North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology

The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology licenses and regulates the state's cosmetology profession under North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-11. The Board sets qualifications for licensure, administers and enforces state cosmetology laws and administrative rules, approves and inspects schools and establishments, registers students and apprentices, and investigates complaints against licensees. Its work is split between appointed Board members, who set policy and decide disciplinary matters, and Board staff, who process applications and renewals, coordinate exams, and carry out inspections and investigations.

The Board's office is at 4719 Shelburne Street, Suite 1, in Bismarck. Staff are reachable by phone Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or by email through the contact form on the Board's website. The Board is transitioning to a new online licensing system launching September 1, 2026; until then, applications, renewals, and most other licensing transactions are handled with paper forms mailed or delivered to the Bismarck office along with the required fee.

North Dakota issues five personal license types: Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Advanced Esthetician, Manicurist, and Instructor, each requiring a set number of training hours from a Board-licensed school or a registered apprenticeship before an applicant can sit for the NIC practical exam, the NIC written theory exam, and the North Dakota Laws, Rules & Regulations exam. The Board also issues Establishment licenses for salons and Independent Licensee licenses for booth renters operating inside a licensed establishment.

Every North Dakota personal, establishment, and independent licensee license runs on the same calendar-year cycle and must be renewed on or before December 31 each year. Continuing education is not required for most disciplines, but Instructors must complete 12 hours and Advanced Estheticians must complete 8 hours of Board-approved continuing education annually, tracked through CE Broker, in order to renew.

North Dakota runs all personal, establishment, and independent licensee licenses on a single calendar-year cycle rather than an individual birthdate cycle. Every license, regardless of when it was issued, expires December 31 and must be renewed by that date to remain valid for the following year.

Renewal is currently a paper process: licensees complete the Renewal Application, list any license or address changes, and submit it with the applicable fee to the Board's Bismarck office by mail or in person. Individual license renewal costs $50 per license (a second individual license held by the same person also renews for $50); Establishment license renewal costs $100; Independent Licensee (booth rental) renewal also costs $100. Instructors and Advanced Estheticians must attach proof of their required continuing education hours to the renewal form, since the Board will not process a renewal without them. Payment is by check or money order made out to the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology. The Board has said an online licensing portal will replace this paper process starting September 1, 2026, after which renewals and payments will be completed electronically.

Renewals paid or postmarked after December 31 incur a $50 late fee for each license being renewed, in addition to the regular renewal fee. North Dakota does not issue temporary permits, so practicing on a lapsed license is a violation of state law.

A license that has been expired for more than one year but less than five years can be reinstated by submitting a Reinstatement Application with a $150 late fee plus the $50 current renewal fee (a combined $200), along with proof of passing the North Dakota Laws, Rules & Regulations exam. A license that has lapsed for more than five years cannot be reinstated at all; the holder must reapply as a new applicant.

The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology investigates complaints against licensed cosmetologists, estheticians, advanced estheticians, manicurists, instructors, salons, independent licensees, and schools. Typical grounds for a complaint include unlicensed practice, sanitation and safety violations, scope-of-practice violations, and other breaches of North Dakota cosmetology law and administrative rules. The Board does not handle general customer-service disputes, pricing disagreements, or refund demands, and it cannot award monetary damages or act as a court.

Complaints must be submitted in writing on the Board's complaint form, signed and dated — unsigned complaints are not accepted. A complainant should include the name of the individual or business involved, the location and date of the incident, a detailed description of the concern, and any supporting documentation such as photos or receipts. Complaints are normally filed through the Board's licensing portal; anyone unable to access the portal can contact the Board office directly for help filing.

Once received, a complaint moves through an initial review, investigation, and Board consideration before an outcome is reached. The Board may conduct a complaint-based inspection at any time as part of that investigation. Investigation records may stay confidential while a case is open, but the Board's final enforcement actions — which can range from a warning to fines, probation, or license suspension or revocation — become public record.