How to Start an Esthetician Business in California: 600 Hours, $115 Exam Application, Lash and Brow Rules

If you perform skin care, hair removal, or lash and brow services for pay in California, you need an esthetician license from the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC, barbercosmo.ca.gov). The place where that work happens needs its own establishment license from the same board. The personal license covers you. The establishment license covers the room, suite, or salon where you work. Most people starting out need both before they take their first paying client, and the steps below follow that order.

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm every figure on the official agency page before you file. If your setup involves employees, a shared suite, or a corporate structure, talk to a California business attorney or a CPA.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items before you apply to school or the BBC:

• Government-issued photo ID and proof of age. You must be at least 17.
• Proof that you completed 10th grade or its equivalent, such as a transcript or diploma.
• A certificate of completion from your esthetics school.
• The BBC esthetician exam application and the $115 fee.
• A business name you have checked in the Secretary of State database (bizfile search).
• A plan for your workspace: a booth in someone else's licensed establishment, a suite, or your own licensed location.
• Training supplies, including the disinfection and sanitation products your school teaches you to use. Your school will provide a list.

Step 1: Choose a School and Understand the 600 Hours

California requires at least 600 hours of training for an esthetician license under Business and Professions Code (BPC) 7364. The hours break down this way:

• 100 hours of health and safety
• 100 hours of disinfection and sanitation
• 350 hours of skin care
• 50 hours of hair removal and lash and brow beautification

Senate Bill 803, effective January 1, 2022, reset the hour rules for the whole board. Older guides list different totals, and those figures are out of date. Before you enroll, ask the school to show you its hour breakdown in writing, and confirm that it matches the four categories above.

Step 2: Finish Your Hours and Keep Your Records

Once you complete the program, the school issues your certificate. Keep copies of your transcript, certificate, and attendance records. Treat the health and safety and sanitation sections as the foundation of your practice. They make up 200 of the 600 hours, and the habits they teach apply to every client you see.

Step 3: Pass the Written Exam

File the esthetician exam application with the BBC and pay the $115 fee. The exam is written only. The practical exam has been removed, so you do not need to demonstrate treatments in front of an examiner. Study the health and safety and sanitation material closely, since those topics fill a third of your training hours.

Step 4: Receive and Renew Your License

After you pass, the BBC issues your esthetician license. Renewal is every two years at $50. A late renewal adds a $25 delinquency fee. Put your renewal date on your calendar the day you receive the license, and check the BBC website for current renewal instructions.

Lash and Brow Services Need the Esthetician License

Many people look for a separate lash license, but California does not have one. Since SB 803, tinting and perming eyelashes and brows and applying eyelashes are part of the esthetics course under BPC 7364. A lash business therefore needs the esthetician license. If you want a lash extension license in California, the esthetician license is the credential you need. Lash and brow beautification is one of the four training categories, so your coursework should cover the lash and brow work you plan to offer.

Step 5: Choose Your Work Structure

Decide how you will work before you sign a lease or booth agreement. There are three common setups: employee, booth renter, and owner-operator. Each one determines who sets your schedule, who pays you, and who holds the establishment license.

Employee

If an employer runs the salon or spa and sets your hours, prices, and clients, you are an employee. An employer registers with the Employment Development Department (EDD) once it has employees. State minimum wage is $16.90 in 2026 and $17.40 starting January 1, 2027. Verify the 2027 figure with the state before you rely on it.

Booth Renter

Under Labor Code 2778(b)(2)(L), a licensed esthetician is outside the ABC test when all of the following are true:

• You set your own rates, process your own payments, and are paid directly by clients.
• You set your own hours and have sole discretion over the number of clients you take and which clients you serve.
• You have your own book of business and schedule your own appointments.
• You maintain your own business license for the services you offer.
• When you work at someone else's location, you issue a Form 1099 to the salon or business owner from whom you rent the space.

If those conditions are met, the ABC test does not apply to you. If they are not met, the usual employment rules apply. A booth rental is a legitimate business model, but your rental agreement and daily practice have to match these conditions. Write the agreement to reflect how you actually work, and review it with an attorney before you sign.

Owner-Operator

If you run your own location, you hold the establishment license, manage any staff, and complete the registrations in Steps 7 through 10.

Step 6: Get the Establishment License

An establishment is any premises or part of a building where a licensed activity is practiced (BPC 7346). The establishment application fee is $50, and it is nonrefundable. Renewal costs $40, and a delinquent renewal adds a $20 fee. The space must meet these rules:

• It must be in the charge of a person licensed by the board (BPC 7348).
• It is unlawful to let anyone unlicensed practice there (BPC 7349).
• The practice room cannot be used for residential purposes, and it must have an entrance separate from private quarters (BPC 7350).
• It must have a public toilet room and handwashing facilities (BPC 7351 and 7352).

A spare room inside your home generally does not meet these rules. Before you build out any space, ask the BBC whether your plan qualifies. If you rent a booth, the space owner still needs the establishment license, so ask for the license number before you sign.

