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How to Start a Lash Studio in Illinois: Licenses, Costs & Requirements

Illinois answers the lash question inside the statute itself. There is no lash license to apply for, because the legal definition of esthetics expressly includes applying eyelashes, which puts lash work squarely inside the esthetician license, with cosmetology covering it too. The studio plan is therefore an esthetics plan: licensed artists, a registered salon, and a hard stop where brow work turns into body art.

Researched from Illinois state sources. Our guides are free. We may earn a commission when you use a partner service, at no additional cost to you.

The regulator: the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

An Illinois lash studio answers to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, through its Division of Professional Regulation, under the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act of 1985 (225 ILCS 410) and the rules at Title 68, Part 1175 of the Illinois Administrative Code. The Act has no lash article and the Department issues no lash credential. What it has is a definition: Section 3A-1 defines the practice of esthetics to include applying make-up or eyelashes to any person, alongside cleansing, massaging and treating the skin. That one phrase is the whole licensing answer for lash extensions, lash lifts and lash tinting in Illinois: the work belongs to licensed estheticians, and to cosmetologists, whose scope reaches the same services.

The boundary in the other direction is just as explicit. The Department's statement on prohibited practices lists services that fall outside cosmetology and esthetics altogether, including microblading and microneedling, which it treats as the practice of medicine or, for microblading, as body art under the Department of Public Health. A lash studio that grows into brows crosses a regulatory border, not a menu line, and the Illinois microblading guide covers that separate registration. Inside the lash studio itself, the structure is the standard Illinois one: artists hold esthetician or cosmetologist licenses, and the premises hold a salon registration as an esthetics salon.

Illinois lash studio requirements at a glance

Practitioner licenses: no lash license, two ways in

The esthetician license is the direct route and the one most lash artists take. Section 3A-2 of the Act qualifies an applicant who is at least 16 years old and has completed 750 hours of esthetics training at a licensed school, over not less than 18 weeks and not more than 4 consecutive years. The license fee is the standard $30 under the Act's fee schedule, and the state examination fee is $175, offered in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese since October 1, 2026. Esthetician licenses expire September 30 of odd numbered years, renewal costs $50 for the two year cycle, and renewal carries 10 hours of continuing education, one hour of sexual harassment prevention training plus nine subject hours. Artists licensed in another state apply by endorsement for $45.

The cosmetology license is the wide route: 1,500 hours, a $200 examination fee, and a scope that adds the full hair menu to the same lash and skin services. It suits an artist who wants to work a combined hair and lash floor, or an owner hiring for flexibility. What neither route allows is the shortcut the lash industry sells hardest: a weekend certification course. Private lash training is valuable skill building, and studios should absolutely train on product and technique, but in Illinois the certificate confers no legal authority. An artist with a framed course certificate and no esthetician or cosmetologist license cannot lawfully apply lashes for pay, and a studio that books one anyway carries the violation. Build the roster from the license lookup, not the training wall: the esthetician scope also covers facials and waxing, which is what turns a single service lash bar into a studio with a second revenue line.

The establishment credential: the salon registration

The premises credential is the certificate of registration under Subpart M of the Part 1175 rules, held as an esthetics salon. Illinois makes it unlawful to own or operate an esthetics salon without one, and a dedicated lash studio is an esthetics salon in the Department's eyes whatever the signage says. The fee is $40 for the location, and one registration covers the address, so a lash studio inside a larger salon operates under that salon's registration while a standalone studio holds its own.

All certificates of registration expire November 30 of even numbered years, renewal is $40 for the two year cycle, calculated at $20 a year, and the renewal window opens in the two months before the date. The artist licenses inside run on the odd year clock instead, expiring September 30 of odd numbered years, so a lash studio alternates: practitioner renewals one autumn, premises renewal the next. A change of name or address costs $20, a reprinted certificate $20, and a lapsed registration restores for $40 with the business's federal employer identification number and any assumed name certificate in the filing. The registration holder answers for the premises, including the sanitation of lash rooms and the licenses of every artist working under the roof.

Forming your LLC: the $150 filing and the $75 annual report

Most Illinois lash studio owners form a limited liability company, and Illinois makes formation cheap and the yearly upkeep unforgiving. Articles of Organization, Form LLC-5.5, are filed with the Secretary of State's Department of Business Services for $150, with standard processing running about ten business days; 24 hour expedited service brings the total to $250. The LLC needs a registered agent with an Illinois street address, and Illinois requires no newspaper publication to form, so the $150 is the whole state formation bill.

The follow-on duty is the annual report. Every LLC files one with the Secretary of State for $75, due before the first day of the anniversary month of formation. File more than 60 days late and a $100 penalty attaches; leave it unfiled long enough and the Secretary of State administratively dissolves the LLC, a serious problem for an entity holding a lease, a salon registration and a booking platform account. Adopt a written operating agreement even though it is never filed; lash studios are often two artist partnerships, and the agreement is what decides who owns the client book if the partnership splits.

