Home › State guides › Maine
Renting a booth or a suite in a Maine salon? The big question is whether you need your own establishment license or whether you are covered by the salon you rent from. Here is exactly how Maine treats it in 2026 — the license question, the fees, the inspection rule, how your rent is taxed, and the steps and postings to get compliant — sourced to the state’s own rules and dated.
Yes. A booth/chair/suite renter must hold their OWN establishment license — specifically a Level 2 establishment license. Under 32 M.R.S. §14224, a Level 1 establishment licensee is the person who OWNS the establishment; a Level 2 establishment licensee is 'a person who holds a license to practice under this chapter and who leases space or a chair or station, pursuant to a written agreement or contract, within or on the premises of a licensed level 1 establishment.' The Level 2 licensee 'is not an employee of the level 1 establishment licensee' and is 'subject to licensure, fees and compliance with laws and rules in the same manner as the level 1 establishment licensee.' So the renter needs BOTH an individual practitioner license AND a Level 2 establishment license.
$20.00 per year for a Level 2 establishment license (same $20/year as a Level 1). Establishment licenses renew annually on October 31. Per the OPOR fee rule (02-041 C.M.R. ch. 10) both Level 1 and Level 2 establishment licenses are $20/1 year; a separate fee is payable on change of location or change of ownership. Late renewal after expiration incurs a $50 late fee; renewals more than 90 days late require reapplication with the late fee plus an additional $25 penalty. (Source: OPOR fee rule and Establishments page.)
Yes — a Level 2 renter must first hold a Maine practitioner license: Cosmetologist, Barber Hair Stylist, Nail Technologist, or Aesthetician (each $20/year, renewing annually October 31). Trainee licenses ($10) and temporary work permits ($10/6 months) exist, but a trainee or temporary/supervised licensee is expressly INELIGIBLE for a Level 2 establishment license (they must work under supervision).
The program enforces its rules through inspections of licensed establishments, and 32 M.R.S. §14248 authorizes on-site evaluations. A specific mandatory pre-opening inspection before the license issues is not clearly stated in the statute — confirm timing with the Barbering & Cosmetology Program (207-624-8579). Establishments (including Level 2 booths) must meet the ch. 26 sanitation and infection-control standards and are subject to inspection.
Maine codifies booth rental directly as a two-tier license (32 M.R.S. §14224). The salon owner is the Level 1 establishment licensee and may lease space, a chair, or a station within or on the owner's premises to a level 2 establishment licensee. The booth/suite renter is the Level 2 establishment licensee, who must (1) hold a practitioner license, (2) operate under a WRITTEN lease/contract with the Level 1 owner, (3) obtain their own $20/year Level 2 establishment license tied to that location, and (4) is treated as an independent operator, not an employee — fully responsible for their own compliance, sanitation, and inspections in the same manner as the owner. Each license authorizes operation only at the location for which it is issued.
No — booth/chair/station RENT is not subject to Maine sales tax. Maine taxes only specifically enumerated services (rental of living quarters, telecommunications, fabrication, cable/satellite, extended auto service contracts, ancillary and digital services); general services and the lease of commercial space are NOT taxable, and personal beauty services are not taxable either. Renting a booth or suite is a lease of commercial space, which falls outside Maine's enumerated taxable services (Maine Revenue Services Sales & Use Tax FAQ). Caveat: the rental of tangible personal property IS taxable, so verify a bundled arrangement (e.g., renting taxable equipment/supplies alongside the space) with Maine Revenue Services, Sales/Fuel & Special Tax Division (207-624-9693).
Work through these in order — the kit turns them into a checklist you can tick off:
Maine is one of the clearest booth-rental states in the country because the arrangement is written directly into statute as a two-tier license: the salon owner holds a 'Level 1' establishment license and the booth/suite renter holds a 'Level 2' establishment license (32 M.R.S. §14224). That means the renter is NOT covered by the owner's shop license — they must buy their own $20/year Level 2 establishment license tied to that exact address, on top of their individual practitioner license. The statute also requires a written lease and expressly makes the renter an independent operator (not an employee) who carries the same compliance and inspection duties as the owner. Uniquely, the establishment fee is only $20/year and shares the same October 31 renewal date and $20 fee as the individual license, so a Maine booth renter's entire annual state licensing cost is only about $40.
Many renters assume the salon's license is enough. In Maine it is not — a booth/chair/suite renter is a separate Level 2 establishment licensee and must hold their own establishment license at that location, or they are operating an unlicensed establishment.
