All 50 states and DC, from each state's own board
Cosmetology license requirements by state
Every state licenses the people who cut, color, do nails and do skin care, each with its own hours, exams and fees. A cosmetology license takes 1,500 hours of school in the middle state, from 1,000 hours in California, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Virginia to 1,800 hours in Hawaii, Nebraska and West Virginia. Pick your state for its cosmetology, barber, nail technician and esthetician licenses, each figure quoted from the state's own board, rules or statutes.
Read from the official sources on October 23, 2026. How we checked ยท Download every state (CSV)
- Cosmetology school, middle state
- 1,500 hours
- Fewest to most hours
- 1,000 to 1,800
- State fees, first license, middle state
- $77.50
Pick your state
Beauty license requirements in your state
Hours, exams, fees, renewal and continuing education for the cosmetology, barber, nail technician and esthetician licenses, each with the state's own words.
- Alabama1,500 h
- Alaska1,650 h
- Arizona1,500 h
- Arkansas1,500 h
- California1,000 h
- Colorado1,500 h
- Connecticut1,500 h
- Delaware1,500 h
- District of Columbia1,500 h
- Florida1,200 h
- Georgia1,500 h
- Hawaii1,800 h
- Idaho1,600 h
- Illinois1,500 h
- Indiana1,500 h
- Iowa1,550 h
- Kansas1,500 h
- Kentucky1,500 h
- Louisiana1,500 h
- Maine1,500 h
- Maryland1,500 h
- Massachusetts1,000 h
- Michigan1,500 h
- Minnesota1,550 h
- Mississippi1,500 h
- Missouri1,500 h
- Montana1,500 h
- Nebraska1,800 h
- Nevada1,600 h
- New Hampshire1,200 h
- New Jersey1,200 h
- New Mexico1,600 h
- New York1,000 h
- North Carolina1,500 h
- North Dakota1,500 h
- Ohio1,500 h
- Oklahoma
- Oregon1,110 h
- Pennsylvania1,250 h
- Rhode Island1,000 h
- South Carolina1,500 h
- South Dakota1,500 h
- Tennessee1,500 h
- Texas1,000 h
- Utah1,250 h
- Vermont1,000 h
- Virginia1,000 h
- Washington1,600 h
- West Virginia1,800 h
- Wisconsin1,550 h
- Wyoming1,600 h
Across the states
What the states have in common, and where they split
- Where you train decides how long it takes. The same cosmetology license takes 1,000 hours in California, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Virginia and 1,800 hours in Hawaii, Nebraska and West Virginia, 1.8 times as long. At 35 hours a week, the middle state's 1,500 hours is about 10 months of full-time school (our estimate).
- Every other license is shorter. Against 1,500 hours for cosmetology, the middle state asks nail technicians 350 hours, estheticians 600 hours and barbers 1,250 hours.
- The state's fees are small next to tuition. A first cosmetology license costs $77.50 in state fees in the middle state, from $11 in Wisconsin to $330 in Alaska, among the 46 states that publish them.
- Continuing education is a state-by-state rule. 13 states require continuing education to renew a cosmetology license, 4 say none is required, and the rest do not say on the pages we read.
- Barbers often answer to a different board. In 17 states a separate barber board or agency issues barber licenses.
Every state compared
Hours, fees and renewal, state by state
Pick a license and sort. "Not stated" means the state's official pages we read did not say; it is not a zero. Fees are what the state charges for a first license; school tuition and a testing company's own exam fees are extra.
License
Sort by
| State | License | Training hours | State fees, first license | Renewal | CE per renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $255 | Every 2 years, $100 | Not stated |
| Alaska | Hairdresser | 1,650 | $330 | Every 2 years, $180 | Not stated |
| Arizona | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $60 | Every 2 years, $60 | Not stated |
| Arkansas | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $125 | Every 2 years, $50 | Not stated |
| California | Cosmetologist | 1,000 | $125 | Every 2 years, $50 | None |
| Colorado | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Connecticut | Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician | 1,500 | $100 | Every 2 years, $100 | Not stated |
| Delaware | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | Not stated | Every 2 years | Not stated |
| District of Columbia | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $175 | Every 2 years, $110 | 6 h |
| Florida | Cosmetologist | 1,200 | $40 | Every 2 years, $45 | 10 h |
| Georgia | Master Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $30 | Every 2 years | 5 h |
| Hawaii | Beauty Operator (Cosmetologist category) | 1,800 | Not stated | Every 2 years, $146 | None |
| Idaho | Cosmetologist | 1,600 | $90 | Every 2 years, $60 | Not stated |
| Illinois | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $30 | Every 2 years | 14 h |
| Indiana | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $40 | Every 4 years, $40 | Not stated |
| Iowa | Barbering and cosmetology license | 1,550 | $60 | Every 2 years, $60 | 6 h |
| Kansas | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $60 | Every 2 years, $50 | Not stated |
| Kentucky | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $135 | Every 2 years, $100 | Not stated |
| Louisiana | Registered Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $85 | Every year, $35 | Not stated |
| Maine | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $20 | Every year, $20 | Not stated |
| Maryland | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $28 | Every 2 years, $28 | 6 h |
| Massachusetts | Cosmetologist | 1,000 | $68 | Every 2 years, $68 | Not stated |
