Wyoming Cosmetology License Lookup

Wyoming’s Online Verification Lookup covers both the Board of Cosmetology and the Board of Barber Examiners in one database, which saves the two-system hunt several states force on you.

1. Open the verification page at the Board’s lookup.
2. For an individual, enter at least one of First Name, Last Name or License Type.
3. For a salon, barber shop or school, enter at least one of Business Name, City or License Type.

Enter less, not more

Wyoming states it plainly: “Please limit your search criteria to a minimum. Entering too much specific information may result in a record not being shown.”

Every field you fill in must match Wyoming’s records exactly. An out-of-date city, or a first name recorded differently, silently removes the right record. Start with a last name alone.

The wildcard works at either end

Wyoming’s instruction: “You may perform a wild card search by placing an asterisk (*) before and/or after the name or portion of the name. For example: searching for s* will display all names that begin with the letter S.”

That flexibility matters. Kentucky and Indiana only accept the asterisk after the text; Wyoming takes it at either end, so *son finds names ending in son and *mith* finds anything containing mith. It is one of the more forgiving searches in the country for a name you are unsure of.

What the database actually covers

Wyoming spells out its scope more clearly than most states, and two entries are worth noticing because they are searchable categories rather than footnotes:

• Independent Contractors — Wyoming’s booth-renter equivalent, listed alongside cosmetologists and instructors.
• Mobile Barber Shops — named as their own category, so a mobile barbering operation is properly licensed and findable rather than sitting in a grey area.

The rest: Cosmetologists, Hair Stylists, Nail Technicians, Estheticians and Instructors; Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Styling and Nail Salons; Cosmetology Schools; Barbers, Barber Stylists and Barber Instructors; Barber Shops; and Barber Schools.

Wyoming license types

• Cosmetologist — the full license.
• Hairstylist — hair only, narrower than cosmetology.
• Esthetician — skin only.
• Nail Technician — nails only.
• Barber (No Chemicals) — like Montana, Wyoming issues a barbering license that excludes chemical services.
• Barber Stylist — the broader barbering credential.

The add-on licenses

This is what makes Wyoming distinctive. Rather than folding everything into one broad license, Wyoming issues credentials that extend an existing one:

• Add-On Hair Removal License
• Add-On Lash and Brow License

So a cosmetologist is not automatically licensed for lash and brow work or for hair removal — those require the separate add-on. If you are verifying someone for lashes, brows or waxing, confirming the base license is not enough.

Read the credential in full, because Wyoming’s structure means a base license does not tell you the whole story.

Check for the add-on

The most important thing here. A Cosmetologist license alone does not authorize lash and brow services or hair removal — Wyoming licenses those as separate Add-On credentials.

So someone offering lash extensions, brow work or waxing should show both their base license and the relevant add-on. A base license with no add-on is a genuine gap worth asking about, not a technicality.

Barber (No Chemicals)

Wyoming, like Montana, separates chemical services out of one barbering credential. A Barber (No Chemicals) may cut and style but is not licensed for perms, relaxers or color. If you are verifying someone for a chemical treatment, that distinction is the question.

Independent Contractors

A stylist renting a chair rather than being employed holds an Independent Contractor License on top of their practitioner license. If someone works independently inside a salon and holds only the practitioner credential, that is worth raising.

If nothing comes back

• Remove fields rather than adding them. Wyoming warns that too much detail can hide a record.
• Use the wildcard at either end. *mith* catches Smith, Smyth and Smithers in one search.
• Try the other board. A barber and a cosmetologist are in the same database but under different license types.

Salons, shops and schools have their own search on the same page — enter at least one of Business Name, City or License Type.

Searching by City alone is the useful move if you are choosing somewhere rather than checking somewhere specific: it lists licensed establishments in a town.

Wyoming establishment types

• Salon License — covering cosmetology, esthetics, hair styling and nail salons.
• Barber Shop License, and separately Mobile Barber Shops — Wyoming licenses mobile barbering explicitly.
• School License — issued separately for cosmetology and for barbering.

Independent contractors inside a salon

Because Wyoming licenses independent contractors as their own category, a complete check on a booth-renting stylist is three things: the salon license for the premises, their practitioner license, and their Independent Contractor License. Each is a separate record and none implies the others.

Before you enroll

Wyoming issues its school license separately for cosmetology and for barbering. Confirm the provider holds the one matching the program you intend to take — and given the add-on licenses, check whether the school covers lash, brow or hair removal training if that is what you are after, since those are distinct credentials rather than part of the base course.