Step 7: Register Your Business Entity

Register your business with the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division. File online through bizfile Online. The key figures are:

• Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1): $70. Online filings are normally processed within about 5 business days or less. Paper filings take 10 or more business days. Expedited options are $350 for 24-hour processing, $750 for same-day service if received by 9:30 a.m., and $500 for a 4-hour drop-off that requires preclearance.
• Articles of Incorporation: $100 for a stock corporation.
• Name reservation: $10, lasting 60 days, not renewable for consecutive periods.
• Statement of Information: $20 every two years for an LLC, and $25 every year for a corporation. An LLC files its first statement within 90 days of filing the articles. If an LLC misses the filing after a Secretary of State notice, the Franchise Tax Board assesses a $250 penalty.

An LLC name must include "limited liability company," "L.L.C.," or "LLC," and it cannot contain words such as "bank," "trust," "incorporated," "inc.," "corporation," or "corp." California does not allow a domestic series LLC. An LLC also cannot render a licensed professional service, and professional corporations are used instead. Whether your esthetics practice falls under that rule is a question to settle with an attorney before you choose a structure.

Every LLC organized or registered in California in 2024 through 2026 owes the $800 minimum annual franchise tax from its first year. An LLC whose first taxable year begins in 2027, 2028, or 2029 pays $400 in year one under RTC 17941(g)(2), so confirm the first-year amount with the Franchise Tax Board. An LLC also owes an LLC fee of $900, $2,500, $6,000, or $11,790 once California-source total income reaches $250,000, $500,000, $1,000,000, or $5,000,000, respectively. A newly incorporated or qualified corporation or S corporation owes no $800 in its first taxable year.

You must also keep a registered agent for service of process in California: an individual who resides in the state, or a corporation that holds a Corporations Code 1505 certificate. An LLC must keep an office in California, though it does not need to be a place of business activity.

Step 8: Register With the CDTFA If You Sell Taxable Goods

If you sell taxable goods, such as retail skin care products, register with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). The seller's permit is free, and it is not a business license. The statewide base sales tax rate is 7.25%, and district taxes raise the combined rate in many places, with city rates running from 7.25% to 11.75%. If you buy products for resale, the resale certificate has no required form. Learn more on the CDTFA sales and use tax page.

Step 9: File a Fictitious Business Name Statement

If you operate under a name other than your legal name, file a Fictitious Business Name Statement with the county clerk-recorder in the county of your principal place of business. File within 40 days of starting. The statutory fee is $10 plus $2 for each additional name or owner (Bus. and Prof. Code 17929), but counties charge more. Tehama County, for example, charges $31 plus $5 for each additional name. You must also publish the statement in a newspaper once a week for four weeks, and that publication fee is separate. The statement expires after five years. See the Secretary of State fictitious business names page for details.

Step 10: Check Local Business Tax and Registration

California has no general statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and the CDTFA seller's permit is not a business license. Most cities charge a local business tax or registration certificate. Of 483 cities, 445 report revenue from one, and no common formula applies, so the answer depends on your city. Counties license only regulated activities. Check your city's website or call the city clerk to confirm what applies to you. For practical business advice, the California Small Business Development Center network can point you to local help.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Enrolling in a program without checking its hour breakdown against BPC 7364.
• Relying on older guides that list outdated hour totals.
• Looking for a separate lash license. The esthetician license covers lash work.
• Converting a spare room at home into a treatment room without asking the BBC first.
• Letting an unlicensed person perform services in your establishment (BPC 7349).
• Signing a booth rental agreement that does not reflect the five conditions for the ABC test exemption.
• Choosing an LLC without first checking the professional service rule.
• Missing the 40-day deadline for the fictitious business name statement.
• Missing the Statement of Information deadline. A missed LLC filing can trigger a $250 penalty.
• Letting your esthetician license or establishment license lapse, which adds delinquency fees.

What to Expect From Your Services

Describe your results with hedged language. Cosmetic products and services cannot be marketed as treating a condition or changing the structure or function of the body under FDA rules. Use phrases such as "may help," "is designed to," and "can leave skin feeling smoother." Avoid claims such as "cures acne," "permanently removes hair," or "repairs damaged skin." Set realistic expectations with clients, document your consultations, and explain that results vary from person to person.

The Order of Steps

1. Choose a school and confirm it covers the full 600 hours.
2. Finish your hours and keep your records.
3. Pass the written exam after filing the $115 application.
4. Receive your esthetician license and calendar your renewal.
5. Decide whether you will work as an employee, a booth renter, or an owner-operator.
6. Obtain the establishment license for the space where licensed work happens.
7. Register your business entity with the Secretary of State and complete any required statements.
8. Register with the CDTFA if you sell taxable goods and with the EDD if you have employees.
9. Check local business tax or registration requirements, and file a fictitious business name statement if you need one.

This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Confirm all fees, deadlines, and code sections with the named agency, and consult a qualified California attorney or CPA for your situation.