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Register a health and beauty business

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All health and beauty businesses must be registered with Council.

Health and beauty businesses include hairdressers, tattoo studios, nail salons and beauty parlours that offer waxing, piercing or electrolysis.

Health and beauty businesses

Health and beauty businesses include:

  • hairdressers (once-off registration for hairdressing premises only)
  • beauty parlours
  • tattooing
  • ear piercing
  • colonic irrigation
  • waxing
  • electrolysis
  • nail treatments
  • laser hair removal
  • any others involving penetration of the skin.

Register your business

To apply to register a health and beauty business, follow the steps below.

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Step 1: Before you apply

Business type

Some businesses do not require registration with the Knox Health Services team (however other permits may be required).

These businesses include:

  • massage
  • saunas
  • floatation tanks
  • gymnasium equipment
  • alternative therapies.

Check the guidelines

Before you set up and apply to register a new health and beauty business, please read the State Government guidelines.

Following these guidelines will help you ensure that your business meets the requirements of the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019.

AHPRA registration

If your health and beauty business is registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), you will not need to register with Council.

If you are unsure, please call the Knox Health Services team on 9298 8000.

Documents needed

You will need to upload these documents in Word doc or PDF format as part of your online application to register a health and beauty business:

Document typeDetails
Floor planA detailed floor plan showing the layout of your premises, and the dimensions of the space and all fixtures
Schedule of finishesA schedule of finishes describing the finishes of all services including the floor, ceiling, benches and cabinetry.

Privacy statement

Before applying, please read the Knox City Council Privacy Statement.

Step 2: Apply to establish a health and beauty business

You can register your health and beauty business online. You must be a registered user to use this service.

Register for online services

Apply to register a health and beauty business

Once your application is submitted:

  • we will review your plans to ensure they comply with the requirements of the regulations
  • we will contact you via email if your application is incomplete or if we require more information
  • we will contact you via email within 10 days if your application has been approved.

Permits and licences

It is your responsibility to apply for a planning permit and/or a building permit before you commence works on your health and beauty business.

For example, you may need a permit if you want to renovate the building.

Step 3: Book a final inspection

Once we have assessed your application, you may begin works (if required).

As the works near completion or you are ready to begin trading, contact our Health Services Department to arrange a final inspection of your premises.

An environmental health officer will inspect your premises to make sure you have met the regulations.

The inspection must take place once:

  • all structural works have been completed
  • tradespeople are no longer required to conduct works on the premises, and
  • the premises is ready to trade.

Step 4: Register your health and beauty business

Once we have conducted a final inspection and you have met the requirements, you will receive an email from us to complete your Application for Registration online.

At this stage you will need to pay the prescribed fees (outlined below).

If your registration application is successful and your fees have been paid, you will receive a Certificate of Registration by email.

Additional legal requirements

Depending on your premises, you may be subject to other legal requirements. You may need advice on things like:

  • the change of use of the building
  • car parking space requirements
  • structural and signage changes
  • public and staff toilet requirements.

Call our City Development Department (Building and Planning) on 9298 8000.

If you need advice on street trading and commercial use of footpaths, call our Community Laws Department on 9298 8000.

Other types of registrations

You are also required to register with Council if you intend to:

  • transfer an existing health and beauty business registration
  • sell an existing health and beauty business
  • renew your health and beauty business registration.

Follow the steps below.

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Transfer registration of your business

If you are planning to buy or sell a health and beauty business, the registration must be transferred.

The transfer is not official until Council has approved the application.

Pre-sale inspection (premises enquiry)

You can request an inspection before a purchase or sale in order to establish the current state of the premises. This is called a "premises enquiry".

You can request either a 4 or 10 business day turnaround for the inspection report.

Apply for a premises enquiry

Renew your registration

We will send you a renewal notice towards the end of the year.

Fees

The fees to register a health and beauty business are listed below.

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Registration fees

Registration fees:

  • are paid on an annual basis from 1 January to 31 December
  • can be applied on a half-yearly pro-rata basis depending on when your application and payment are received
  • are valid until 31 December regardless of when you apply during the year.

No GST is applicable.

CategoryAnnual
registration fee
Hairdressers and beauty therapists (non-skin penetration)$305
Hairdressers, beauty therapists and skin penetration$370
Hairdressers only – one-off registration fee$330

We have recently undertaken a comprehensive review of our costs across all health licenses. This is the first major review in a number of years and may have led to a noticeable change in license fees.

Other fees and charges

In addition to registration fees, the following fees and charges may apply per request.

These legislative fees and charges are valid from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

ServiceFee
(including GST)
Transfer of Public Health and Wellbeing Act registration50 per cent of annual registration (see table above)
Premises enquiry inspection – prior to transfer (4 working day turnaround)$410
Premises enquiry inspection – prior to transfer (10 working day turnaround)$300
Premises enquiry inspection – 2nd and subsequent requests$135
Establishment fee – Public Health and Wellbeing Act$193
Septic tank permit to install or alterVariable. Please email [email protected] for up-to-date pricing
Lodgement fee for new registration application $80
Archived records retrieval fee$40

Penalties for late payments

All registrations lapse on 31 December of each year. It is important to lodge your renewal of registration before this date.

If not, your business will be trading unregistered after 1 January of the following year. It is an offence to trade unregistered and you may:

  • be issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN), and
  • have legal action taken against you.

PIN penalties include:

  • 4 penalty units for individuals and ten penalty units for companies for Public Health and Wellbeing Act breaches.
  • 10 penalty units for all parties breaching the Residential Tenancies (Caravan Parks and Movable Dwellings Registration and Standards) Regulations 2010.

Building and planning permits

Depending on the type of business and the changes you will be making, you may also need to obtain a building and/or planning permit.

It is your responsibility to apply for a planning permit and/or a building permit before you commence works on your health and beauty business.

For example, you may need a permit if you want to renovate the building.

Need help?

Email [email protected] and we will get back to you.

Or call our Health Services team on 9298 8000.

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