Special Treatment Licence in London: how to get one, keep it and avoid a fine

Published 5 September 2026  ·  About 6 minutes to read  ·  The Nail Business Association

What it is

The Special Treatment Licence comes from the London Local Authorities Act 1991. It gives London boroughs the power to license premises offering treatments that carry a health risk to the public. The list includes massage, tattooing, piercing, laser and light treatments, saunas, and nail treatments including manicure, pedicure and nail extensions.

Each borough runs its own scheme, sets its own fees and conditions, and decides which treatments fall into which category. Most boroughs use a shared framework agreed through the London Special Treatment Group, so the rules are similar across London, but they are not identical. The borough your salon sits in is the only one that matters.

The licence is issued to a premises, not a person. It names the premises manager and lists the treatments allowed there. If you have two salons in two boroughs, you need two licences.

Who needs one

You need a licence if you provide or offer nail treatments for payment from premises in a London borough that operates the scheme. That covers a high street salon, a room in a hairdresser, a home salon and a nail desk inside another business.

You do not need one if you only treat clients in their own homes, or if the premises are not used for gain.

There is an exemption route for members of professional bodies on the borough’s approved list, but it is aimed at health practitioners, and a nail technician should not assume it applies.

What it costs

Fees are set by each borough and reviewed every April. Nail treatments sit in the lowest band, which most boroughs call Category 4. Hounslow’s published fees for 2026-27 give a fair picture:

Item	Hounslow 2026-27
Application fee, new	£164
Application fee, renewal	£89
Licence fee, new (Category 4: manicure, pedicure, nail extensions)	£249
Licence fee, renewal	£174
Therapist or apprentice registration, per person	£66
Photo ID card, per therapist, three years	£36
Variation (add a treatment or change the manager)	£119
Transfer to a new owner	£119

So a new salon with three technicians would pay roughly £164 + £249 + (3 × £66) + (3 × £36) = £719 in the first year, and about £263 plus any new staff registrations each year after. Other boroughs charge more or less. Check your own borough’s licensing page before you budget.

If you apply part way through the year, most boroughs charge a reduced licence fee for the months remaining.

How to apply

1. Find your borough’s licensing page. Search “[borough name] special treatment licence”. You will find the application form, the standard conditions and the fee table.
2. Fill in the premises application. It asks for the premises, the owner, the premises manager, and the treatments you want licensed. Apply for what you actually do. Adding a treatment later costs a variation fee.
3. Register every therapist. One form per person, with proof of qualification, proof of identity and a photograph. Include yourself if you do treatments.
4. Overseas qualifications need a UK ENIC statement. UK ENIC (formerly NARIC) is the government’s agency for comparing foreign qualifications with UK levels. The borough will not assess a Vietnamese, Polish or any other non-UK certificate itself. Apply to UK ENIC for a Statement of Comparability first. It takes a few weeks and costs a fee, so start early.
5. Get the premises manager’s consent form signed. The named manager is responsible for the day to day running and must be a fit and proper person.
6. Send the application with the fees. The council notifies the police, the London Fire Brigade, its own health and safety team and its planning department. Any of them can object.
7. Display the Notice of Intention. You will be sent a notice to put in the window for a set period. Do not skip it.
8. Inspection. A licensing officer visits. They check the premises against the standard conditions, and check that the people doing treatments are the people registered.
9. Decision. If the inspection is satisfactory the licence is usually issued within 28 days of a complete application.

What the inspector looks for

The standard conditions vary slightly by borough but the visit covers the same ground everywhere:

• Hand washing basin with hot and cold water, soap and a hygienic way to dry hands, in or next to the treatment area
• Clean, washable surfaces, floors and chairs; no carpet in treatment areas
• Sterilisation or single use for anything that touches the client: files, buffers, cuticle tools, foot files
• Safe storage and disposal of chemicals; ventilation for dust and vapour
• Adequate lighting, heating and ventilation
• Fire precautions: extinguishers, clear escape routes, a fire risk assessment
• First aid kit and an accident book
• Public liability insurance, usually £2 million minimum, that names the treatments you offer
• Qualified staff who match the register, with ID cards where the borough issues them
• Client record keeping and a written procedure for accidents and infection control

If you already keep a salon risk assessment and a fire risk assessment, you are most of the way there. Both are in the TNBA Vault.

Keeping it

The licence runs from 1 April to 31 March regardless of when you got it. Renewal is your responsibility; some boroughs send reminders, many do not.

Three things that catch salons out:

1. Renewing late. If your licence expires before the renewal is in, you are unlicensed from that day and the council treats your next application as new, at the new fee. Put the renewal date in your calendar two months early.
2. New staff not registered. Every new technician must be registered before they treat a client. Councils do check the register against who is working on the day.
3. Adding a treatment without a variation. Starting lashes, waxing or massage under a nail-only licence puts the whole licence at risk. Apply for a variation first.

If you sell the salon, the licence can be transferred to the new owner for a fee. It cannot be moved to a different address.

What happens if you do not have one

Operating or advertising special treatments without a licence is a criminal offence under the Act. Councils do prosecute. The penalty is a fine set by the court, and boroughs have quoted fines of up to £5,000 in their guidance. The council can also refuse a later application on the grounds that you operated unlicensed.

A licence can be refused or revoked if the premises are unsuitable, the equipment is unsafe, the staff are not qualified, the manager is not fit and proper, or you have relevant convictions.

Outside London

There is no nail licence outside London. Councils elsewhere regulate skin piercing, tattooing, electrolysis and acupuncture under different legislation, but not manicure or pedicure. Wales is introducing a special procedures licence for tattooing, piercing, acupuncture and electrolysis; nails are not included. If a council outside London tells you that you need a licence for nails, ask them to point to the legislation.

What TNBA is doing

Borough rules differ and nobody has put them side by side. TNBA is building a borough by borough table of fees, categories and conditions for nail treatments, starting with the boroughs where our members are. If your borough is not covered, tell us and we will add it.

If you have a question about your own licence, use Ask TNBA and we will get you an answer from someone who deals with licensing for a living.

This guide is general information for salon owners, not legal advice. Fees and conditions are set by each borough and change every April. Check your borough’s current published scheme before you apply. Last checked 5 September 2026. TNBA Limited, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, England and Wales no. 17120618.