What do you need to know before opening a beauty salon?
Beauty salons are establishments of public importance and as such are regulated by the Regional Health Inspectorates (RHI). The regulatory framework is Ordinance No 15 of 21 August 1987 on hygiene requirements for barber, hairdressing and beauty salons.
The salon itself and the activities that will be carried out in your beauty salon, such as hairdressing, manicure, pedicure, cosmetics, are registered in a regional register of public facilities at the RHI.
The PHI monitors the requirements for the required square footage, according to workplace, hygiene requirements, etc.
The RHI does not monitor the intended use of the actual facility where the beauty procedures will be performed.
Important! Before renting or buying a property for the purpose of beauty treatments, you should make sure that the property has the appropriate use – beauty salon / cosmetics / hairdresser. A property with the status of a shop cannot be used as a beauty parlour, as every property has a use according to which it can be used.
Change of use of the real estate for a beauty salon / hairdressing salon
In case the real estate has another use, the same can be changed. Recently, a new facilitated procedure for changing the purpose of an independent object in a building has been provided for in the Spatial Planning Act.
This procedure can only be applied in case that no construction works will be carried out when changing the use of the real estate. This shall be certified by a notarised declaration from the owner of the site. The change of use permit is issued by the chief architect of the municipality where the object whose use is to be changed is located.
When submitting the application and the notification of the investment proposal to the municipality, the necessary documents shall be attached, including the ownership document, certificate of heirs /if applicable/, cadastral scheme of the site, commissioning document of the site, power of attorney /if submitted by proxy/, approved investment projects, declaration of no construction works /SMR/, decision on the Environmental Impact Assessment /EIA/ and others.
The fee payable to the relevant municipality is calculated on the basis of the area of the property. For example, for a site of about 26 sq.m. the fee is approximately BGN 78.
Opening hours of the beauty salon
Following a change of use, if one is required, an application should be made to the municipality where the site is located for approval of hours of operation. The procedure is free of charge and is completed within 7 to 30 days.
When submitting an application for hours of operation reconciliation, documents for the cash register, property use documents, etc. shall also be attached.
For a commercial establishment, which by its activity causes noise and is located at a distance of up to 30 meters from residential buildings, as well as for an establishment located in a building with a condominium regime, the opening hours may be from 06.00 to 22.00.
If you wish to request hours of operation outside of these hours, you must submit a report from a Regional Health Inspectorate (RHI) or licensed laboratory for compliance with the permissible noise levels in and around the facility.
For a commercial establishment located in a residential building with a condominium regime, the consent of 50% + 1 of the owners is also required, including the consent of all immediate neighbors.
Once the opening hours have been agreed, the document should be kept at the beauty/hair salon itself.
The hours of operation as agreed by the Mayor should be posted near the entrance to the gym.
Violation of working hours and control bodies
The control bodies, which are responsible for checking the observance of the working hours and whether such hours have been agreed upon, are the municipal administration officers, authorized by order and the municipal police and the JIA.
In case of uncoordinated working hours, the offenders are subject to a fine, and sole traders and legal entities – a pecuniary sanction in the amount of BGN 300 to BGN 2 000.
In case of non-observance of the working hours recorded in the respective information arrays, registers and related to the disturbance of the peace of the citizens, the guilty persons shall be fined from BGN 300 to BGN 2 500, and the sole traders and legal entities shall be fined from BGN 1 000 to BGN 5 000.
Labour relations
In case you will be employing persons on an employment or civil contract, all obligations under the Labour Code and other applicable regulations must be complied with.
Due to the specifics of each case, the legal requirements may be different. With this in mind, it is a good idea to consult a lawyer who will look at your case from every legal perspective.
Lawyers fromConcordiaLaw Firm are available to respond to inquiries by phone +359 878583010, email or through our contact form, as well as for comprehensive assistance in opening a beauty salon / hair salon.
