Home > Business Insurance > Shops, salons, and offices
What insurance does a hair salon or barbershop need in California?
Published 2026-10-06 by Insurance City Agency, LLC, CA License #6003045. Leer en español
A California shop that cuts, colors, or styles hair for pay needs a license from the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and it needs workers compensation as soon as it has an employee. California Labor Code section 3700 is the compensation duty. General liability, or a business owner's package that includes it, is what the landlord reads on the certificate. A booth-rental contract does not replace either one.
What license does a California barbershop or hair salon need?
According to Business and Professions Code section 7316, barbering and cosmetology are different practices. Barbering includes shaving or trimming the beard and cutting, styling, or shampooing hair. Cosmetology includes those hair services and also skin and nail work described in that section. The Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licenses the person who performs the service and licenses the establishment where it is performed. A city business-tax certificate, where the city requires one, is a separate local filing. It is not the state establishment license.
The Stockton, Fresno, and Sacramento city guides stay useful for the local certificate. The statewide rules are this page. A nail-only shop has its own guide, nail salon insurance, even when a hair salon also offers a manicure.
Do barbers and stylists need workers comp in California?
Yes, once the shop employs anyone, under Labor Code section 3700. A stylist who truly rents a chair, keeps their own clients, and is not the shop's employee is not automatically on the shop's compensation policy. The rental paper does not decide that question by itself. If the shop sets the hours, collects the money, and pays the stylist, treat the person as an employee until the facts say otherwise. The separate guide is booth renter insurance.
According to the WCIRB article on personal appearance services, a shop that cuts or styles hair, and that does not run an exercise floor or a bath facility such as a sauna or soaking tub, is classification 9586, Barber Shops, Hair Styling Salons and Personal Appearance Services. That class also names manicures, facials, and hair removal when they are part of that shop. This page does not reprint a pure premium rate.
What claims does a salon certificate actually answer?
The landlord's exhibit usually asks for liability for bodily injury and property damage to other people, and often to be named on the certificate. A chemical burn, a clipper cut, a client who slips on wet hair at the shampoo bowl, and dye that stains a client's clothing are the claims a shop actually sees. Damage to the shop's own chairs, dryers, and inventory is property coverage, not that liability. Workers compensation pays the employed stylist. It does not pay the client.
A business owner's package, when a carrier offers one for this class, combines that liability with property at the address. It does not include compensation, and it does not follow a stylist's personal car. The package page is business owner's package. The compensation page is workers compensation.
What should a salon owner send with the quote form?
Send the establishment license number, whether the people behind the chairs are employees or booth renters, the services list (cut, color, chemical straightener, wax, nails), the landlord exhibit, and any prior claim. Insurance City Agency, LLC reads that packet. Use the quote form.
Frequently asked questions
What insurance does a hair salon or barbershop need in California?
A licensed establishment needs workers compensation from the first employee under Labor Code section 3700, and liability the landlord can read on a certificate. A booth-rental contract does not replace either policy.
Does a booth renter's policy cover the barbershop?
No. The renter's policy follows that renter. The shop still has its own premises, its own employees, and its own certificate for the landlord.
Which workers comp class applies to a hair salon in California?
According to WCIRB, a barber shop or hair styling salon that does not operate an exercise facility or a bath facility is classification 9586. This page does not reprint a rate.
Sources
- Business and Professions Code section 7316. Barbering and cosmetology defined. Checked October 6, 2026.
- Labor Code section 3700. Compensation from the first employee.
- WCIRB, classifying spa, massage, and personal appearance services. Classification 9586. Phraseology only. No pure premium rate is reprinted.
- Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Establishment and personal licenses.
Related
- Shops, salons, and offices
- Barbershop and salon insurance in Stockton
- Fresno
- Sacramento
- Booth renter insurance
Insurance City Agency, LLC. Reviewed by Santo Militello, California-licensed Property & Casualty agent (CA License #1737723) and owner of Via Rapida Services — CA Insurance License #6003045. Our licensed team brings more than 70 years of combined insurance experience. Phone (209) 670-1556. Insurance City, 956 W Robinhood Dr, Stockton, CA 95207. Last reviewed 2026-10-06.
Send the license and who stands behind the chair
Insurance City Agency, LLC starts from the establishment license and whether anyone is employed. Use the quote form.