Other Personal Services UK-wide

Which personal services regulations apply to your business

Personal services businesses — hairdressers, beauty salons, tattooists, dry cleaners, spas, funeral directors and pet groomers — share the same workplace-safety foundation, then the rules diverge by what you do and whether your activity triggers a registration, permit or licence.

Guide summary

Start by following the health and safety rules that apply to all personal services businesses. Then check if your activity needs a local authority registration, permit or licence. Use the personal services compliance checklist to make sure you have covered everything before you open.

  • Follow the universal spine for all personal services – health and safety, COSHH, fire safety
  • Register with your local authority if you pierce skin or tattoo
  • Get a Part B environmental permit if you dry-clean with perchloroethylene
  • Get a licence for special treatments if your local authority requires one
  • Control legionella risk if you run a spa pool
  • In Wales and Scotland, skin-piercing businesses need a licence, not just registration
  • Use the 'Personal services compliance checklist' to confirm all obligations
  • Check if more than one rule applies – e.g. beauty salon offering hairdressing and piercing
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Personal services businesses work in close contact with the public — cutting hair, piercing skin, cleaning clothes with solvents, managing spa pools and caring for the deceased. The workplace health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 apply to you. The substances you use — salon chemicals, dry-cleaning solvents, embalming fluids, spa-pool biocides — are subject to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.

Beyond that shared foundation, the rules diverge by what you do. Some activities require a local-authority registration, permit or licence before you can operate.

What you need to do

Identify the description that best fits your business. If more than one applies — for example you run a beauty salon that offers both hairdressing and skin-piercing — follow every obligation that applies.

  1. 1

    Every personal services business

    Whatever you do, start with the universal spine. Follow "Set up and run a safe personal services business" for your health and safety, COSHH controls on salon and cleaning chemicals, and fire safety. It also covers employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection duties.

  2. 2

    You dry-clean with solvents, pierce skin, offer special treatments or run spa pools

    These activities carry their own registration, permit or licensing duties on top of the universal spine. Dry-cleaning with perchloroethylene needs a Part B environmental permit. Skin-piercing and tattooing businesses must register with (or, in Wales and Scotland, be licensed by) the local authority. Some premises offering special treatments need a licence. Spa pools must control legionella risk. Follow "Meet your personal services regulatory duties".

  3. 3

    Confirm you have covered everything

    Whatever you do, finish with the "Personal services compliance checklist" to confirm your obligations are met before you open or continue trading.

Official sources

Authoritative starting points for personal services businesses.