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1936 Kalispell Ordinances: Cosmetology and Beauty Shops

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with eXp Commercial, Referral Divison RRE-BRO-LIC-75443

I found an online directory of Kalispell City ordinances and thought it would be intriguing to see what some of the ordinances of the past were. The last post covered a 1933 ordinance called "Montana Beer Act." Nothing very interesting happened during the following few years, so we're jumping ahead to 1936 for the Cosmetology and Beauty Shops ordinance #455.

In 1936, the licensing of Cosmetology and Beauty shops began in Kalispell MT. Specifically, it became unlawful to practice or teach cosmetology (specifically "hair dressing" and "beauty culture") for compensation without a license. That included any work that was done to embellish, clean or beautify hair, scalp, face, arms or hands.

Each Kalispell beauty shop owner would pay $5 per calendar year for the license and any other operators in the shop would also pay $5 per year. In order to get their license, they had to provide proof that they had a state license issued by the Montana State Examining Board of Beauty Culturists. Any transient cosmetology provider who did not have a permanent place of business in the area would have to pay $10 per day.

Regarding beauty schools, they would pay $25 per year and would have to agree to have one instructor per ten students. Each teacher was also required to have a license or certificate issued by the state. There were rules about the signage for each beauty school and what they could say.

Further, no beauty shop or school was to be used for any other purpose except those listed above, and no person with a communicable disease could work, be employed or be served in the licensed schools or shops. This one made me wonder, were beauty shops or schools being used as massage parlors or houses of ill repute? Why the wording about a communicable disease? I don't have an answer to those questions, just food for thought!

Once a month an inspection would be made of all beauty shops and schools to make sure the ordinance was not being violated.

Anyone violating the provisions of the ordinance will be fined between $5 to $100 per offense. A second offense could result in the loss of a license for one year.

So the question that came to my mind is, what are these rules today?

Licenses are still required, but they are now administered by the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists.

A license to practice is now $80 per year, and a school license is $220 per year. The license for a salon or shop is $85. There are other fees that have to do with additional courses in a school, school or shop inspections and more.

What is interesting is that the cost of living since 1936 has increased 21.86 times, so $5 in 1936 would now be $109 so getting a license now at $80 is actually a bargain!

In addition to annual fees at a school, a cosmetology school must also obtain a bond or other security for each course in the amount of $5000. This bond is to refund prepaid tuition to students if the school ceases to operate or cannot complete the course. So out of pocket expenses for cosmetology schools have definitely increased.

Annual inspections are conducted (not monthly) and licensees must respond to inspection violations within ten days of receiving notice of violations.


And there you have it, another blast from the past of Kalispell Montana. I wonder what I'll find the next time I peek into the Kalispell Ordinances? By the way, there was such a big delay in sharing another ordinance since I was having trouble accessing the online ordinance site. It seems to be back in order!

If you have any real estate related needs, feel free to give me a call on 406-270-3667 or email me at kat@thehousekat.com and I would be happy to find the right person to assist you! 

 

Photos made from Kat's brain and AI.

 

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Kalispell, Bigfork, Lakeside and Somers areas. 

Are you getting ready to sell or purchase land or a home in Kalispell  or the surrounding vicinity? Let’s talk!

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Show All Comments Sort:
Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty
Waves Realty - Melbourne, FL
Florida Space Coast Homes

Very interesting. Probably about the same time they licensed people to sell real estate (because haircuts and real estate are about the same). 

Jan 15, 2025 09:51 AM
Kat Palmiotti

haha Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty - now I'm going to have to look and see when real estate is mentioned!

Jan 15, 2025 10:20 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Kat, I told Carol in AZ that these posts about your ordinances are very interesting.   They ARE interesting.

Jan 15, 2025 12:14 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Thank you  Joan Cox !!!

Jan 15, 2025 01:47 PM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Kat Palmiotti I was surprised at the the annual fee today.  They are far less than I would have guessed. 

Jan 15, 2025 01:09 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Me too George Souto 

Jan 15, 2025 01:47 PM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Kat, It's always interesting to read your reports on historical topics like these in Kalispell and I truly enjoy the way you bring them to life!

Jan 15, 2025 02:06 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Thank you very much Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400 

Jan 15, 2025 02:55 PM
KAREN SANCHEZ
Reputable Realty - Apple Valley, CA
...Marketing your home like no one else will.

Love the old pics and stories you post.

Jan 15, 2025 04:01 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Thank you KAREN SANCHEZ !

Jan 15, 2025 04:12 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Kat- I was thinking about your series the other day. Love your photos. $85 doesn't seem like a lot for an annual license. 

Jan 15, 2025 07:29 PM
Kat Palmiotti

No it doesn't Kathy Streib . I'll have to check with my hair dresser in a few weeks as to what other costs they might have.

Jan 16, 2025 04:57 AM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Kat Palmiotti  always love your historical posts about ordinances were interesting, Endre

Jan 15, 2025 11:22 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Thank you Endre Barath, Jr. !

Jan 16, 2025 04:57 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Kat - it's interesting to me to see some things that defy comprehension in the wording of the regulations.  Was there something else going on?  It's curious, that's for sure.  My maternal grandfather was a barber with his own shop for many years. 

Jan 16, 2025 03:26 AM
Kat Palmiotti

Michael Jacobs - were you able to visit the shop? If yes, you probably have some cool memories!

