician licenses come first because the salon cannot lawfully operate without them. The business filings come after.

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, hour requirements and deadlines can change, so confirm every figure with the agency named before you spend money or sign a lease. For complex situations, consult a qualified Georgia attorney or CPA.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items before you file anything:

• A Georgia location, with written confirmation from the city or county that a nail salon is allowed at that address under local zoning
• A business name that includes the word 'Salon' or 'Shop'
• Your Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (corporation), if you form an entity
• An Employer Identification Number (EIN), which you can request once your entity exists
• A certificate showing the owner completed a Board-approved health, safety and sanitation course
• School transcripts or apprenticeship records for every person who will perform nail services
• Money set aside for the Board's processing fee, the Secretary of State filing fee and the local certificate fee, with each amount confirmed on the agency's page
• Internet access for the Secretary of State eCorp portal and the Georgia Tax Center

Step 1: Get the Shop License (Rule 240-12-.01)

Under Board Rule 240-12-.01, the shop must be licensed before it does business. This is the license for the location itself, and it is the first thing to get right. A name, sanitation plan or ownership record that does not comply can hold up everything that follows.

Name the shop correctly

The business name must include the word 'Salon' or 'Shop', and it must not mislead the public about the services offered. A name with only 'Nails' in it does not qualify. 'Bright Hands Nail Salon' works, while 'Bright Hands Nails' does not. Check the name against the Board's rule before you order signs or print cards.

Complete the owner's health, safety and sanitation course

The owner must complete a health, safety and sanitation course approved by the Board. Take it before you apply, and keep the completion certificate with your business records. Confirm with the Board that the course you choose is on its approved list rather than assuming a general safety course will count.

File the application and pay the fee

The application carries a non-refundable processing fee. Older Board rules set that fee at $75, but do not rely on that number. Confirm the current fee and the full list of application documents with the Board before you submit, because the fee is non-refundable.

Display the license and keep it current

Display the shop license, or a current copy of its online verification, within 15 feet of the entrance so customers can see it. Follow the Board's cleansing, disinfection and sanitization rules every day you operate. The Board licenses and regulates shops, and that oversight continues after you open.

Register an ownership change within 30 days

If you buy an existing shop or its ownership otherwise changes, file the application within 30 days of the purchase. Missing that window is one of the easiest ways to end up operating without a valid shop license.

Step 2: Earn the Nail Technician License

Every person who performs nail services needs an individual license, including you if you will work on clients. Georgia offers two routes: school and apprenticeship. The hour requirements differ significantly, so choose the route that fits your schedule and budget.

Route A: Nail care school, 525 hours

• The nail care course must run at least 4 months and total 525 hours.
• The course includes 140 hours of theory and 385 hours of service application.
• The student must complete the 140 theory hours before working on clients.

Route B: Apprenticeship, 1,050 hours

• The Georgia nail technician apprenticeship must run at least 8 months and total 1,050 hours.
• Training takes place in a licensed shop under a licensed master.
• The apprentice must be at least 16 years old.
• The apprentice license lasts four years and is not renewable, so plan to finish within that window.
• Apprentice hours cannot be combined with school hours. Choose one route and track your hours from day one.

The apprenticeship route suits people who want hands-on training in a working shop. Keep a dated log of every hour and have your master sign it.

Pass the written and practical exams

The exam has a written part and a practical part. You must reach at least 70% on each. Check with the Board for current scheduling and any exam fees, since those are not set out here.

Renew with continuing education

Each renewal requires 5 hours of continuing education. Three of those hours must come from a Board-approved health and safety course, and two must come from a topic on the Board's list. The first renewal is exempt, but track your hours from the start so you are not caught short later.

Confirm whether a cosmetology license covers nail work

Some people already hold a full cosmetology license and assume it covers nail services. Whether it does is a scope question defined by the Board's practice act, so do not assume. Confirm the answer with the Board before you hire or advertise nail services. For the full set of licenses a Georgia beauty business may need, see our Georgia cosmetology license guide.

Step 3: Manage Your Staff's Licenses

As the shop owner, you are responsible for making sure every technician works under a current license. Check each person's individual license before they serve a client, keep a copy in your records, and calendar every renewal date. A technician with a lapsed license is practicing without a license, and the owner is responsible for keeping every technician's license current.

Booth renters need their own individual licenses. A booth renter is not automatically your employee, but the Board's shop rules still apply to work performed in your salon. Whether a technician is an employee or an independent contractor depends on the actual working relationship, including who sets schedules and prices and how the work is done. Do not decide based on what the contract calls them. Ask an attorney or CPA to review the arrangement.

Step 4: Form Your Business Entity

Next, form your business entity with the Secretary of State Corporations Division. Most salons form an LLC, and the full filing process is covered in our guide to starting an LLC in Georgia. The essentials:

• Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (corporation) cost $110 total, which is the $100 fee plus a $10 service charge. You can file online or on paper.
• Online filings take about 7 to 10 business days, and paper filings about 15 business days. Expedited review costs $120 for 2 business days, $275 for same-day review if received by noon, or $1,200 for one hour on business days.
• A name can be reserved for 30 days for $35.
• Annual registration costs $60 ($50 plus a $10 service charge) and is due between January 1 and April 1 each year. An LLC files its first annual registration in the year after it forms, and a corporation files its first within 90 days of incorporating. A late filing carries a $25 penalty. Check the Secretary of State for the current window.
• If an entity is administratively dissolved for staying delinquent, reinstatement costs about $260.
• A single-member or partnership LLC generally owes no Georgia franchise tax. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, pay a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000 depending on net worth.

