Nevada State Board of Cosmetology

Established in 1931, the Nevada State Board of Cosmetology licenses and disciplines cosmetologists, estheticians, advanced estheticians, nail technologists, electrologists, hair designers, hair braiders, shampoo technologists, instructors, and makeup artists, along with salons and cosmetology schools, throughout the state. The board operates under Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 644A and Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 644A, and its members are appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms, with a maximum of two full terms.

NSBOC maintains two offices — its main office at 8945 West Russell Road, Suite 200, in Las Vegas, and a second office at 740 Del Monte Lane, Suite 12, in Reno. Both offices share a single phone line, 702-508-0015, staffed Monday through Thursday from 7 AM to 5 PM; the board is closed Friday through Sunday. Email is split by purpose: info@nvcosmo.com for general and licensing questions, inspection@nvcosmo.com for salon and inspection matters, and testing@nvcosmo.com for exam scheduling.

Nevada's cosmetologist license requires 1,600 hours of school training (or an equivalent apprenticeship or documented out-of-state-experience pathway), while esthetics and nail technology each require 600 hours, electrology requires 500 hours, and the limited-scope shampoo technologist registration requires just 50 hours. Hair braiders sit for the state exam without a set training-hour minimum. The board also issues instructor licenses (500 to 700 hours of instructor-level training on top of an existing Nevada license), short-term provisional and student instructor licenses, one-year makeup artist and threading registrations, and licenses for salons, salon suites, and cosmetology schools.

Most personal licenses run on a flexible term tied to the licensee's date of birth: cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technologists, electrologists, hair braiders, and instructors can choose to renew for either two years or four years. Limited licenses, makeup artist and threading registrations, and provisional or student instructor licenses instead run on fixed one-year terms. Nevada does not require continuing education to renew most personal licenses, though instructors must submit CEU certificates for approval before their license can be renewed.

Nevada personal licenses expire on the licensee's date of birth rather than on a single statewide date. At renewal, most licensees choose to pay for either a two-year term ($70 for cosmetology, esthetics, nail technology, electrology, hair braiding, and instructor licenses) or a four-year term ($140); establishment and school licenses offer the same two-tier choice at higher fee levels. The board sends courtesy renewal reminders by email starting three months before expiration and then every 30 days until the license lapses.

Individual renewals are submitted through the board's dedicated online renewal portal. Every renewal requires a new passport-quality photo taken within the last 90 days, with a white background and no hats, sunglasses, or filters — an old or reused photo will cause the renewal to be rejected. Online payment must be made by debit or credit card; in-person payment also accepts money order or cashier's check, but the board does not accept cash. Submitting payment only confirms the renewal was received, not that it was approved — board staff review every renewal, and they will email the licensee if there is a problem.

Licensees changing their name at renewal must first email supporting documentation — a marriage certificate, divorce decree, updated driver's license, or court order — to info@nvcosmo.com for approval before submitting the renewal itself. Instructors renewing an Instructor license must similarly email their CEU certificates for approval before submitting. Once a renewal is approved, the new license is mailed via standard USPS; licensees who would rather pick up their license in person must contact the board before renewing to arrange it.

A license that isn't renewed by its expiration date accrues a $20 late fee for every month it remains lapsed, and those late fees cannot be waived or reduced by board staff. Under NRS 644A.525, a license lapsed for four years or more can no longer be renewed at all — the board refunds any renewal payment submitted, and the license holder must reapply and retest as a new applicant. Licensees whose license has lapsed for less than four years should contact the board office directly for help restoring it.

The Nevada State Board of Cosmetology investigates complaints against its licensees — cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technologists, electrologists, hair designers, hair braiders, instructors, and makeup artists — as well as salons and schools, when a consumer received or witnessed an unsafe, unsanitary, or unlicensed beauty service. Complaints are filed through the board's online Consumer Complaint Form rather than by phone or mail.

Once submitted, compliance staff first review the complaint to confirm it falls within the board's jurisdiction before an investigation begins. Complaints found within jurisdiction are investigated, and discipline is imposed when warranted. Under NRS 644A.870, the complaint itself and the documents the board considers while deciding whether to pursue discipline are confidential, unless the board formally initiates disciplinary action, at which point that record becomes public.

The board does not have the authority to order a salon or licensee to issue a refund, so complaints centered solely on a refund dispute fall outside what NSBOC can resolve. After filing, consumers can check the Verify a License tool on the board's website to confirm a stylist or salon is currently licensed and free of discipline.