New Hampshire State Board of Cosmetology

New Hampshire regulates barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, and manicurists through a seven-member Board of Barbering, Cosmetology and Esthetics that sits inside OPLC rather than operating as its own stand-alone agency. Beyond personal licenses, the board licenses Instructors, Shops (salons, barbershops, and mobile barbershops), Schools, and it registers Tanning Facilities. Board inspectors visit every shop and school at initial licensure and again on a routine, biannual basis unless the business holds an OSHA sanitation certificate.

The board's office sits at OPLC headquarters, 7 Eagle Square in Concord, NH 03301. Phone support runs Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, closed for New Hampshire state holidays, at (603) 271-2152 — the same line and staff that field questions for every board OPLC oversees, not only barbering and cosmetology. OPLC communicates with applicants and licensees primarily by email, so the office asks licensees to add its licensing addresses to their contacts to avoid missing renewal notices or license issuance emails.

New Hampshire sets training-hour minimums by discipline: 1,200 hours of cosmetology school (or 3,000 apprenticeship hours over at least 18 months) for a Cosmetologist license, 800 school hours (or 1,600 apprenticeship hours over at least 12 months) for a Barber license, 1,500 school hours (or 3,000 apprenticeship hours) for a Master Barber license, 600 hours for an Esthetician license, and 300 hours for a Manicurist license. Every discipline also requires passing a written and practical exam, administered through the board's third-party testing vendor, Prov, Inc., at its Concord testing center.

Personal licenses issued by this board are valid for two years from their date of issuance rather than on a shared statewide date or the licensee's birthday; apprentice licenses run for one year. New Hampshire does not publish a continuing education requirement for barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, or manicuring renewal.

Every personal license issued by the New Hampshire Board of Barbering, Cosmetology and Esthetics is valid for two years from its date of issuance, under RSA 310:8, the statute governing renewal terms for all OPLC boards. Apprentice licenses are the exception and run for one year. Because the clock starts on issuance rather than a calendar date or birthday, two licensees who applied in different months will have different renewal dates.

OPLC emails a renewal reminder at least 60 days before a license expires, and the office asks licensees to keep its licensing email addresses in their contacts so the notice doesn't land in spam. Renewal cannot be submitted more than 60 days before the expiration date, and it is completed online through OPLC's Renewal Portal at forms.nh.gov rather than by mail or phone. Applicants log in, confirm their information, and pay the renewal fee, which matches the original application fee for that license type — $82 for a personal Barber, Master Barber, Cosmetology, Manicurist, or Esthetician license, or $55 for an Apprentice license.

OPLC processes applications, including renewals, in the order received and asks applicants to allow 10 to 14 business days. Licenses are issued electronically by email rather than mailed, so a licensee should watch their inbox rather than their mailbox for confirmation.

A license that expires without being renewed can still be reinstated by filing a reinstatement application and paying the reinstatement fee — the same dollar amount as the renewal fee — as long as it has been expired for less than one year. Once a license has been expired for a full year, RSA 310:8 treats it as lapsed rather than merely expired, and the holder must file a new initial application and meet current qualification requirements, which for most disciplines includes retesting, rather than simply reinstating.

OPLC's Division of Enforcement investigates complaints against every licensee it oversees, including the barbers, master barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, manicurists, instructors, shops, and schools regulated by the Board of Barbering, Cosmetology and Esthetics. Complaints should describe suspected professional misconduct — such as sanitation violations, unlicensed practice, or unsafe services — while suspected criminal conduct should instead be reported to local law enforcement, since OPLC pursues licensing discipline, not criminal prosecution.

Complaints are filed online through OPLC's Enforcement Complaint Form rather than by phone or mail. A complete complaint must identify who allegedly committed the misconduct, their profession, and when, where, and how it happened, including any witnesses, and it must include the complainant's own name, date of birth, email, mailing address, and phone number — New Hampshire does not accept anonymous complaints, and OPLC may reject a complaint that doesn't identify the licensee clearly enough to investigate.

OPLC's intake team screens every complaint against the law before deciding how to proceed. If the described conduct would not amount to professional misconduct, staff recommend dismissal to the board; otherwise, the matter proceeds to a preliminary investigation that can include a written response from the licensee, a recorded interview with the complainant, and subpoenaed records. The board then reviews the findings and can dismiss the case or move it toward a public disciplinary hearing, with sanctions ranging from a reprimand to fines, suspension, or revocation.