Georgia Cosmetology, Esthetician, Nail Technician and Barber Licenses: Hours, Apprenticeship, Exams and CE

Looking for Georgia cosmetology license requirements? This guide covers the individual license for cosmetology, esthetics, nail technology and barbering: the hours you need, the two ways to earn them, the exams, the application and continuing education. If you want to own a salon or shop instead, start with our Georgia hair salon business guide, which covers the shop license and owner duties.

Informational content only. This article is not legal or tax advice. Board rules and fees change, so the official rules and the Board's current forms control. If your situation is complicated, such as a license transfer from another state, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA.

Which Georgia License You Need

The Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers issues six individual licenses under Rule 240-6-.03:

• Master Cosmetologist
• Hair Designer
• Esthetician
• Nail Technician
• Master Barber
• Barber II

The Board also issues separate instructor licenses for people who teach. Instructor requirements are not covered here, so read the Board's rules before planning an instructor path.

Choose the license that matches the work you want to do. Hour minimums differ by license, so the timeline for each is shown below.

School or Apprenticeship: The Two Ways In

You earn your hours either through a licensed school or through an apprenticeship in a licensed salon or shop. Apprentice training follows the same curriculum as school, but it takes longer and happens on the job. The table lists the state minimums. Schools and shops can require more, so ask before you enroll or sign on.

License	School (minimum)	Apprenticeship (minimum)
Master Cosmetologist	9 months, 1,500 hours (250 theory, 1,250 service)	18 months, 3,000 hours
Hair Designer	7 months, 1,350 hours (250 theory, 1,100 service)	14 months, 2,650 hours
Esthetician	9 months, 1,000 hours (250 theory, 750 service)	18 months, 2,000 hours
Nail Technician	4 months, 525 hours (140 theory, 385 service)	8 months, 1,050 hours
Master Barber	9 months, 1,500 hours	18 months, 3,000 hours
Barber II	7 months, 1,140 hours (190 theory, 950 practical)	14 months, 2,280 hours

How to Become a Barber in Georgia

Barber II requires 7 months and 1,140 hours in school (190 theory and 950 practical), or 14 months and 2,280 hours as an apprentice. Master Barber requires 9 months and 1,500 hours in school, or 18 months and 3,000 hours as an apprentice. A barber apprentice's supervisor must have held a license for at least 18 months.

Georgia Esthetician License Requirements

Esthetician training requires 9 months and 1,000 hours in school (250 theory and 750 service), or 18 months and 2,000 hours as an apprentice.

Georgia Nail Technician License

The Nail Technician license has the shortest timeline of the six: 4 months and 525 hours in school (140 theory and 385 service), or 8 months and 1,050 hours as an apprentice.

Georgia Hair Designer License

The Hair Designer license requires 7 months and 1,350 hours in school (250 theory and 1,100 service), or 14 months and 2,650 hours as an apprentice.

Georgia Cosmetology School Hours and Apprenticeship Hours

Master Cosmetologist requires 9 months and 1,500 hours in school (250 theory and 1,250 service), or 18 months and 3,000 hours as an apprentice. These are the Georgia cosmetology school hours and apprenticeship hours most people plan around, so count them against your own schedule before you commit.

Step by Step: How to Get Licensed

1. Confirm the agency handling your application. The Board was created by HB 314, effective July 1, 2015, when it combined the former barber and cosmetology boards. Its rules are in Department 240. Licensing is administered through the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Secretary of State (sos.ga.gov). A bill to move the Board to the Department of Public Health has an unconfirmed status, so confirm the agency before you submit any application or payment.
2. Pick your license and pathway. Decide which license fits your goals, then choose school or apprenticeship. Apprentice hours cannot be combined with school hours, so pick one path and stay on it.
3. Complete the required hours. In school, you finish the program's theory and service hours, which must meet the state minimums. As an apprentice, you train under a qualified supervisor, and your hours count only after your apprentice license is issued.
4. Pass the written and practical exams. Each exam requires at least 70%. The Board or its designated agent sends a notice of eligibility, and you schedule from that notice.
5. File the license application. Submit the Board's application form under Rule 240-6-.03 with proof that you passed both exams and the non-refundable processing fee. The Board's website lists the current fee schedule, so read it there rather than relying on older published amounts.
6. Plan your continuing education. Once licensed, you complete CE at each renewal under Rule 240-3-.01. Your first renewal is exempt, but keep records from the start.

