House Bill 1560 (87th Texas Legislature) was the Sunset review bill that reorganized how Texas regulates barbers and cosmetologists. Effective September 1, 2021, it:
- Merged the separate barber and cosmetology programs into the single Barbering and Cosmetology program under TDLR, consolidating the repealed Occupations Code Chapters 1601 and 1602 into the new Chapter 1603
- Eliminated standalone instructor licenses — teaching in a licensed school now requires a regular practitioner license in the specialty taught, with expanded teaching scope for licensed practitioners
- Created the single student permit, replacing the separate barber and cosmetology permit systems
For working licensees, the consolidation is why barbers and cosmetologists now share one statute, one rule chapter (16 TAC Chapter 83), one renewal system, and — since the 2025 CE restructuring — one CE structure with cross-credit between barber and cosmetology licenses.
HB 1560 did not itself change CE hours; it built the unified program that the 2025 restructuring later standardized. If you read guidance written before 2021 that treats barbers and cosmetologists as separate regulatory worlds, it predates this bill.
What it means for your renewal
If you last paid attention before 2021, the program looks different now: instructor licenses are gone, the barber/cosmetology divide matters far less, and one TDLR-approved 4-hour course handles CE across the whole program. The current license guides walk through what each license requires today.
Authority: Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603