Georgia Barber License Requirements

Georgia licenses barbers through the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers, which sits under the Office of the Secretary of State. It issues two barber licences, and choosing between them decides how long you train.

Master Barber vs Barber II

• Master Barber — a course of at least nine months totalling 1,500 hours. This is the full-scope credential and what most Georgia barber programmes teach.
• Barber II — a course of at least seven months totalling 1,140 hours, which the rule itemises as 190 curriculum hours plus 950 practical hours.

The gap is 360 hours and two months. Both licences are examined the same way and cost the same to obtain and renew — the Board's fee schedule prices "Master Barber or Barber II" as a single line.

The Steps

1. Complete the course at a licensed school of barbering, or an approved apprenticeship.
2. Pass the written and practical examinations, each at 70% or better.
3. Apply on the Board's form with proof of passing from the Board's designated agent, and the $30 non-refundable application processing fee.

Theory Comes Before Clients

Georgia gates the clinic floor. A school or licensed instructor must require each student to obtain their theory hours before the student is allowed to render clinical services:

• Master Barber — 280 theory hours first
• Barber II — 190 theory hours first

Within that, 50 hours of classroom theory must be taught by a licensed instructor and must cover chemistry (the basics of physical and chemical changes), cleansing and disinfection, hygiene and good grooming, and laws and rules.

Georgia sets its barbering courses by both hours and elapsed months, so neither can be compressed away.

• Master Barber — at least nine months and 1,500 hours
• Barber II — at least seven months and 1,140 hours (190 curriculum + 950 practical)

The Apprenticeship Route Is Roughly Double

Georgia issues a four-year apprentice licence, and the required totals are steep:

• Master Barber — 18 months and 3,000 hours
• Barber II — 14 months and 2,280 hours

Three rules shape how those hours are earned:

• Apprentice hours cannot be combined with school hours. You commit to one route.
• Credit will not be allowed for any hours received prior to issuance of the apprentice licence. Register first, then start.
• An apprentice licence issued on or after 1 July 2015 may be held for four years and is not renewable.

Barbers Can Supervise Apprentices Sooner Than Anyone Else

To take on an apprentice, a master must hold a current Georgia licence and have been licensed at least thirty-six months — eighteen months for barbers. Georgia halves the seasoning requirement for barbers alone. If you are a newly licensed master barber, you can begin training someone a year and a half sooner than a master cosmetologist could.

The Paperwork of an Apprenticeship

The salon or shop owner is responsible for keeping an accurate record of apprentice clock hours. A new application must be filed every time the apprentice changes supervising master or shop. When an apprenticeship ends, the owner must notify the Board and submit the apprentice licence plus a notarised transcript of total hours within thirty days, and apprentice supervisors must maintain records for five years.

What the School Must Provide

Barber school equipment rules apply to both levels. Schools must hold a minimum of seven hair dryers for up to sixteen students, plus one more for each additional five students, secured storage for records, instructional displays, an appropriate disinfection container and a first aid kit. The student kit for master barber and barber II alike includes basic combs, brushes with nylon bristles that can be disinfected only, shears and thinning shears, a straight razor, and a shampoo cape.

Georgia examines barbers in two independently graded sections, and the pass mark is set for each.

70% on Each Section, Separately

Rule 240-6-.02 requires the applicant to pass the practical and written examination with a minimum score of 70% on each section. Crucially, failure to achieve a passing score requires the applicant to retake the section failed — not the whole examination. If your practical is strong and your written is not, you resit only the written.

Notice of Eligibility

Applicants for the master barber, barber II or instructor examinations receive a notice of eligibility from the Board or its designated agent, stating the date, time and place. Failing the examination, or failing to report to it, means qualifying again by submitting another examination fee.

The Emergency Excuse

Georgia builds in one free pass, narrowly defined. An applicant may be excused from an examination in an emergency situation, only one time, without payment of an additional examination fee. An emergency situation is defined as illness or death in the applicant's family, and only written excuses with proof of emergency will be considered.

The deadline is tight. An applicant who receives an examination notice and then fails to report or to submit a written excuse within 10 days after the examination date must pay another examination fee before testing.

What Goes With the Application

• Proof of passing the written and practical examination from the Board's designated agent
• Any other information the Board requires by law or rule
• The required application processing fee, which is non-refundable — $30 for licensure by examination

Georgia barber licences renew every two years for $50, on a fixed statewide date, through the Secretary of State's GOALS portal.

Barbers Renew on Their Own Date

The Board runs different expiry dates for different licence types, and barbers have their own:

• Master Barber or Barber II — 31 December of even-numbered years
• Master Cosmetologist — 31 March of even-numbered years
• Salon or shop — 30 June of odd-numbered years

If you hold a barber licence and own the shop, those two deadlines are eighteen months apart.

The Late Fee Doubles the Renewal

A late renewal within 30 days costs $100 against a $50 renewal — a straight 100% penalty. Shops are treated more harshly still: a $75 renewal becomes a $200 late renewal within six months.

Continuing Education: 5 Hours, Split 3 and 2

Every licensee must show five continuing education hours to renew:

• Three hours in a health and safety course developed or approved by the Board. A qualifying course offered through the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia or the American Red Cross may be accepted without prior approval.
• Two hours in a course previously registered with the Board, in areas including industry or trade show, health and safety, and industry trends.

These requirements have applied to Master Barber, Barber II and Barber Instructor licences since the 2018 renewal year.

Preapproved Providers

Courses from several national bodies satisfy CE without prior Board approval or registration, including the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC), the National Association of Barber Board of America (NABBA), NACCAS and the Professional Beauty Association. CE providers must give you written proof of completion carrying the provider's Board-issued registration number, and are forbidden from implying they are the Board or the Secretary of State.

Instructors Carry a Heavier Load

Barber instructors must submit proof of fifteen hours of continuing education since their last renewal, and at least half of the fifteen must be in teaching techniques, lesson planning, or other advanced teacher training.

Georgia's barbering scope is defined through its two licence levels and the curricula behind them, administered by the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers.

The Two Barber Levels

• Master Barber — the full credential, 1,500 hours over at least nine months, with 280 theory hours before clinical work.
• Barber II — the narrower credential, 1,140 hours over at least seven months, with 190 theory hours before clinical work.

Both sit inside a licensing structure that also covers master cosmetologist, hair designer, esthetician and nail technician, with separate school rules and curricula for each.

Crossover Licensing Is Its Own Chapter

Georgia devotes an entire rule chapter — 240-7, Cross-Over Licensing — to moving between these credentials. If you already hold one of the Board's licences and want to add barbering, that chapter, rather than the full course requirement, is where to start.

The Straight Razor Is Standard Kit

The Board's required student kit for both master barber and barber II students includes a straight razor alongside shears and thinning shears. Georgia also specifies that brushes must have nylon bristles that can be disinfected ONLY — the rule capitalises the word.

Apprenticeship Sits Alongside School

Apprentice training must follow the same curriculum required for students in the respective level, and the shop owner and master-level supervisor must supply each apprentice with the basic materials for learning, including a current paper or electronic copy of the laws and rules of the Board.

Where a Licence Is Required

Georgia licenses both people and premises. Salon and shop registration is a separate $75 licence covering cosmetology and/or barber operations, renewing on 30 June of odd-numbered years, and school licences cost $300. Operating without the premises licence is a separate matter from holding your own.