How much does it cost to open a gym? Licenses, rules and real prices

There is no single price for opening a gym in the US: it depends on your state and city, the size of the space and what you offer. In this guide we only list costs and rules you can check on official pages or public price lists, read on October 15, 2026, and we say clearly which items depend on your own choices.

Licenses and permits: mostly local

The Small Business Administration explains that most small businesses need “a combination of licenses and permits from both federal and state agencies,” and that the licenses you need from the state, county or city “will depend on your business activities and business location.” Fees vary too. In practice that means registering your business, getting tax IDs and asking your city which local license, zoning approval and occupancy permit apply to a gym in the space you want.

Check zoning before you sign a lease: it is easier to walk away from a space than to change what it is zoned for.

AEDs: required in some states

AED rules are set by each state. New York is a clear example: its General Business Law section 627-a requires health clubs with 500 or more members to have an AED on the premises and at least one employee or volunteer certified in AED use and CPR during business hours, as the New York Attorney General’s office summarizes. Check your own state’s law, and budget for one even where it is not required.

Music licenses: what ASCAP charges

Playing music in classes means paying performing rights organizations. ASCAP publishes its 2026 rate schedule for fitness clubs. The group class fee depends on your total weekly participant capacity: average weekly classes in each room times the room’s capacity.

If you only play background music and hold no group classes, the ambient fee applies instead: $383 a year up to 3,750 sq ft. Virtual classes add $321. ASCAP licenses its own catalog, so check which other organizations represent the music you play.

Equipment: a few real prices

Our math with these prices: a functional box with 3 rowers, 2 BikeErgs and 2 SkiErgs spends $7,870 on cardio machines, before flooring, weights, locker rooms and build-out.

Opening a CrossFit box

If you want the CrossFit name, affiliation is an extra fixed cost: a one-time $1,000 application, then an annual fee CrossFit’s FAQ states at $4,500, plus at least one coach with a Level 1 certificate.

Rent and build-out

Rent and build-out are the items that change most from one space to another, which is why we do not give an average. Get quotes on the actual space, and include the deposit and any work needed to meet your local code.

Summary: costs you can know up front

After opening: filling your first classes

In the first months classes are rarely full, while rent and loan payments keep running. Selling single classes to people in town for work, travelers and people trying something new brings in revenue with no fixed cost. On FlexDropin you publish classes with open spots at the price you set, payment goes to your own Stripe account and we keep 15% only when someone books: no subscription and no setup fee.

Sources

Pages read on October 15, 2026. Rules and prices change: always check the current version.