To cut hair professionally in Texas you need a Class A Barber license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR): complete the required training hours at a licensed school, pass a written and a practical exam, and renew every 2 years for $50. And there is one change every working barber should know about — since September 1, 2025, renewing requires continuing education for the first time. This guide covers the full life of the license, from barber school to your next renewal.
What Is a Texas Class A Barber License?
The Class A Barber license is the individual practitioner license for barbering in Texas. It is regulated under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603 — the unified Barbering and Cosmetology program created when HB 1560 merged the old separate barber and cosmetology programs in 2021. That merger is why barbers and cosmetologists now share one fee schedule, one renewal process, and one CE framework. The minimum age for a Class A Barber license was adjusted to 17 in the September 2023 rule updates.
A note on terminology: people search for a "Texas barber certification," but in Texas the credential is a state license, not a certificate — there is no separate certification body. The Barbering and Cosmetology program is TDLR's largest, with roughly 305,000 individual licenses, so you are joining the state's biggest licensed trade.
How Many Training Hours Do Texas Barbers Need?
1,000 hours at a TDLR-licensed barber school under recent legislation — the same as the cosmetology operator license. Be careful with older sources: many still cite the previous 1,500-hour requirement, which has been reduced. Verify the current figure with your school or directly with TDLR before enrolling.
What Exams Do You Have to Pass?
Two: a written exam and a practical exam, each requiring a 70% passing score, administered by PSI Services. The exams have real teeth — across the barbering and cosmetology program, FY2025 saw 77,520 exams administered with a 66.48% overall pass rate, including 8,457 Class A Barber written exams. Note that exams are an initial-licensing requirement only; there is no final exam in TDLR continuing education.
Do You Need a Separate Barber Shop License?
Yes — if you own the shop. Establishment licenses are facility licenses, separate from your individual Class A Barber license: shop owners must hold the appropriate facility license for the location, and mobile service providers need a booth rental or mobile salon license. Working behind a chair in someone else's shop requires only your practitioner license. Facility fees and application details are on TDLR's site.
Can Barbers Cross Over to Cosmetology (and Vice Versa)?
Yes. The unified program includes dual-credit crossover paths in both directions — barber to cosmetology operator, and cosmetology operator to barber — so your existing training hours count toward the second license instead of starting from zero. And if you end up holding both licenses, the continuing education you complete for one satisfies the other (each license still renews separately with its own $50 fee). One catch worth knowing: the reduced 2-hour CE tier only applies if each license has individually passed the 15-year mark — otherwise you complete the full 4 hours. The full picture of every license in the program is in our Texas cosmetology license guide.
How Do You Renew a Texas Barber License?
Class A Barber licenses renew every 2 years on the anniversary of the issue date, with a $50 fee, online through TDLR Online Services. TDLR emails a reminder about 60 days before expiration — and since the CE requirement took effect, your hours must be done before you submit the renewal. Step-by-step instructions, including the late-fee schedule, are in our Texas barber license renewal guide.
New: Do Texas Barbers Need Continuing Education?
Yes — and this is the change many barbers haven't heard about. Before September 1, 2025, barbers could renew without any CE. TDLR's 2025 CE rule change (16 TAC §83.25) ended that exemption for licenses expiring on or after September 1, 2025:
- Licensed less than 15 years: 4 hours — 1 hour of sanitation, 1 hour of human trafficking prevention, 2 hours of electives
- Licensed 15+ years: 2 hours — the two mandatory hours only
Barbers take the same TDLR-approved 4-hour course as cosmetology operators, estheticians, and manicurists — there is no barber-specific course. One CE hour equals 50 minutes of instruction, there is no final exam — just short in-lesson knowledge or attendance checks, depending on the approved course design — and your provider reports the completion to TDLR for you (keep your certificate for two years as your own record). Topic-by-topic details are in our Texas barber CE requirements guide. As TDLR-approved Provider #2273, we report your completion electronically within 24 hours.
What If Your Barber License Expires?
You can still renew within 3 years of expiration, at a higher fee: $75 if expired 90 days or less, $100 if expired more than 90 days but less than 18 months, and $100 plus TDLR executive-director approval from 18 months to less than 3 years. At 3 years or more you can no longer renew — you must meet the current requirements for a new applicant, which may include any applicable examinations. You cannot legally cut hair while the license is expired — practicing on an expired license is a Class B violation with fines from $1,000 to $3,500 per violation. If you plan to stop cutting hair for a stretch, the program's inactive status is the cheaper path: no fee to go inactive, renew on schedule, and pay a $25 reactivation fee (with CE completed) when you come back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.01Do Texas barbers really need continuing education now?
Yes. TDLR's 2025 rule change (16 TAC §83.25) requires Class A Barber license holders to complete TDLR-approved CE before each renewal, for licenses expiring on or after September 1, 2025 — 4 hours, or 2 hours if you have been licensed 15 or more years. Barbers were previously exempt.
Q.02Is the barber CE course different from the cosmetology course?
No. Under the unified TDLR Barbering and Cosmetology program, barbers, cosmetology operators, estheticians, and manicurists all satisfy the requirement with the same TDLR-approved 4-hour course.
Q.03I hold both barber and cosmetology licenses. Do I need CE twice?
No. 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.04How old do you have to be to get a Texas barber license?
The minimum age for a Class A Barber license was adjusted to 17 years old in the September 2023 rule updates.
Q.05Is there still a barber instructor license in Texas?
No. Separate barber and cosmetology instructor licenses were eliminated by HB 1560, effective 2021. Individuals teaching in licensed schools must hold a TDLR barbering/cosmetology license in the specialty they teach.
Q.06How do I check the status of a Texas barber license?
TDLR licenses are public records. Use a free TDLR license search to confirm a license number, its status, and its expiration date — for your own license or anyone working in your shop.
Want to confirm your license status or expiration date before renewing? Use the free TDLR license search.
Last updated July 22, 2026