Trading under a name: the assumed name split

A lash studio rarely trades under its legal entity name, and Illinois splits the assumed name filing by structure. Sole proprietors and general partnerships, and professional corporations, register an assumed business name with the county clerk in the county where the studio operates, under the Assumed Business Name Act (805 ILCS 405). Corporations and LLCs skip the county and register with the Secretary of State, an LLC by adopting an assumed name on Form LLC-1.20. Filing at the wrong office leaves the name unregistered.

The county route carries a step the state route does not: newspaper publication. In Cook County the registration fee is $50, the application is signed and notarized, and the owner must publish the legal notice in a local newspaper once a week for three consecutive weeks, starting within 15 calendar days of registration. Proof of publication, a notarized certificate with the original newspaper clipping, is due back to the Clerk within 50 days, and missing that deadline voids the registration. The Secretary of State route has no publication step, and its fee is prorated on a five year cycle, $150 in a year ending in 0 or 5 down to $30 in a year ending in 4 or 9, so an LLC adopting an assumed name in 2026 pays $120.

Getting your EIN

Your Employer Identification Number is the one free, fast step in an Illinois opening. Apply on the IRS website and the number issues immediately; every LLC and corporation needs one for banking and payroll, and a sole proprietor needs one once they have employees. Illinois paperwork keys off it: the MyTax Illinois business registration, the unemployment insurance account, and a salon registration restoration all run under the EIN. Get it after the entity exists and before the first state application.

Sales tax: services are not taxed, retail is, and the entity has its own tax

Illinois taxes the shelf, not the lash bed. The Retailers' Occupation Tax falls on retail sales of tangible personal property, and a lash service is not a retail sale of property, so the service ticket carries no sales tax anywhere in the state. The retail side of a lash studio is real money, though: aftercare serums, cleansers and lash care kits sold for home use are taxable retail, and inventory bought for resale is purchased without tax so the tax lands once, on the sale to the client. Adhesive and lashes consumed in the service sit in the Service Occupation Tax zone, where tax can apply to the cost of goods transferred as part of a service, and the Department of Revenue's ST-1 instructions work through the line.

The rate is built by address. The state base is 6.25 percent, and local taxes stack on top: county and municipal shares, home rule taxes, and transit taxes in the Chicago region, which together push the combined rate in Chicago above 10 percent. The Department's Tax Rate Finder in MyTax Illinois gives the rate for the studio's exact address. Register before the first retail sale on Form REG-1 through MyTax Illinois, which covers both the sales tax account and employer withholding, and report on Form ST-1. The entity layer adds the Personal Property Replacement Tax: an LLC taxed as a partnership pays 1.5 percent of net income under the Illinois Income Tax Act, on top of the members' flat 4.95 percent individual income tax.

Room rent in Illinois: the classification test decides

Lash studios love the room rental model, and Illinois law works against it. There is no room rental license and no registration category for a rented lash room. Section 212 of the Unemployment Insurance Act (820 ILCS 405/212) treats a worker as an independent contractor only when the worker is free from the studio's control, the service is outside the usual course of the studio's business or outside all of its places of business, and the worker runs an independently established trade. A lash artist renting a room inside your studio does your studio's usual work on your studio's premises, which fails the second condition however the rental agreement is drafted, and the Department of Employment Security applies the test in audits.

The registration layer points the same way: every set of lashes in the building is applied under your salon's certificate of registration, and the registration holder answers for the premises. An artist who wants a genuinely independent practice needs premises registered in their own right, which is the structure the Illinois salon suite guide works through, and a common landing spot for senior lash artists. Inside a conventional studio, the defensible model is employment, with commission or hourly structures replacing the rent check.

Hiring staff: withholding, unemployment, and wages

The first hire triggers the employer stack. Register with the Department of Employment Security within 30 days of starting business as an employer; liability for unemployment insurance generally begins once you pay $1,500 in wages in a calendar quarter or employ someone during 20 weeks of a year. For 2026, contributions apply to the first $14,250 of each employee's wages, and a new employer pays 3.35 percent until it earns its own experience rate, which for 2026 ranges from 0.75 percent to 7.05 percent including the fund building rate. Reports run quarterly on Form UI-3/40 through MyTax Illinois, due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. Employers withhold Illinois income tax at a flat 4.95 percent and report on Form IL-941, report every new hire to the Illinois New Hire Directory within 20 days, and carry workers' compensation coverage.

The wage floor is $15.00 an hour statewide for workers 18 and older, with a tipped cash wage of $9.00 where tips bring the total to the full rate, and overtime at one and one half times the regular rate after 40 hours. Lash artists on commission still sit under the minimum wage and overtime rules for their hours worked, which matters in a business built on long appointments and evening books. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act adds 40 hours of paid leave a year for any reason, earned at one hour per 40 hours worked. Chicago raises both bars, covered next.

The local layer: Chicago, Cook County, and everywhere else

The state registers the studio; Chicago licenses it again. Every Chicago business takes a city license from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, and beauty premises like lash studios operate under a Limited Business License even though their artists hold state licenses; the city's general exemption for state licensed professionals does not cover these premises businesses. The Limited Business License currently costs $500 for a two year term. Lash studios often choose small second floor and mixed use spaces, which makes the zoning check before signing worth real attention: the Department's licensing materials flag some beauty businesses as special uses in some districts.

