Utah State Board of Cosmetology

Utah licenses barbers, cosmetologists, estheticians, electrologists, nail technicians, hair designers, and eyelash and eyebrow technicians through the Barber, Cosmetologist/Barber, Esthetician, Electrologist and Nail Technician Licensing Board, a multi-member board that operates within the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), part of the Department of Commerce. The board's members include licensed practitioners from each regulated discipline — cosmetology/barber instructors and school representatives, electrologists, master estheticians, and nail technician instructors — alongside public and medical members appointed by the governor.

DOPL's cosmetology bureau is based at the Heber M. Wells Building, 160 East 300 South, 4th Floor, in Salt Lake City, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 146741, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6741. The bureau is led by Bureau Manager David Wright, with Jessica Pitts serving as Board Administrator. Phone support runs Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at (801) 530-6628 or toll-free in Utah at (866) 275-3675; general questions can also be emailed to dopl@utah.gov. As of January 31, 2026, cosmetology applications must be filed online through the My License One portal — the division no longer accepts paper applications for these professions.

The board licenses Barbers, Cosmetologists/Barbers (a combined license), Estheticians and Master Estheticians, Electrologists, Nail Technicians, Hair Designers, and Eyelash and Eyebrow Technicians, along with Apprentice registrations, Instructor licenses, and School licenses for each discipline. Applicants qualify either by graduating from a Utah-licensed school that meets the hour requirements set in state rule, or by completing a registered apprenticeship under a licensed instructor, and by passing the applicable NIC theory and practical examinations with a score of 70% or higher.

All personal and school licenses issued under the Cosmetology and Associated Professions Licensing Act run on the same two-year cycle, expiring every September 30 of odd-numbered years regardless of when the license was issued. Utah does not require continuing education hours for renewal, and Instructor licenses renew automatically alongside the license holder's underlying discipline license.

Every Utah cosmetology-related license — Barber, Cosmetologist/Barber, Esthetician, Master Esthetician, Electrologist, Nail Technician, Hair Designer, Eyelash and Eyebrow Technician, Apprentice, and School — expires on the same fixed date: September 30 of every odd-numbered year. Because the cycle is calendar-based rather than tied to an individual's birthday or issue date, a license obtained shortly before that date can be valid for well under two years before its first renewal comes due.

DOPL mails a renewal notice to each licensee's address of record at least 60 days before the expiration date, which is why the division stresses keeping a current mailing address on file through its online License Update tool. Most licensees renew online through the My License One portal; the division also accepts renewal by mail or in person using a discipline-specific paper form (separate forms exist for Apprentice, Barber, Cosmetologist/Barber, Electrologist, Esthetician, Master Esthetician, Nail Technician, Hair Designer, and each school type). Instructor licenses do not require a separate renewal action — they renew automatically when the instructor's underlying discipline license is renewed.

Renewal fees vary by discipline: $52 for Barber, Cosmetologist/Barber, Esthetician, Hair Designer, and Eyelash/Eyebrow Technician licenses; $32 for Electrologist; $68 for Master Esthetician; $20 for Apprentice registrations; and $110 for School licenses. All fees are non-refundable, and online payments carry a standard electronic processing fee (a flat fee under $100, up to 3% on larger transactions).

A license that has lapsed can generally be reinstated between two and five years after its expiration date without retaking the licensing exams, subject to a $50 reinstatement fee and any owed back-renewal amounts; a $20 late fee also applies to renewals submitted after expiration. A license lapsed for more than five years loses that exam waiver, and the applicant must pass the required NIC theory and practical examinations again before being relicensed.

Complaints against a Utah-licensed barber, cosmetologist, esthetician, electrologist, nail technician, hair designer, eyelash and eyebrow technician, or any of their schools are filed with DOPL rather than the licensing board directly. Complaints can be submitted online through DOPL's complaint portal or by downloading and mailing the manual complaint form; every section of the form should be completed, with "N/A" entered for anything that doesn't apply.

DOPL's Bureau of Investigations, staffed by roughly 30 investigators — many of them retired law enforcement officers — reviews every complaint and enters it into a case database for both individual investigation and long-term pattern tracking. A chief investigator or investigative supervisor determines each complaint's priority; if DOPL lacks jurisdiction or authority to act, the complaint is referred to the appropriate agency instead. Complaints are confidential under Utah law and are not made public, though they may be shared with other government agencies that demonstrate a legal basis for access.

DOPL will not act as a complainant's attorney and cannot pursue a complaint on behalf of a private lawsuit or to recover monetary losses — licensees or customers with a financial dispute are directed to their own attorney. Providing false or fraudulent information in a complaint or any other dealing with the division is itself a violation of Utah law, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and up to one year of incarceration.