Apprenticeship Rules Under Rule 240-5-.01

If you apprentice, these rules apply:

• You must be at least 16 years old.
• You train in a licensed salon or shop under the direct supervision of a master licensee who has held a license for at least 36 months. For barbers, the supervisor needs at least 18 months.
• The apprentice license is a four-year license issued on or after July 1, 2015. It cannot be renewed, so you must finish within that window. The rules do not say what happens if you do not finish in that window, so ask the Board early.
• Hours count only from the date your apprentice license is issued.
• Apprentice hours cannot be combined with school hours.
• If you change supervisor or shop, you must submit a new application to the Board.
• The shop owner or manager keeps accurate hour records for five years. Within 30 days after the apprenticeship ends, the shop sends the Board a notarized transcript of hours.

Apprentice training follows the same curriculum as school. The route is different, but the subject matter you must learn is not.

Exams Under Rule 240-6-.02

The Board requires a written exam and a practical exam, and you must score at least 70% on each. If you fail or miss an exam, you pay another exam fee to retake it. If you fail only one section, you retake only that section. Exam scheduling starts with a notice of eligibility from the Board or its designated agent, so wait for that notice before you book. The exam fee amounts and testing vendor details are not set out in this guide, so confirm them with the Board.

Materials and Records You Need

• Records of your training hours, from your school or, for an apprenticeship, the notarized transcript your shop sends to the Board
• Your apprentice license and your supervisor's license information
• Your notice of eligibility and proof that you passed both exams
• The Board's current application form, downloaded from the Board or Secretary of State website
• The non-refundable processing fee, in the amount on the Board's fee schedule
• A personal hour log and your CE certificates

Continuing Education Under Rule 240-3-.01

At each renewal, you complete 5 CE hours:

• 3 hours in a health and safety course developed or approved by the Board
• 2 hours in a registered course on a listed topic: trade shows, health and safety, industry trends, computer skills, business management, or your area of practice

Your first renewal is exempt. Licensees who have held a license for 25 years or more, and certain military members and spouses, may be exempt on written request. If your license lapses, reinstatement requires 5 CE hours for each lapsed period, plus fees. Colleges, technical colleges, the Red Cross and several national organizations are preapproved course providers. Instructors have a longer CE requirement, so read the rule. Confirm your renewal deadline with the Board.

Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Starting an apprenticeship with an unqualified supervisor. Confirm that your supervisor has held the license for at least 36 months (18 for barbers) before you log a single hour.
• Counting hours from before your license was issued. Only hours after the apprentice license issue date count.
• Switching shops or supervisors without filing. A new supervisor or shop means a new application to the Board.
• Letting the four-year window run out. The apprentice license cannot be renewed.
• Booking an exam before you receive the notice of eligibility. Wait for the Board's notice first.
• Missing the 30-day transcript deadline. Ask your shop for the transcript as soon as training ends, not months later.
• Enrolling in a program below the state minimum. Hours below the minimum will not count toward your license, so confirm the total hours before you pay tuition.
• Waiting to start CE records. Keep certificates from the start, even though your first renewal is exempt.

Tip: Keep a signed hour log and have your supervisor initial it weekly. That way the notarized transcript matches the work you actually did.

What to Expect After You Are Licensed

Completing a training program is designed to build the skills the Board's exams measure, and licensing is designed to confirm that you have met Georgia's minimum training and testing standards. Training may help you learn sanitation and safety practices, which the Board's health and safety CE also covers. A license does not guarantee specific results for clients or income, and passing a course or exam does not guarantee a job.

Related Questions

• Microblading and tattooing are not under this Board. They fall under the Department of Public Health's body art rules. See our Georgia tattoo and body art business guide.
• Medical spa treatments follow a different regulatory path. See our Georgia med spa business guide.
• Natural hair braiding, eyelash and laser services, and out-of-state license transfers are not settled by the Board's rules. Confirm each with the Board before you practice or advertise those services.

Local Business Licensing

Georgia issues no general statewide business license. A city or county will want proof of your state license before it issues a local business license under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6(c). The local occupation tax certificate comes from the city if your business is inside city limits, or from the county if you are in unincorporated territory. Cosmetologists are not on the statutory list of professions that may be charged a professional per-practitioner fee under the local occupation tax. For how the local certificate works, see our Georgia business license guide.

For Salon and Shop Owners

If you plan to open or run a salon, barbershop or nail salon, the entity, shop license and owner duties are covered on these pages: Georgia hair salon business, Georgia barbershop business and Georgia nail salon business. This page covers only your individual license.

For complex questions about licensing and business structure, consult a qualified attorney or CPA, and confirm current requirements with the Board before you enroll, apprentice or file.