Step 5: Get an EIN

Apply for a federal Employer Identification Number once your entity exists. You will need it for payroll, bank accounts and tax filings. Our guide to getting an EIN in Georgia walks through the application.

Step 6: Register a Trade Name if You Use a Different Name

If your salon name differs from your LLC or corporation name, you need a trade name, also called a DBA. Trade names are filed with the Clerk of Superior Court of the county where the business is chiefly carried on, not with the Secretary of State. The clerk fee runs about $165 to $166 in the counties checked, plus the newspaper charge, because notice must be published in the county legal organ once a week for two weeks. Confirm the total with your county clerk. The Secretary of State business FAQ has background on the process.

Step 7: Get the Local Occupation Tax Certificate

Georgia has no general statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and Department of Revenue sales tax registration is not a business license. The local license is an occupation tax certificate, often called a business license, issued under O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13. The city issues it if your salon is inside city limits. If it is in unincorporated territory, the county issues it. A business inside a city pays the city, not the county. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for many salons the county is the right office.

Each of Georgia's 159 counties and about 537 cities sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. Private employers with more than 10 employees must file an E-Verify affidavit to get the certificate under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6. Read our guides on the Georgia business license and E-Verify requirements for business licenses before you visit the office.

Under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6(c), the local office asks for proof of the state license before it issues the certificate. For a salon, that means your Board licensing needs to be in order first. Ask the city or county about the order of steps, the documents it requires, and whether zoning approval must come before the certificate. Zoning also determines where you can open at all, so confirm it early. The local fee is set by the city or county, so confirm the amount with that office.

Step 8: Register for Sales Tax

If you sell products such as polish, tools or retail care items, register with the Georgia Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center. Registration is free, and Georgia issues no separate resale permit. Our guide to Georgia sales tax covers the details.

The state sales tax rate is 4%. Combined state and local rates run from 6% to 9% depending on county and city, and Atlanta's combined rate is 8.9%. For wholesale purchases, the resale instrument is Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption. Ask the Department of Revenue whether your specific services and products are taxable rather than assuming. If you sell online into Georgia from out of state, collection duties apply at $100,000 of Georgia sales or 200 separate transactions.

Step 9: Plan for Workers' Compensation and Workplace Safety

Workers' compensation coverage is required once you have three or more workers, and that count includes part-time staff. Review the rules in our Georgia workers' compensation guide. Georgia has no state paid sick leave or family leave mandate, so any paid leave you offer comes from your own policy.

Ventilation and chemical handling are general workplace safety topics covered by federal OSHA rules. Build them into your daily routine and staff training, and confirm the specific requirements that apply to your shop directly with OSHA.

Step 10: Plan for Income Tax

A single-member or partnership LLC generally passes its profit through to the owners' personal returns. Georgia uses one flat income tax rate for individuals, and the corporate rate matches it. Check the current rate on the Department of Revenue site rather than relying on an older figure. For how business income is taxed in Georgia, see our Georgia business taxes guide, then ask a CPA how your structure affects your return.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Naming the shop 'Nails' without the word 'Salon' or 'Shop'.
• Opening or taking clients before the shop license is issued.
• Assuming a cosmetology license covers nail services without confirming with the Board.
• Letting a technician work with an expired license.
• Missing the 30-day window to register an ownership change.
• Working on clients before the 140 theory hours are complete.
• Filing a trade name with the Secretary of State instead of the county clerk.
• Assuming the city and county are the same office. Inside city limits, the city issues the certificate.
• Labeling booth renters as contractors, or employees, without reviewing the actual working relationship.
• Letting an LLC lapse on its annual registration, which can lead to administrative dissolution.

Tips for a Smoother Launch

• Call the Board early with your exact service list and ask whether those services fall under the nail technician license or a broader license.
• Keep one compliance folder with your shop license, every technician's license, renewal dates and continuing education certificates.
• Ask the city or county for its checklist before you sign a lease, not after.
• Advisors at the Georgia Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia and the SBA Georgia district can help you check your plan before you file.

What to Expect and How to Word Your Claims

A realistic timeline starts with a school course of at least 4 months or an apprenticeship of at least 8 months. After you finish and pass the exam, you still need Secretary of State processing of 7 to 10 business days for an online entity filing, the Board's processing time for the shop license, and the local certificate timeline set by your city or county. Build a buffer into your target opening date.

Nail products and services fall under the Food and Drug Administration's rules for cosmetics, so your marketing should describe what a product is designed to do rather than what it cures or permanently changes. Hedged wording such as 'may help keep nails looking healthy' or 'is designed to add shine' is safer than claims about treating a condition. Keep every claim consistent with the product label, and have an attorney review any strong claim before you publish it.

Next Steps

Start with the Board questions: the current shop processing fee and application documents, the shop name rule, and whether a cosmetology license covers your planned nail services. Then form your entity and register a trade name if you need one. Keep a dated checklist so every license, renewal and filing is tracked. For official forms, use the Secretary of State Corporations Division and the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Reminder: this is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Consult a qualified attorney or CPA about your specific situation.