Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology

The Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (MSBCB) regulates the practice and instruction of cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, and nail technology statewide. The board writes the rules and qualifications for licensure, administers licensing examinations, sets sanitation standards for schools and establishments, and disciplines licensees who violate state law, all with the stated purpose of protecting public health and safety.

The MSBCB is governed by a seven-member board: six practitioners (cosmetologists and barbers) appointed from three geographic districts, plus a permanent designee from the Mississippi Department of Health. Day-to-day operations are run by an executive director, an investigative team, and a customer service team based out of the board's Jackson office.

The board's office is at 239 N. Lamar Street, Suite 301, Jackson, MS 39201; mail is handled through PO Box 55689, Jackson, MS 39296-5689. Licensees and the public can reach the board by phone at (601) 359-1820 or by email at info@msbcb.ms.gov; specific published office hours are not listed on the board's website.

Mississippi licenses four personal practitioner disciplines — Cosmetologist, Barber, Esthetician, and Nail Technician — each requiring a set number of training hours before examination, plus a separate Instructor license for those teaching in a licensed school. The board also licenses salons and barber shops (establishments) and cosmetology/barbering schools. All personal, instructor, establishment, and school licenses run on a two-year renewal cycle rather than a birthday-based schedule.

Every Mississippi practitioner license — Cosmetologist, Barber, Esthetician, and Nail Technician — is issued for a fixed two-year term and must be renewed every two years; it does not run on the licensee's birthday. Instructor licenses also run on a two-year cycle. A sixty-day grace period follows each expiration date, during which a license can still be renewed for the standard fee.

Practitioners renew using the Practitioner Renewal Form (or the online portal at ms.gov/msbc/online_licensure) along with two recent passport-style photographs and the $50 renewal fee, payable by check, money order, or credit card. Instructors renew separately for $80 and must document twelve clock hours of board-approved continuing education completed during the two-year cycle; an instructor who has not met that requirement can be issued an inactive instructor license until the hours are completed. Practitioners renewing on or before July 1, 2029 must also submit certificates of completion for board-required continuing education on human trafficking and domestic violence. No license can be renewed while the licensee owes unpaid fines or penalties to the board.

Salon and barber shop (establishment) licenses renew for $60 and school licenses renew for $75, both on the same two-year cycle and both subject to the same sixty-day grace period before a delinquent fee applies. Establishment licenses that lapse for more than one year cannot be renewed and require a brand-new application and inspection.

Once the sixty-day grace period passes, renewing requires the standard fee plus a $50 delinquent penalty (added per year the license stays lapsed), and licenses lapsed more than three years generally require retaking the licensing exam. Mississippi does carve out an exception for veteran licensees: a cosmetologist, barber, esthetician, nail technician, or instructor with at least ten years of experience whose license has been expired for up to ten years (through 2026) or up to five years (from January 1, 2027 onward) can renew without retesting by paying the renewal fee, any fines, and applicable delinquent fees. Licensees seventy or older pay no renewal fee at all.

The MSBCB investigates written complaints against licensed cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, instructors, salons, barber shops, and schools, whether the complaint comes from a member of the public or from the board's own staff. Investigators can enter a school, salon, or barber shop during regular business hours to inspect the premises and review records related to the complaint.

Complaints must be submitted in writing on the board's Complaint Form, signed by the person making the complaint, and sworn before a notary public — Mississippi does not accept anonymous complaints. The form is mailed to the board at PO Box 55689, Jackson, MS 39296-5689, along with copies of any supporting documents; complainants keep their originals. Both the complaint and any attachments become public record, and the licensee named in the complaint may be given a copy.

After investigating, the board can dismiss a complaint it finds lacks substantial justification, or move forward with a formal disciplinary proceeding against the licensee. Outcomes can include denial, suspension, or revocation of a license, along with other penalties authorized under Mississippi law.