32 M.R.S. §14224 makes anyone required to work under supervision (trainee or temporary/supervised licensee) ineligible for a Level 2 establishment license. You must be a fully licensed practitioner before going independent.
Level 2 status legally depends on a 'written agreement or contract' for the space, chair, or station. A handshake or verbal chair-rental deal doesn't satisfy the statute and can undermine your independent-contractor standing.
Each Level 2 license authorizes operation only at the location for which it is issued. If you move to a different salon or add a second location, you need a new/updated establishment license (a separate fee applies on change of location).
Timeline: Once you already hold your practitioner license and a signed lease, the Level 2 establishment license is a straightforward OPOR online application; issuance is typically days to a few weeks. The long pole is earning the underlying practitioner license (school hours + third-party exam), which takes months. Both licenses then renew every year by October 31.
Cost: Approx. $40/year in state licensing for an independent booth renter: $20 individual practitioner license + $20 Level 2 establishment license, both annual (02-041 C.M.R. ch. 10). Add third-party exam fees for the initial practitioner license, and a $50 late fee (plus a $25 penalty past 90 days) if you miss the Oct. 31 renewal. Confirm current amounts with OPOR at 207-624-8579.
Going independent takes time, and states revise these rules. Leave your email and we'll write to you when Maine's booth/suite licensing requirements change. Nothing else, ever — and you can unsubscribe from any message.
Pick Maine and get one clear kit: whether you need your own license, the fees, the inspection rule, how your rent is taxed, plus the steps to get compliant and what to display — as interactive checklists that save your progress. Free watermarked preview; clean printable PDF for $29.
Build my Maine kit →Yes. A booth/chair/suite renter must hold their OWN establishment license — specifically a Level 2 establishment license. Under 32 M.R.S. §14224, a Level 1 establishment licensee is the person who OWNS the establishment; a Level 2 establishment licensee is 'a person who holds a license to practice under this chapter and who leases space or a chair or station, pursuant to a written agreement or contract, within or on the premises of a licensed level 1 establishment.' The Level 2 licensee 'is not an employee of the level 1 establishment licensee' and is 'subject to licensure, fees and compliance with laws and rules in the same manner as the level 1 establishment licensee.' So the renter needs BOTH an individual practitioner license AND a Level 2 establishment license.
$20.00 per year for a Level 2 establishment license (same $20/year as a Level 1). Establishment licenses renew annually on October 31. Per the OPOR fee rule (02-041 C.M.R. ch. 10) both Level 1 and Level 2 establishment licenses are $20/1 year; a separate fee is payable on change of location or change of ownership. Late renewal after expiration incurs a $50 late fee; renewals more than 90 days late require reapplication with the late fee plus an additional $25 penalty. (Source: OPOR fee rule and Establishments page.)
Yes — a Level 2 renter must first hold a Maine practitioner license: Cosmetologist, Barber Hair Stylist, Nail Technologist, or Aesthetician (each $20/year, renewing annually October 31). Trainee licenses ($10) and temporary work permits ($10/6 months) exist, but a trainee or temporary/supervised licensee is expressly INELIGIBLE for a Level 2 establishment license (they must work under supervision).
The program enforces its rules through inspections of licensed establishments, and 32 M.R.S. §14248 authorizes on-site evaluations. A specific mandatory pre-opening inspection before the license issues is not clearly stated in the statute — confirm timing with the Barbering & Cosmetology Program (207-624-8579). Establishments (including Level 2 booths) must meet the ch. 26 sanitation and infection-control standards and are subject to inspection.
No — booth/chair/station RENT is not subject to Maine sales tax. Maine taxes only specifically enumerated services (rental of living quarters, telecommunications, fabrication, cable/satellite, extended auto service contracts, ancillary and digital services); general services and the lease of commercial space are NOT taxable, and personal beauty services are not taxable either. Renting a booth or suite is a lease of commercial space, which falls outside Maine's enumerated taxable services (Maine Revenue Services Sales & Use Tax FAQ). Caveat: the rental of tangible personal property IS taxable, so verify a bundled arrangement (e.g., renting taxable equipment/supplies alongside the space) with Maine Revenue Services, Sales/Fuel & Special Tax Division (207-624-9693).
No. SalonBoothLicense gives general information based on each state's published cosmetology/barbering and tax rules, dated to when we last verified them, and is not a guarantee of licensure. Booth/suite rules also depend on local permitting and your written rental agreement. Always confirm with your state board and local authority.
Sources: www.maine.gov. Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state board and local authority before you open.