If you hold a Class A Barber license, you are now required to complete continuing education before renewing. Before September 1, 2025, Texas barbers could renew without any CE hours — that changed with TDLR's 2025 CE rule change (16 TAC §83.25), which put barbers under the same CE framework as cosmetologists, estheticians, and manicurists for licenses expiring on or after September 1, 2025.
How Many CE Hours Do Barbers Need?
The requirement depends on how long you have held your license:
Licensed fewer than 15 years: 4 hours every 2 years — 1 hour of sanitation, 1 hour of human trafficking prevention, and 2 hours of elective topics from the TDLR-approved list
Licensed 15 or more years: 2 hours every 2 years — just the two mandatory hours; the electives are waived
One CE credit hour equals 50 minutes of actual instruction time (16 TAC §59.30), and you cannot repeat the same course for credit — each approval year's course is a new approved course. There is no final exam — credit is awarded once you complete the approved course and its required knowledge or attendance checks.
What the Hours Must Cover
- Sanitation (1 hour, mandatory) — bacteriology, sterilization, disease prevention, tool disinfection, facility maintenance, chemical safety, and first aid basics
- Human trafficking prevention (1 hour, mandatory) — recognizing signs of trafficking in service-industry settings and how to report it (Texas Occupations Code Chapter 116)
- Electives (2 hours, if required) — topics from the TDLR-approved list: hair care, tools and equipment, Texas barbering law and rules, business skills, customer service, mental health awareness, or additional sanitation
Barbers Take the Same Course as Cosmetologists
TDLR does not require a barber-specific CE course. Since the barber and cosmetology programs merged into one TDLR program in 2021 (Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603), every practitioner license — barbers, cosmetology operators, estheticians, manicurists, eyelash extension specialists, and hair weaving specialists — can satisfy the requirement with the same TDLR-approved 4-hour course.
Hold both a barber and a cosmetology license? CE completed for one satisfies the other — you take one course, and it counts for both. Each license still renews separately with its own $50 fee. (One catch: the 15-year reduced requirement only applies if each license individually passes the 15-year mark.)
What Barber CE Costs
Two costs make up your renewal: the CE course (ours is $22.95) and TDLR's $50 renewal fee. Renew late and the TDLR fee rises to $75 (expired 90 days or less) or $100 (more than 90 days but less than 18 months). From 18 months to less than 3 years you need TDLR executive-director approval plus the $100 fee, and at 3 years or more you can no longer renew at all — you must meet the current requirements for a new applicant, which may include any applicable examinations. Practicing on an expired license is a Class B violation with fines from $1,000 to $3,500, so renewing on time avoids every one of these costs. Full renewal walkthrough: Texas barber license renewal guide. Common questions about barber CE — answered in our Texas barber CE FAQ and the expired-license penalties breakdown.
How Are CE Hours Reported?
You don't mail anything to TDLR. As a TDLR-approved provider, OnlineTexasCE submits your completion to TDLR electronically within 24 hours, and your downloadable certificate is issued the moment you finish. Barber and cosmetology CE is reported for you, so there is no paperwork to file — but keep your certificate for two years as your own record, since TDLR retains general authority to inspect or investigate licensee records. You can confirm your reported hours anytime with the TDLR license & CE search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.01Do Texas barbers need continuing education?
Yes. As of September 1, 2025, all Class A Barber license holders must complete TDLR-approved continuing education before renewing: 4 hours every 2 years, or 2 hours if licensed 15 or more years. The requirement comes from TDLR's 2025 rule change in 16 TAC §83.25, which applies to licenses expiring on or after September 1, 2025.
Q.02How many CE hours do Texas barbers need?
Barbers licensed fewer than 15 years need 4 hours every 2 years: 1 hour of sanitation, 1 hour of human trafficking prevention, and 2 hours of elective topics. Barbers licensed 15 or more years need only the 2 mandatory hours.
Q.03Do barbers take the same CE course as cosmetologists?
Yes. Under the unified Barbering and Cosmetology program (Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603), TDLR does not require a barber-specific course — the same TDLR-approved 4-hour CE course satisfies barber, cosmetology operator, esthetician, and manicurist licenses alike.
Q.04Is there a test for Texas barber CE?
There is no final exam — just short in-lesson knowledge or attendance checks, depending on the approved course design. Credit is awarded once you complete the approved course and its required instruction and participation checks, and your certificate is issued.
Q.05Can barber CE hours count for a cosmetology license too?
Yes. Effective September 1, 2025, CE completed for one barbering or cosmetology license satisfies the requirement for the other. Each license still renews separately with its own $50 fee.
Q.06How are barber CE hours reported to TDLR?
Your CE provider reports your completion directly to TDLR. OnlineTexasCE, TDLR-approved Provider #2273, submits your completion within 24 hours. Keep your own copy of the certificate for two years — TDLR retains general authority to inspect or investigate licensee records.
Last updated August 27, 2026