Wyoming State Board of Cosmetology

Wyoming regulates the beauty industry through two legally separate boards that share one office and staff. The Wyoming Board of Cosmetology is a five-member board — each member holding a current Wyoming cosmetology, hairstylist, nail technician, or esthetician license — appointed by the Governor to three-year terms. Its stated mission is to protect public health and safety through education and enforcement of the state's cosmetology laws, and it licenses individuals, salons, and cosmetology schools by exam or by endorsement. The separate Wyoming Board of Barber Examiners has three members, each a Wyoming-licensed barber of at least five years, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to three-year terms; its day-to-day operations run through an administrative contract with the Board of Cosmetology.

Both boards operate out of 2515 Warren Avenue, Suite 302, Cheyenne, WY 82002. General correspondence for the cosmetology side goes to cosmetology@wyo.gov, and the Board of Cosmetology can be reached by phone at (307) 777-3534; the Board of Barber Examiners has its own line at (307) 777-8572. The office does not publish standard walk-in hours on its website. Sharon Bennett serves as Executive Director, supported by an administrative assistant and two inspectors who handle salon and shop inspections statewide.

On the cosmetology side, the board licenses Cosmetologists, Hairstylists, Estheticians, Nail Technicians, and Instructors, plus add-on Hair Removal and Lash & Brow licenses for hairstylists and nail technicians, along with Independent Contractor registrations, Salon licenses, and School licenses. Personal cosmetology-side licenses are issued for one year from the month acquired and then move to a two-year renewal cycle tied to the licensee's birth month. The Board of Barber Examiners separately licenses Barbers, Barber Stylists, Barber Instructors, barber shops, and barber schools, all on annual renewal cycles. Wyoming does not offer licensure by apprenticeship for either track — applicants must complete their hours at a licensed school and pass the NIC theory and practical examinations administered through ProV testing centers.

Neither board's published rules list a continuing education requirement for personal license renewal. Renewals for personal, independent contractor, and barber licenses run through the board's online licensing portal or by mail; salons, barber shops, and schools renew through a separate online facility-license system. The office accepts checks, money orders, and credit cards, but does not accept cash, and credit card information cannot be sent by email.

Cosmetology-side personal licenses — Cosmetologist, Hairstylist, Esthetician, Nail Technician, and Instructor — are billed at $48 per year. A first-time license runs for one year from the month it's issued; after that, renewal shifts to a two-year cycle that expires in the licensee's birth month, with pro-rated amounts applied as needed. Independent Contractor and Salon licenses are billed separately at $75 per year each and prorate from the month obtained rather than following the birth-month cycle.

Barber-side personal licenses — Barber, Barber Stylist, and Barber Instructor — renew annually for $75 per year rather than on the two-year cosmetology cycle. Barber shops and mobile barber shops renew annually for $85, and barber schools renew annually for $100.

Renewals for personal and independent contractor licenses (both cosmetology and barber) are submitted through the board's online licensing portal or by mail; salon, barber shop, and school renewals go through a separate online facility-licensing system. Accepted payment methods are check, money order, or credit card — the office does not accept cash, and it cannot process credit card numbers sent by email. Neither board's published rules require continuing education hours to renew a personal license.

Salon and school licenses that renew late are assessed tiered late fees of $20 (up to 30 days late), $40 (up to 60 days late), or $60 (up to 90 days late); barber shops and schools that renew late are assessed a flat $40 late fee, and late barber personal or instructor licenses are assessed a $30 late fee. A general license reinstatement fee of $175 applies on the cosmetology side for lapsed licenses.

The Wyoming Board of Cosmetology and the Wyoming Board of Barber Examiners each investigate consumer complaints against the licensees and facilities in their respective fields, focusing on issues such as health and safety violations, infection-control failures, and unlicensed practice at salons, barber shops, and schools.

Complaints must be submitted in writing on the board's official Complaint Form and mailed (or, for barber complaints, faxed to (307) 777-3681) to the board office at 2515 Warren Avenue, Suite 302, Cheyenne, WY 82002. Anonymous complaints are not accepted by either board — every complaint must be signed by the complainant, and as part of due process a copy is typically provided to the licensee named in the complaint so they can respond.

An assigned investigative committee or board member reviews and investigates each complaint and then recommends that the board dismiss it, approve a settlement, or pursue discipline, which can range from censure to suspension, revocation, or refusal to renew a license. In cases where continued practice is believed to pose an immediate risk to public health or safety, the board can summarily suspend a license pending a full hearing.