Hairdressing, barber, beauty and skin penetration businesses operating from home have the same responsibilities as those businesses in commercial premises.

Get Development Consent

All skin penetration, hairdressing and non-skin penetration home businesses require a Complying Development Certificate or Development Consent before commencement. 

• Skin Penetration and Beauty Home Business Fact Sheet

Skin Penetration home business fit-out requirements can be found in the link below.

• Public Health Regulation 2022 - Part 4 Skin penetration procedures

Hairdressing and non-skin penetration home business fit-out requirements can be found in the link below.

• Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 - Part 2 standards for hairdresser's shops

Register and Update your Skin Penetration, Hairdressing and Non-Skin Penetration Home Business Details

All Hairdressing and non-skin penetration premises must register their details with Council and notify any changes to their business.

To register a new business or notify any changes (including new ownership of an existing business) please complete a Notification Form and return to Council before commencing trade. Alternatively, you can complete the form online.

The Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2022 regulate non-registered health practitioners who carry out body decorating and grooming practices that may penetrate the skin. These include: 

• Needle therapy/Dry needling
• Waxing
• Electrolysis
• Body, nose and ear piercing
• Colonic lavage
• Injectables
• Tattooing (body art and cosmetic)
• Nail treatments
• Microdermabrasion
• Derma-roller
• Wet Cupping

Get Development Consent

Skin penetration premises require a Complying Development Certificate or Development Consent before commencement.

Skin Penetration Premises fit-out requirements can be found here.

Register and Update your Skin Penetration Business Details

All skin penetration businesses must register their details with Council and notify any changes to their business.

To register a new business or notify any changes (including new ownership of an existing business) please complete a Notification Form and return to Council prior to commencing trade. Alternatively, you can complete the form online.

Hairdressing and other body decorating and grooming practices which do not pierce the skin are regulated under the Local Government Act 1993 and the Local Government General Regulation 2005. These businesses include:

• Hairdressing/barbers;
• Laser hair/tattoo removal.
• Threading

Get Development Consent

Hairdressing and non-skin penetration premises require a Complying Development Certificate or Development Consent before commencement. 

Hairdressing and non-skin penetration fit-out requirements can be found here.

Register and Update your Hairdressing and Non-Skin Penetration Business Details

All hairdressing and non-skin penetration premises must register their details with Council and notify any changes to their business.

To register a new business or notify any changes (including new ownership of an existing business) please complete a Notification Form and return it to Council before commencing trade. Alternatively, you can complete the form online.

The Public Health Regulation provides details on the re-use of equipment used in a skin penetration procedure (excluding needles as these must be treated as single use only), including sterilisation between each use in a benchtop steam steriliser (autoclave) and appropriate records noted.

Public Health Regulation 2022 - Reusable articles must be sterilised

37 reusable articles must be sterilised

(1) All reusable articles used to penetrate a person’s skin for skin penetration procedures must be sterilised at the premises or off-site.

(2) If reusable articles are sterilised at the premises—
(a) an autoclave must be used, and
(b) there must be at least 1 person present at the time the autoclave is used who is adequately trained in the operation of the autoclave, and
(c) the sterilisation must be carried out in accordance with AS/NZS 4815:2006, and
(d) the autoclave must be calibrated at least every 12 months in accordance with AS/NZS 4815:2006.

(3) If reusable articles are sterilised at the premises, the occupier of the premises must make, and keep for at least 12 months, a record of—
(a) the time and date when each article was sterilised, and
(b) the length of time the article was autoclaved and the temperature and pressure levels of the autoclave.

(4) If reusable articles are sterilised off-site, the occupier of the premises must—
(a) make, and keep for at least 12 months, a record of the date on which each article was sent off-site for sterilisation and the contact details of the person who sterilised the article, and
(b) keep, for at least 12 months, a copy of the report on the sterilisation by the person who sterilised the article.

(5) In this section—
AS/NZS 4815:2006 means AS/NZS 4815:2006, Office-based health care facilities—Reprocessing of reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of the associated environment.
autoclave means a benchtop autoclave that uses steam under pressure.

Council has developed a sterilisation record-keeping book to assist businesses with their record-keeping requirements.

A template has been provided below so you can print copies and ensure that you maintain appropriate records at all times.

Sterilisation Record Keeping Book 

The Public Health Regulation provides details on the use of needles including single-use requirements and immediate disposal after use.

Public Health Regulation 2022 - Use of needles, sharps and other articles

(1) A person who carries out a skin penetration procedure must not use a needle that has previously been used in a skin penetration procedure.

(2) A person who uses a needle in a skin penetration procedure must dispose of the needle in the appropriate sharps container immediately after completing the procedure.

Appropriate sharps container means a sharps container that complies with AS 4031–1992, non-reusable containers for the collection of sharp medical items used in health care areas.

Clinical waste must be disposed into a clinical waste bin.

Clinical and sharps waste must be collected by a licensed waste contractor.

The definition of 'clinical and related waste' under schedule 1 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 includes clinical waste, cytotoxic waste, pharmaceutical, drug or medicine waste, and sharps waste.

"Clinical waste" means any waste resulting from medical, nursing, dental, pharmaceutical, skin penetration or other related clinical activity, being waste that has the potential to cause injury, infection or offence, and includes waste containing any of the following--

     (a) human tissue (other than hair, teeth and nails),

     (b) bulk body fluids or blood,

     (c) visibly blood-stained body fluids, materials or equipment,

     (d) laboratory specimens or cultures,

     (e) animal tissue, carcasses or other waste from animals used for medical research,

 "Sharps waste" means any waste collected from designated sharps waste containers used in the course of business, commercial or community service activities, being waste resulting from the use of sharps for any of the following purposes--

     (a) human health care by health professionals and other health care providers,

     (b) medical research or work on cadavers,

     (c) veterinary care or veterinary research,

     (d) skin penetration or the injection of drugs or other substances for medical or non-medical reasons,