Texas Cosmetology License Lookup

TDLR runs a single search covering every license it issues — cosmetology is one program among dozens — so the first thing you do is narrow it to the right license type. You do not need an account, and there is no CAPTCHA to clear.

1. Open TDLR License Search. Go to tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch.
2. Pick the license type first. The dropdown carries more than 200 options across every TDLR program. Choose Cosmetologists for an operator, or the specific specialty — Esthetician, Manicurist, Eyelash Extension Specialist, Hair Weaving Specialist — if you know it. Leaving this alone searches far more than you want.
3. Enter a name the way TDLR stores it. The name box is labeled “(Last, First) or by Business Name”. Type Smith, Maria rather than Maria Smith. A last name on its own works and is often the safer starting point.
4. Narrow by location only if you have to. City is a dropdown of Texas municipalities and County includes an “Out Of State” option. Both filter on the address TDLR has on file, which may be a mailing address rather than where the person actually works — so a licensee who moved can drop out of a city-filtered search.
5. Read the result against the expiration date. Texas does not print a status word. See what the results actually tell you below.

If you get nothing back, TDLR’s own instruction is to call Customer Service on 800-803-9202 rather than assume the person is unlicensed — a spelling difference or a name change is the more common explanation.

TDLR gives you seven fields. You can combine them, but the more you fill in the easier it is to filter out the record you were looking for.

• License Type — a dropdown of 200+ TDLR programs. The one field worth always setting.
• License Number — numeric only. Do not type letters, prefixes or dashes.
• Name — last name first, comma separated. This box doubles as the business-name search.
• City — a dropdown of Texas municipalities, not a free-text box, so you cannot search a neighborhood or a partial name.
• County — a dropdown that includes Out Of State for licensees with an address outside Texas.
• Zip Code — useful for narrowing a common surname in a large metro.
• Expiration Date — entered as mmddyyyy. Rarely useful unless you already know the date.

If you need the data in bulk

TDLR publishes the same records as downloadable CSV files, rebuilt daily, at its license file download page — Cosmetology Operators, Estheticians, Manicurists, Eyelash Extension Specialists and Hair Weaving Specialists are each a separate file, alongside barber and school listings. That is the route to take if you are checking many licenses at once instead of one.

This is where Texas differs from most states, and it catches people out. TDLR does not publish a license status. There is no “Active”, “Expired” or “Delinquent” label anywhere in the results.

You can confirm this from TDLR’s own data: the downloadable license files carry license type, license number, expiration date, county, name, mailing address, phone, business name and address, license subtype and a continuing-education flag. No status column exists.

What that means in practice

• The expiration date is the status. A date in the future means the license is current. A date in the past means it has lapsed and the holder should not be practicing until it is renewed.
• A blank result is not proof of anything. Because there is no status field to display, a license that is no longer live can simply fail to come back rather than appearing marked as expired. Treat “no results” as a reason to check the spelling, drop the city filter, or call TDLR — not as confirmation that someone is unlicensed.
• The address may not be the workplace. TDLR holds both a mailing address and a business address, and the record you see may show either.
• License subtype matters. An Esthetician or Manicurist license is not a cosmetology operator license, and the specialty is recorded separately. Someone licensed to do nails is not thereby licensed to cut hair.

The data is rebuilt each morning — the search footer reports the refresh time and the downloadable files carried a 6:19 a.m. stamp on the day this page was checked — so a license issued or renewed yesterday should already appear.

Texas verifies salons and shops through the same tool, which is unusual — many states run a second, separate establishment search. Every beauty salon, barber shop and booth rental in Texas holds its own TDLR license on top of the licenses held by the people working there.

1. Choose the establishment license type from the same dropdown — the salon and shop categories sit alongside the practitioner ones.
2. Type the business name into the Name box. It is the same field, and TDLR labels it “(Last, First) or by Business Name”.
3. Filter by City or Zip Code if the business name is a common one.

Checking both is worth the extra minute: a licensed cosmetologist working in an unlicensed salon, and a licensed salon employing an unlicensed operator, are both violations, and each is invisible if you only look up one of them.

Suspected unlicensed activity goes to TDLR Customer Service on 800-803-9202.