If your license expires before you renew, TDLR charges a late renewal fee that scales with how long you wait. The schedule differs by trade:
- Cosmetology and barber: $75 if expired 90 days or less (1.5x the $50 fee); $100 if expired more than 90 days but less than 18 months (2x). From 18 months to 3 years, renewal requires TDLR executive-director approval at that same $100 fee
- Electrician: 1.5x the standard fee if expired 0–90 days; 2x if expired 91 days to 18 months. For a Journeyman that's $45 then $60; for a Master, $67.50 then $90; for an Apprentice or Maintenance Electrician, $30 then $40. From 18 months to 3 years, the same 2x fee applies with TDLR executive-director approval
- ACR contractor: $97.50 if expired 1–90 days (a 50% surcharge on the $65 fee); $130 if expired 91 days to 18 months (a 100% surcharge), and still $130 from 18 months to 3 years with executive-director approval. Technicians pay $30 then $40
Renewals within 18 months of expiration can generally be completed online. Between 18 months and 3 years, renewal is still possible but takes additional steps — TDLR executive-director approval (a written request submitted by mail), at the 2x fee. Past 3 years, you cannot renew at all — you must reapply and meet the requirements in place for new applicants.
Late fees stack on top of the other cost of an expired license: you cannot legally work until it is renewed.
What it means for your renewal
Every tier of lateness costs more than the last, and none of it buys you anything — it's the same license you could have renewed for the standard fee. CE is the usual bottleneck, so finish your hours before the expiration date and renew on time.