Wyoming Barber License Requirements

Wyoming keeps barbering in its own statutory chapter — W.S. Title 33, Chapter 7, Barbers — separate from cosmetology in Chapter 12, though the Wyoming Board of Cosmetology administers both.

Three Ways to Qualify

W.S. s. 33-7-209 issues a certificate of registration to practise barbering on passage of a board administered or board approved examination, and on meeting all requirements set forth by board rule and regulation, to any person who files a completed application with the required fees and documentation and who satisfies one of the following:

1. Has graduated from an approved barber school or college, has an education equivalent to the completion of the second year of high school, and is at least seventeen (17) years of age;
2. Has a valid, unexpired barber licence from another state or country whose licensing requirements meet or exceed Wyoming's; or
3. Is a cosmetologist or hair stylist licensed under W.S. 33-12-119 through 33-12-140, has completed training at an approved barber school or college as set out in board rules, and has passed a board examination.

The Education Bar Is the Second Year of High School

Wyoming phrases it unusually: an education equivalent to the completion of the second year of high school. In practice that is the tenth grade, matching Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska and New Mexico, and one step above South Carolina's ninth and two above the eighth grade used by Connecticut, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

Cosmetologists and Hair Stylists Cross Over at 750 Hours

Route three is the shortcut, and the Board sets the figure in Chapter 26 of its rules, Barbering License Requirements: a cosmetologist or hair stylist licensed under W.S. 33-12-119 through 33-12-140 who has completed 750 hours of training at an approved barber school or college qualifies.

Note that Wyoming names hair stylists alongside cosmetologists for this route — both licensed groups get the same path.

Barber School Hours

Wyoming sets the standard barbering school requirement by board rule rather than in the statute, and the Board's Barber Information page carried only board meeting details when we consulted it. Rather than publish a figure we could not confirm, we have left it out — check the Board's Rules and Regulations page or call (307) 777-8572.

Wyoming's statute defers the training standard to the Board: a certificate issues on meeting all requirements set forth by board rule and regulation. What the statute itself fixes is the education and age requirements and the examination.

What the Statute Fixes

• Graduation from an approved barber school or college
• Education equivalent to the completion of the second year of high school
• At least seventeen (17) years of age
• Passage of a board administered or board approved examination

The 750-Hour Crossover

The one training figure we could source to a primary Wyoming instrument is in Chapter 26 of the Board's rules, covering the third qualifying route. A cosmetologist or hair stylist licensed under W.S. 33-12-119 through 33-12-140 must have completed 750 hours of training at an approved barber school or college.

At 750 hours that is a substantial crossover by national standards — considerably more than Idaho's 100, New Mexico's 150 or Vermont's 150, and closer to Nevada's 400 or Kansas's 500. Wyoming treats barbering as meaningfully distinct from cosmetology rather than a short add-on.

Hair Stylists Are Included

Wyoming licenses hair stylists under the cosmetology chapter, and s. 33-7-209(a)(iii) extends the barbering crossover route to them on the same terms as cosmetologists.

Where to Confirm the Standard Route

The Board publishes its Rules and Regulations, Student Information and Applications and Forms pages at cosmetology.wyo.gov. Those, rather than the Barber Information page, are where the standard barbering school hour requirement will be found.

W.S. s. 33-7-209 requires passage of a board administered or board approved examination. Wyoming leaves the Board free to run the examination itself or to approve a national one.

Failing Is Not Fatal

Subsection (c) is short and forgiving: an applicant for a certificate of registration to practise as a registered barber who fails to pass an examination conducted by the board, may be examined at the next examination.

There is no waiting period, no additional hours requirement, and no cap on attempts — you simply sit the next one. Compare Nevada, where retaking more than six months after the initial attempt costs 250 hours of further study each time, or Minnesota before its 2026 reform.

Out-of-State Licences: Meet or Exceed

Route two under s. 33-7-209(a)(ii) admits an applicant holding a valid, unexpired licence as a barber from another state or country which has licensing requirements for barbers that meet or exceed the requirements for certification in Wyoming.

Two conditions to note. The licence must be valid and unexpired — a lapsed licence does not qualify. And the comparison is meet or exceed, which is a one-way test: a state with lighter requirements than Wyoming's will not satisfy it, however long you have practised there.

A Repealed Subsection

Subsection (b) of s. 33-7-209 was repealed by Laws 2005, chapter 42, section 2. If you encounter a citation to 33-7-209(b), it no longer exists.

The Wyoming Board of Cosmetology administers barber registration, renewals and licence verification, and publishes Applications and Forms, Rules and Regulations, Student Information, Salon Information and Consumer Awareness pages.

Fees

W.S. s. 33-7-209 refers to an application accompanied by the required fees and documentation without fixing amounts, leaving them to the Board. We have left the application and renewal figures unstated here rather than repeat numbers from an unofficial source — contact the Board on (307) 777-8572.

No Continuing Education

Chapter 7 sets out no continuing education requirement for renewing a barber certificate of registration.

Contacting the Board

Wyoming Board of Cosmetology, 2515 Warren Avenue, Suite 302, Cheyenne, WY 82009, telephone (307) 777-8572. The Board publishes its meeting schedule on the Barber Information and Board Meetings pages — useful if your application or examination is on an agenda.

Two Chapters, One Board

Because barbering sits in Chapter 7 and cosmetology in Chapter 12 of Title 33, a good deal of the Board's general guidance addresses the cosmetology side. When reading Board material, check whether a given page or rule chapter speaks to barbering specifically — the crossover provision at s. 33-7-209(a)(iii) is the main point where the two chapters meet.

Wyoming regulates barbering under W.S. Title 33, Chapter 7, Barbers, administered by the Wyoming Board of Cosmetology. Cosmetology and hair styling sit separately at Title 33, Chapter 12, W.S. 33-12-119 through 33-12-140.

Separate Chapters, Shared Board

Wyoming is one of a group of states — with Missouri, Ohio and Mississippi — where the professions keep distinct statutory chapters while a single board administers both. The practical consequence is that the requirements genuinely differ: barbering requirements are in Chapter 7 and Board rule Chapter 26, not in the cosmetology material.

The Credential Is a Certificate of Registration

Wyoming registers rather than licenses: the statute speaks throughout of a certificate of registration to practise barbering and of a registered barber. Minnesota and Nebraska use the same terminology.

Three Doors In

1. Training — graduate an approved barber school or college, with second-year-of-high-school education, at 17 or older.
2. Out-of-state licence — a valid, unexpired barber licence from a state or country whose requirements meet or exceed Wyoming's.
3. Crossover — a Wyoming cosmetologist or hair stylist with 750 hours of approved barber school training and a board examination.

Every route ends at the same place: a board administered or board approved examination and compliance with board rule and regulation.

Hair Stylists Have a Route Too

Wyoming's inclusion of hair stylists alongside cosmetologists in the crossover provision matters, because Wyoming is among the states licensing a hair-only credential. Both may cross into barbering on the same 750-hour terms.

Where to Read Further

• W.S. 33-7-209 — qualifications and examination
• W.S. 33-12-119 to 33-12-140 — the cosmetology and hair stylist licences referenced by the crossover route
• Board Rules Chapter 26 — Barbering License Requirements