Jan 16, 2025 04:57 AM
Michael Jacobs

Kat Palmiotti - although I did visit it, my recollection of the shop is vague.  My grandfather cut my hair in the utility room of our house (next to the washer-dryer) when I was growing up.   He and my grandmother used to visit us every other Monday.  The shop was closed on Sundays/Mondays.   Those memories are more vivid.  

Jan 16, 2025 05:17 AM
Kat Palmiotti

Aww, those memories sound great, Michael Jacobs . I remember my grandmother taking me to the laundry room in the apartment building she was supervisor for. She had coins with red nail polish on them which she could use to do her laundry - they enabled her to do it for free. Why I remember that, I have no idea!

Jan 16, 2025 05:59 AM
Michael Jacobs

Kat Palmiotti - red and vivid certainly seem aligned.  

Jan 16, 2025 06:57 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Good morning, Kat... I found this a fun read. And I love the expression "beauty culturist." Interestingly, in NC a cosmetologist needs 1,500 hours of education... a real estate needs 90 hours. What's wrong with this picture?

Jan 16, 2025 04:47 AM
Kat Palmiotti

Nina Hollander, Broker - Actually, I read the same here regarding cosmetologists - 2000 hours for cosmetologist and 70 for real estate.

Jan 16, 2025 04:59 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker

Kat Palmiotti crazy, isn't it?

Jan 16, 2025 05:17 AM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I love these posts and hearing about the old ordinances, back when life was a bit simpler, especially when it came to rules and regulations to follow, haha.

Jan 16, 2025 05:18 AM
Kat Palmiotti

Thank you Brian England !

Jan 16, 2025 05:57 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thanks, Kat, for this interesting post.

Have a great day and an outstanding week.

Jan 16, 2025 09:43 AM
Kat Palmiotti

Thank you Roy

Jan 16, 2025 02:38 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Hi Kat:

This is such an interesting series with a look back in history along with comparisons to current costs and regulations. Seems to me the cosmetology current fees are pretty reasonable given what some things costs these days. I enjoyed the photos, too!

Jeff

Jan 16, 2025 10:21 AM
Kat Palmiotti

I think they are reasonable also Jeff Dowler, CRS 

Jan 16, 2025 02:38 PM
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
The best agent in Southern Utah!

Enjoyed reading this Kat and getting educated on the beauty industry back then and now! You would hope that a happy ending meant a wonderful haircut or style, not the other one that is reserved for some massage parlors!

Jan 16, 2025 01:44 PM
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!

So true, Kat! 🤭

Jan 16, 2025 05:07 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can! - we won't ever know what was going on in those beauty parlors!

Jan 16, 2025 02:37 PM
Gloria Todor
Premier Property Sales & Rentals - Springfield, PA
& Doug Durren (484) 431-3686 in SE PA

Interesting how your AI renderings have the women's water neatly contained while the male image has water/soap dripping down and around?  Am I seeing that correctly?

Jan 17, 2025 07:45 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Yes Gloria Todor does AI think men are messier than women?

Jan 18, 2025 04:35 AM
Gloria Todor

Probably.  LOL

Jan 18, 2025 08:16 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Jan 18, 2025 07:37 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

Thank you Kathy Streib 

Jan 18, 2025 08:27 PM
Patricia Feager
Flower Mound, TX

Kat Palmiotti - very interesting! Where I grew up as a kid, there weren't beauticians in shops until I was in my senior year of high school. But I knew the lady downstairs from us had people in her house and took care of women's hair. And there were several others who did it too, inside their homes, but only to people they knew. I'm guessing the license prevented a lot of women from having their own beauty shops, but it didn't stop the women from trying to earn a living!

I always enjoy your old Montana ordinance stories. Taking a peek into the past can be fun! I'll bet that it hurt to get your hair done back in the 1930s and 40s. Women went through a lot to be beautiful. 

Jan 19, 2025 05:07 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Patricia Feager - I am sure y ou are right about women going through a lot to be beautiful! Now it's all just natural! 🤪

Jan 19, 2025 06:17 PM
Paddy Deighan MBA JD PhD
http://www.medicalandspaconsulting.com - Vail, CO
Paddy Deighan J.D. Ph.D

Kat I really enjoyed this post...about 20 years ago I was the CEO of a Dermatology & Plastic Surgery center and we employed more than 1,200  cosmetologists and there was a need for licensure clarity in many states (many are practicing medicine).

Today I read that Kalispell was a Top 5 under rated ski destination!!

Jan 19, 2025 05:45 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Paddy Deighan MBA JD PhD - too funny about skiing in Montana! Today I was at the Blacktail Ski Resort in Lakeside MT for sightseeing reasons and on Thursday I'll be at the Whitefish one. Skiing is definitely a big deal here!

Jan 19, 2025 06:17 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Very interesting Kat!  I think your hunch is right about communicable diseases in beauty parlors.  Business licenses in 1936 were very different than today, and yes a bargain compared to the inflation rate.  I've read old deeds from homes near that vintage, interesting stuff!  

Jan 20, 2025 02:52 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ

I'm aure you do Kat.  You seem to have an old soul, very gentle and thoughtful :)

Jan 20, 2025 06:35 PM
Kat Palmiotti

Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ - I love peeking into our history!

Jan 20, 2025 02:59 PM
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Did it say anything about the length of the required course Kat Palmiotti ? I was amazed when I did a radio interview with the owner of the beauty shop next to my office and he told me the required training a barber cosmetologist. If I remember correctly it was a course about 3 years long.

Jan 22, 2025 06:19 AM
Kat Palmiotti

They have to take 2000 hours of training, Bob "RealMan" Timm - it's a LOT!

Jan 22, 2025 06:36 AM