Illinois State Board of Cosmetology

IDFPR is a large umbrella department that regulates more than 1.2 million professionals across over 100 professions, from real estate brokers to physicians. Barbering and cosmetology fall under its Division of Professional Regulation, which issues, renews, and disciplines Cosmetologist, Barber, Esthetician, Nail Technician, and Hair Braider licenses statewide. An eleven-member Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology (BCENT) Board — ten licensed professionals and one public member, appointed by the Secretary — advises the Department on disciplinary matters and professional standards, but IDFPR itself is the licensing authority.

IDFPR maintains two offices: its Chicago headquarters at 555 West Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60661 (also home to the Complaint Intake Unit), and a Springfield office at 320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Springfield, IL 62786. Department-wide office hours run 8:30 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, with walk-in visitation until 4:30 PM. Since July 2024, licensees seeking in-person help with an application no longer visit the Springfield office directly; instead, IDFPR asks that they book a virtual licensing appointment, offered in 30-minute slots on Wednesdays.

The Department can be reached at 1-888-473-4858 for general inquiries or 1-800-560-6420 for professional licensing questions specifically, with a TTY/TDD line at 1-866-325-4949; the licensing call center is staffed from 7 AM to 7 PM on weekdays. On October 30, 2024, IDFPR launched CORE, a newer online system that now handles new applications for select license types such as cosmetology schools and continuing education sponsors, while renewals for most personal licenses continue to run through the Department's existing online portal.

IDFPR licenses five personal disciplines under the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act of 1985 — Cosmetologist, Barber, Esthetician, Nail Technician, and Hair Braider — plus a Teacher license in each discipline, Salon/Shop registrations, and School licenses. Rather than renewing on the licensee's birthday, every Illinois license in this group runs on a fixed two-year cycle that expires on a set calendar date depending on the profession, and continuing education is required for renewal in every discipline except barbering.

Illinois calculates license renewal fees by rule (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1175.100) at $25 per year for Cosmetologists, Barbers, Estheticians, Hair Braiders, Nail Technicians, and their respective Teacher licenses, which works out to $50 for a full two-year cycle. Salon and shop registrations renew at $20 per year ($40 for two years), and school licenses renew at $100 per year ($200 for two years). Unlike states that tie renewal to a licensee's birthday, every Illinois license in this group expires on a fixed date set by profession — for example, Cosmetologists and Estheticians on September 30 of odd-numbered years, Barbers on July 31 of odd-numbered years, and Nail Technicians and Hair Braiders on October 31 of even-numbered years — regardless of when the license was originally issued.

Renewal opens roughly two to three months before the expiration date shown on the license and is completed online through IDFPR's licensing portal. Licensees log in, confirm their information, report any required continuing education, and pay the renewal fee; IDFPR advises allowing two to four business days after payment for the renewal to post and the license status to update. If the online renewal window closes before an applicant renews, the portal will no longer accept the renewal, and the licensee must instead request and submit a paper Reinstatement application.

Continuing education is required for renewal of most BCENT disciplines, though the first renewal after initial licensure is exempt. Cosmetologists must complete 14 hours of CE during the two-year period before expiration; Estheticians, Nail Technicians, and Hair Braiders each need 10 hours; and Cosmetology Teachers need 24 hours, 10 of which must cover specific mandated topics. Barbers are the exception — Illinois does not require continuing education for barber license renewal.

A license that lapses can typically be reinstated by paying a $50 restoration fee plus all lapsed renewal fees, capped at $200 total, using the paper Reinstatement or Restoration application IDFPR provides once the licensee's expiration date is confirmed through the online License Look Up tool. A license voluntarily placed on inactive status at renewal time can generally be reactivated for the current renewal fee alone, without owing back fees.

Complaints against Illinois-licensed cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, hair braiders, salons, and schools are handled by IDFPR's Division of Professional Regulation Complaint Intake Unit. Complaints can be filed using the Division's online complaint form or a printable PDF form mailed to the Complaint Intake Unit at 555 West Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60661. The unit can also be reached by phone at (312) 814-6910 or by email at FPR.CIU@illinois.gov.

The online complaint form asks for the complainant's contact information — an email address and daytime phone number are required so IDFPR can follow up for more detail — along with the name and profession of the person or business the complaint concerns, the county where the incident occurred, and a description of what happened. The Division investigates alleged violations of the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act of 1985 and its administrative rules, such as unlicensed practice, sanitation and safety violations, and other unsafe or unlawful conduct by a licensee or licensed establishment.

Under Illinois law (20 ILCS 2105/2105-117), information IDFPR collects during a complaint review or investigation is confidential and cannot be publicly disclosed, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, other regulatory agencies, or a valid subpoena. Depending on what an investigation finds, IDFPR and the BCENT Board can pursue outcomes ranging from no action to fines, probation, or suspension or revocation of a license.