| Michigan | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $63 | Every 2 years, $48 | Not stated |
| Minnesota | Cosmetologist | 1,550 | $195 | Every 3 years, $115 | 8 h |
| Mississippi | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $50 | Every 2 years, $50 | Not stated |
| Missouri | Class CA - Hairdressing & Manicuring | 1,500 | Not stated | Every 2 years, $60 | Not stated |
| Montana | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $100 | Every 2 years, $100 | None |
| Nebraska | Cosmetologist | 1,800 | $95 | Every 2 years | 8 h |
| Nevada | Cosmetologist | 1,600 | $125 | Every 2 years, $70 | 4 h |
| New Hampshire | Cosmetologist | 1,200 | $85 | Every 2 years | Not stated |
| New Jersey | Cosmetologist-Hairstylist | 1,200 | $140 | Every 2 years, $90 | Not stated |
| New Mexico | Cosmetologist | 1,600 | $100 | Every year, $100 | Not stated |
| New York | Cosmetology | 1,000 | $70 | Every 4 years, $40 | Not stated |
| North Carolina | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $49 | Every 3 years | 24 h |
| North Dakota | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $50 | Every year, $50 | Not stated |
| Ohio | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $85 | Every 2 years, $65 | 4 h |
| Oklahoma | Cosmetologist | Not stated | $130 | Every 2 years, $80 | Not stated |
| Oregon | Hair Design | 1,110 | $155 | Every 2 years, $65 | Not stated |
| Pennsylvania | Cosmetologist | 1,250 | $26 | Every 2 years, $97 | None |
| Rhode Island | Hairdresser and Cosmetician | 1,000 | $25 | Every 2 years, $25 | Not stated |
| South Carolina | Registered Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $45 | Every 2 years, $52 | 4 h |
| South Dakota | Cosmetologist License | 1,500 | $120 | Every year, $45 | Not stated |
| Tennessee | Cosmetologist | 1,500 | $60 | Every 2 years, $60 | Not stated |
| Texas | Cosmetology Operator | 1,000 | $50 | Every 2 years, $50 | 4 h |
| Utah | Cosmetology license | 1,250 | Not stated | Every 2 years, $52 | Not stated |
| Vermont | Cosmetologist | 1,000 | $120 | Every 2 years, $155 | Not stated |
| Virginia | Cosmetologist | 1,000 | $120 | Every 2 years, $120 | Not stated |
| Washington | Cosmetologist | 1,600 | $40 | Every 2 years, $66 | Not stated |
| West Virginia | Cosmetologist | 1,800 | $110 | Every year, $35 | Not stated |
| Wisconsin | Cosmetologist | 1,550 | $11 | Every 2 years, $11 | Not stated |
| Wyoming | Cosmetologist | 1,600 | $48 | Every 2 years, $96 | Not stated |
Method
How we checked each state
- Official sources only. For each state we read the licensing board's own pages, its fee schedule and application forms, and its administrative rules and statutes. Schools and other guides were not used as sources.
- Every figure carries the state's own words. Each number is stored with the official page it came from and a verbatim quote, and a script confirmed that every quote appears on its page and that every number appears in its quote before the page was published. Each state's page shows those quotes under its sources.
- "Not stated" is honest, not a zero. Where the pages we read did not answer a question (most often continuing education for the specialty licenses, or an exam fee paid to a testing company), the state reads "Not stated" rather than a guess.
- School time is our estimate. Months of school assume 35 hours a week of full-time training; part-time programs take longer. It is a planning figure, not a state rule.
- Fees change. These are the state's own fees as published on October 23, 2026. Confirm with the board before you enroll or apply.
Questions
Cosmetology licenses, answered
How many hours is cosmetology school?
It depends on the state: 1,500 hours in the middle state, from 1,000 hours in California, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Virginia to 1,800 hours in Hawaii, Nebraska and West Virginia. Pick your state above for its exact hours and whether it offers an apprenticeship instead.
Which state requires the fewest hours for a cosmetology license?
California, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Virginia, at 1,000 hours, among the 50 states whose official pages state the hours. Most states license people who move in by endorsement, so check the rules of the state where you plan to work before you choose a school.
How much does a cosmetology license cost?
The state's own fees for a first license run from $11 in Wisconsin to $330 in Alaska, $77.50 in the middle state. Tuition is the large cost; testing companies may charge their own exam fees on top.
Do nail techs and estheticians need a license?
Yes, in almost every state, and it is a license of its own: 51 states and DC issue a nail technician license (350 hours of training in the middle state) and 51 an esthetician license (600 hours). The state's own names vary: manicurist, nail specialist, skin care or facial specialist.
Can I transfer my cosmetology license to another state?
Most states license people already licensed elsewhere by endorsement or reciprocity, usually against proof of equal training hours or years of experience. Each state's page says what its official pages require.
Where do these requirements come from?
From each state's own board pages, fee schedules, administrative rules and statutes, read on October 23, 2026, never from schools or other guides. Each figure carries the official page and the board's own words, and a script confirmed each quote is on that page and each number is in its quote. Rules and fees change: confirm with the board before you enroll or apply.
Once you are licensed
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