Chicago labor law is the bigger local cost. The city minimum wage is $17.05 an hour for employers with four or more employees, with a tipped cash wage of $12.96, effective July 1, 2026 and adjusted every July 1 by inflation or 2.5 percent, whichever is lower. Chicago's leave ordinance adds up to five days of paid leave and five days of paid sick and safe leave, accruing at one hour per 35 hours worked, on top of the state act. Suburban Cook County sets $15.40 an hour and a $9.25 tipped wage in municipalities that have not opted out. The rest of Illinois runs on the state floor of $15.00, with zoning and any general municipal business license as the local layer.

Insurance and recurring costs

Neither the Act nor the Part 1175 rules conditions a salon registration on a bond or an insurance filing. Insurance enters through the lease and through the service itself: landlords require general liability coverage with the landlord named as an additional insured, and lash work, performed millimeters from the eye with chemical adhesives, is exactly the kind of service professional liability coverage exists for. Property coverage protects the beds, lamps and retail stock, and employers must carry workers' compensation coverage as a legal duty.

Recurring state costs are biennial and light: artist renewals at $50 each with 10 hours of continuing education for estheticians or 14 for cosmetologists, the salon registration at $40 every two years, the $75 LLC annual report, and quarterly filings. The calendar alternates by design: practitioner licenses in odd years, the premises registration in even years.

Your Illinois renewal calendar

• Every 2 years, expiring September 30 of odd numbered years: esthetician licenses renew at $50 each with 10 hours of continuing education; cosmetologist licenses renew the same day at $50 with 14 hours
• Every 2 years, expiring November 30 of even numbered years: the salon registration renews at $40; renewal opens in the two preceding months
• Every year, before the first day of the formation anniversary month: LLC annual report, $75
• Every quarter, due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31: unemployment contributions and wage reports on Form UI-3/40 through MyTax Illinois
• Every quarter: employer withholding reported on Form IL-941 at the flat 4.95 percent rate
• Within 20 days of each hire: new hire report to the Illinois New Hire Directory
• On the Department of Revenue's schedule in MyTax Illinois: sales tax returns on Form ST-1 covering retail product sales
• Every July 1: Chicago and Cook County minimum wage adjustments take effect; the state wage is reviewed each January
• On any move: update the salon registration for the new address, a $20 change fee, before operating there

Official Illinois sources for this guide

• Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Cosmetology: esthetician and cosmetologist licensing, examination fees, and salon registration
• Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and Department of Public Health, medspa memo: the prohibited practices list, including microblading and microneedling
• Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, license renewal information: restoration fees and steps for lapsed licenses
• Cook County Clerk, assumed business name registration: the $50 fee, publication, and the 50 day proof deadline
• Department of Revenue, ST-1 instructions: the 6.25 percent state rate, local tax layers, and the Tax Rate Finder
• Department of Employment Security, 2026 contribution rates: the $14,250 wage base and the 3.35 percent new employer rate
• Department of Labor, Minimum Wage Law: the $15.00 wage, the $9.00 tipped cash wage, and overtime
• City of Chicago, minimum wage: the $17.05 city wage and the $12.96 tipped wage
• Cook County, Minimum Wage Ordinance and regulations: the $15.40 county wage and the $9.25 tipped wage

This guide is general information researched from official Illinois sources, not legal or tax advice. Requirements, fees and forms change; verify the current rules with the agencies linked above before you file, sign or spend.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an eyelash extension license in Illinois?

No. Illinois has no separate lash license or lash certificate. The esthetics definition in the Act expressly includes applying make-up or eyelashes to any person, so eyelash services sit inside the esthetician license, and the cosmetology license covers them as well. A private lash course certificate alone does not authorize lash work in Illinois.

Which license should an Illinois lash artist get?

The esthetician license is the direct route: 750 hours of esthetics training, a $175 examination fee and a $30 license fee, renewing at $50 every two years. The cosmetology license, at 1,500 hours, also covers lashes and adds hair services, which suits artists who want a wider menu. Either license authorizes the work; an unlicensed artist may not do it for pay.

Does a lash studio need a salon registration in Illinois?

Yes. A lash studio is an esthetics salon for registration purposes and holds the certificate of registration from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation: $40 to open, $40 to renew every two years, expiring November 30 of even numbered years. The registration covers the location; each artist holds a personal license.

Can an Illinois lash studio also offer microblading?

Not under the esthetician or cosmetologist license. Microblading is body art regulated by the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation lists it among the practices its licensees may not perform. Offering it requires a body art establishment registration for the location and space kept separate from lash and skin services.

Can lash artists rent rooms in my Illinois studio?

Illinois has no room rental license, and Section 212 of the Unemployment Insurance Act treats an artist who works in your studio as an employee, because the work is your usual business at your place of business. Renters also practice under your salon registration. An artist who wants independence needs premises registered in their own right.

Does a Chicago lash studio need a city license too?

Yes. Chicago beauty premises operate under a Limited Business License from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, currently $500 for a two year term, on top of the state salon registration and practitioner licenses. Chicago also sets a $17.05 minimum wage and its own paid leave rules.