All hairdressing establishments are required to hold a Certificate of Registration. This must be displayed in a public part of the premises.
To receive a Certificate of Registration, the premises must comply with the structural and sanitary requirements set down in the Health (Hairdressers) Regulations 1980.
If you are setting up a new premises, you must also have a code of compliance certificate as required under the Building Act 2004 and meet all other legislative requirements before final approval can be given.
Your application should consist of a completed Health Act registration form and the application fee.
Health Act registration form and guide
It can be useful to apply for a PIM early on in your planning, this will tell you about the property and the land, and whether there are any approvals you need to apply for.
You can work with our Environmental Health, Planning and Building Consents Teams to ensure you meet all the relevant health and building regulations.
The Planning Team can advise on our District Plan and provide information on parking requirements, advertising and likely future patterns of development in your area.
Building consent officers can help with construction requirements, change of use conditions, plumbing and drainage, egress, number of sanitary fixtures and access for disabled people. Building consent will be required for any work done.
Our environmental health officers can provide information on health requirements, inspections and registration.
Please read about building change of use if you are converting a residential property into a business.
After making an application for registration, and nearer to the proposed opening date, an Environmental Health Officer must be contacted to arrange a final evaluation of the premises to check that work has been completed in accordance with the approved plans. Work requiring a building consent requires a code compliance certificate. This must be available before the Environmental Health Officer’s visit.
Provided the premise has been completed in accordance with the approved plans, and the certificate of registration is issued, you can open for business.
It is an offence to operate the premise prior to the issue of a certificate of registration.
Once the premise is registered ongoing checks will be carried out by Environmental Health Officers to ensure safe hygiene practices are met and minimum standards of health are maintained. Officers may arrive at any reasonable time (Section 128 of the Health Act 1956) and are not obliged to make an appointment prior to the visit. This means you can expect a visit any time while you are operating.
Home-based hairdressers (a hairdressing business carried out from a residential dwelling), must be set up in a separate room and also comply with the structural and sanitary requirements outlined separately.
Mobile hairdressers (hairdressers who travel to customers’ homes/venues and do not have a fixed hairdressing premises) must comply with the requirements relating to the storage, use, cleaning and disinfection of products, appliances and equipment in the structural and sanitary requirements and hygiene and cleaning guidelines section.
Hairdressing registration must be renewed every year. The registration period runs from 1 July to 30 June.
Was this page useful?
Page last updated: 12:41pm Thu 14 March 2024