All 50 states and DC, from each state's own rules
Lash and brow license requirements by state
In 38 states the official rules say lash extensions need a license, and 9 states offer a license for lash work alone; 4 states exempt them. Pick your state for lash extensions, lash lifts and tints, brow lamination, waxing and eyebrow threading, each answered from the state's own statutes, rules or board pages.
Read from the official sources on October 23, 2026. How we checked ยท Download every state (CSV)
- States that license lash extensions
- 38 of 51
- States with a lash specialty license
- 9
- States that exempt threading
- 16
Pick your state
Do you need a license to do lashes in your state?
Lash extensions, lash lifts and tints, brow lamination, waxing and eyebrow threading, each answered with the state's own words.
- AlabamaNot stated
- AlaskaLicense needed
- ArizonaLicense needed
- ArkansasLicense needed
- CaliforniaLicense needed
- ColoradoLicense needed
- ConnecticutLicense needed
- DelawareLicense needed
- District of ColumbiaLicense needed
- FloridaLicense needed
- GeorgiaLicense needed
- HawaiiNot stated
- IdahoNo license needed
- IllinoisLicense needed
- IndianaNo license needed
- IowaLicense needed
- KansasLicense needed
- KentuckyLicense needed
- LouisianaLicense needed
- MaineLicense needed
- MarylandLicense needed
- MassachusettsLicense needed
- MichiganLicense needed
- MinnesotaLicense needed
- MississippiNo license needed
- MissouriNot stated
- MontanaLicense needed
- NebraskaNot stated
- NevadaLicense needed
- New HampshireLicense needed
- New JerseyNot stated
- New MexicoLicense needed
- New YorkLicense needed
- North CarolinaLicense needed
- North DakotaLicense needed
- OhioLicense needed
- OklahomaLicense needed
- OregonLicense needed
- PennsylvaniaNot stated
- Rhode IslandNot stated
- South CarolinaNot stated
- South DakotaLicense needed
- TennesseeLicense needed
- TexasLicense needed
- UtahLicense needed
- VermontNo license needed
- VirginiaLicense needed
- WashingtonLicense needed
- West VirginiaLicense needed
- WisconsinNot stated
- WyomingLicense needed
Across the states
What the rules have in common
- Lash extensions are licensed work in most states. In 38 states the official pages put lash extensions under a license, while Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi and Vermont exempt them; in 9 states the pages we read do not name them, so ask the board.
- A few states license lash work on its own. Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Utah have a license for lash extensions alone, with far fewer training hours than a full cosmetology or esthetics license.
- Threading is the service most often exempt. 16 states exempt eyebrow threading from licensing on their official pages, while 20 states require a license for it.
- Waxing is licensed work in 47 states. It usually sits in the esthetics or cosmetology scope, and New York, Virginia and West Virginia have a waxing-only license.
- Lifts, tints and lamination follow the license, not the lash course. In 34 states the official pages name lash or brow tinting, lifting or lamination as licensed work; 17 states do not say.
Every state compared
Lash, brow, waxing and threading rules, state by state
"Not stated" means the state's official pages we read did not settle it; it is not a yes or a no. A certificate from a lash or brow course is not a state license.
| State | Lash extensions | Lifts and tints | Waxing | Threading | Lash specialty license |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not stated | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| Alaska | License needed | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| Arizona | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | Eyelash Technician Registration, 30 h |
| Arkansas | License needed | Not stated | License needed | Not stated | None |
| California | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Colorado | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Connecticut | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | Eyelash technician license, 50 h |
| Delaware | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| District of Columbia | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| Florida | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| Georgia | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| Hawaii | Not stated | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| Idaho | No license needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Illinois | License needed | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| Indiana | No license needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Iowa | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Kansas | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Kentucky | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | Eyelash Artistry Permit |
| Louisiana | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| Maine | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Maryland | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | Temporary Eyelash Extension Technician License |
| Massachusetts | License needed | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | None |
| Michigan | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| Minnesota | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | Eyelash technician, 14 h |
| Mississippi | No license needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Missouri | Not stated | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Montana | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Nebraska | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | No license needed | None |
| Nevada | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| New Hampshire | License needed | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| New Jersey | Not stated | Not stated | License needed | Not stated | None |
| New Mexico | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| New York | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| North Carolina | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| North Dakota | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Ohio | License needed | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| Oklahoma | License needed | License needed | Not stated | License needed | Eyelash Extension Specialist, 120 h |
| Oregon | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| Pennsylvania | Not stated | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Rhode Island | Not stated | Not stated | License needed | License needed | None |
| South Carolina | Not stated | Not stated | License needed | Not stated | None |
| South Dakota | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Tennessee | License needed | Not stated | License needed | License needed | Eyelash Specialist, 300 h |
| Texas | License needed | Not stated | License needed | No license needed | Eyelash Extension Specialist, 320 h |
| Utah | License needed | License needed | License needed | No license needed | Eyelash and eyebrow technology license, 270 h |
| Vermont | No license needed | Not stated | Not stated | No license needed | None |
| Virginia | License needed | License needed | License needed | Not stated | None |
| Washington | License needed | License needed | License needed | License needed | None |
| West Virginia | License needed | Not stated | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Wisconsin | Not stated | License needed | License needed | No license needed | None |
| Wyoming | License needed | Not stated | License needed | Not stated | None |
Method
How we checked each state
- Official sources only. For each state we read its cosmetology practice act and rules (the definitions of each licensed practice and the list of exemptions), its board's pages and any license made for lash or brow work. Lash academies and other guides were not used as sources.
- Every answer carries the state's own words. Each answer is stored with the official page it came from and a verbatim quote, and a script confirmed that every quote appears on its page before the page was published. Each state's page shows those quotes.
- "Not stated" is honest. Where the pages we read do not name a service (lash lifts and brow lamination most often), the state reads "Not stated" rather than a guess. In most states such services still fall under the general cosmetology or esthetics definition, so ask the board.
- Rules change. These are the states' own rules as published on October 23, 2026. Confirm with your board before you start offering a service.
Questions
Lash and brow licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do lash extensions?
In most states, yes. 38 states put lash extensions under a license on their official pages, usually cosmetology or esthetics, and Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Utah also offer a lash specialty license. A certificate from a lash course is not a state license. Pick your state above for its rule.
Which states have a lash extension license?
Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, on the official pages we read. Elsewhere lash extensions fall under a cosmetology or esthetics license.
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading?
It depends on the state. 16 states exempt threading on their official pages, 20 states require a license, and 15 states do not say. Each state's page shows its own words.
Do you need a license to do waxing?
In 47 states the official pages say waxing needs a license, usually esthetics or cosmetology. Each state's page names the licenses that allow it.
Where do these answers come from?
From each state's own statutes, administrative rules and board pages, read on October 23, 2026, never from lash academies or other guides. Each answer carries the official page and the state's own words, and a script confirmed each quote is on that page. Rules change: confirm with your state board before you start.
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
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Ready when you are
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