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How to get a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license in Connecticut

Connecticut licenses cosmetologists statewide through the Department of Public Health (DPH).1 For the Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician (DPH: Hairdresser/Cosmetician license) you need at least 1,500 clock hours2 of education and a passing score on the Prometric Licensing Examination (Connecticut hairdresser written examination)2. The board lists $100 for the application2. You renew every 2 years1.

Last checked · 9 official sources

Who issues it

Department of Public Health (DPH)

Training and experience

Training: at least 1,500 clock hours2

Exam

Prometric Licensing Examination (Connecticut hairdresser written examination)2

Fees the board lists

Application fee: $1002

Renewal

Every 2 years1

From another state

License by endorsement and Exam waiver13 Details

On this page
  1. Who needs a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license
  2. Requirements for a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license
  3. How much a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license costs
  4. How to apply
  5. Renewal and continuing education
  6. Moving to Connecticut with a license from another state
  7. City and county rules
  8. Check a license or report a problem
  9. Laws and rules
  10. Common questions
  11. Cosmetologist licenses in other states

Who needs a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license

Hair dressing, cutting, waving, coloring and bleaching, scalp treatment, and beautifying work on the face, neck and arms for pay, including face and neck hair removal by manual or mechanical means. Esthetics and nail work are separate licenses. Unlicensed people may shampoo and braid hair.1

Work that does not need this license:

  • Shampooing and hair braiding do not need a license.1

Other rules on who may do this work:

  • A hairdresser does not also need an esthetician, nail technician or eyelash technician license to do work within hairdressing and cosmetology.1
  • Cutting, styling or arranging hair in any hairdressing shop needs a license.1

Requirements for a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license

High school diploma or GED
Not required1
Education or training
At least 1,500 clock hours2
At least 1,500 hours of study in a school approved by the Connecticut Examining Board for Barbers, Hairdressers and Cosmeticians or under the State Board of Education. Out-of-state schools count if approved by their own state.2
Who may teach it: The school must be approved before it opens. Hours taken before a school is approved do not count.1
Alternative: Instead of school, complete a Connecticut Department of Labor registered hairdressing apprenticeship (8th grade needed). DOL lists the program as 2,000 on-the-job hours plus 150 theory/classroom hours.2
Exam
Prometric Licensing Examination (Connecticut hairdresser written examination)2
Given by: Prometric2
When you can take it: The exam is taken after the 1,500 school hours or the apprenticeship are finished. Scores go straight from Prometric to DPH.2
Written examination (the statute requires a written exam only).1
Exam waived: No exam if you hold a current out-of-state hairdresser license that was issued after education and an exam (20-254).1
Background check
No background check stated as required1
No fingerprints required1
No criminal history records check. The board may discipline a license for fraud, drug or alcohol abuse, or illegal, incompetent or negligent conduct.1
Also required
Apply online with a photograph. List your highest grade completed. Your school sends the Affidavit of Hours form straight to DPH.2
Also required
You may ask for exam accommodations under the ADA, which can include a dictionary or extra time.1
Also required
Display your license where you work. To open a hairdressing shop you need to have been licensed for at least 2 years.1

How much a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license costs

FeeAmountPaid toNotes
Application fee$1002DPH–
License by endorsement or reciprocity$1004DPH–
Temporary license or permit$251DPHOut-of-state or foreign licensees working at a Connecticut hairdressing educational show (up to one week)

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee; check it with the exam provider, Prometric2, when you schedule.

How to apply

  1. Finish at least the 9th grade, then complete 1,500 hours at an approved hairdressing school (or finish a CT Department of Labor hairdressing apprenticeship).2
  2. Have your school send the Affidavit of Hours form straight to DPH.2
  3. Get the Candidate Information Bulletin from Prometric, then register for and pass the Prometric exam. Prometric sends your scores straight to DPH.2
  4. If you hold or have held a license in another state, have each state send a license verification to DPH.2
  5. Apply online on the DPH eLicense system with a photo and the $100.00 fee. DPH accepts online applications only.2
Apply online
elicense.ct.gov2
Temporary or provisional license
Connecticut has no temporary work permit for hairdressers. The only temporary credential is a guest permit (up to one week, $25) for out-of-state or foreign licensees working at an educational show or demonstration.1

Renewal and continuing education

How often
Every 2 years1
When it expires
Renew every two years. The license expires on the last day of your birth month.5
Renewal fee
$1001
If it expires
You may not work on an expired license. DPH may renew it if the application arrives within 90 days after expiry.1
Lapsed license: apply online to reinstate ($100). Send a description of your professional activities and verifications from every state where you have been licensed.6
Renew online
elicense.ct.gov7

Renewal planner

Enter the expiration date printed on your Connecticut Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician (DPH: Hairdresser/Cosmetician license). The count is worked out on your device from today's date; nothing is sent anywhere.

Moving to Connecticut with a license from another state

These are the routes DPH publishes for the Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license.

Route
License by endorsement
What the board says
No exam needed if you hold a current hairdresser license (or an equivalent license under another name) from another state, DC or a US territory that was issued after education/training and an exam. The fee is $100.1
Conditions
Every state where you are or have been licensed must send a verification showing your license was based on an education program and an exam.4
No license is issued while a disciplinary action or unresolved complaint is pending against you.1
Fee
$1004
Route
License by endorsement
What the board says
If your other state licensed you without an exam, you can still qualify after at least 5 years of legal practice there. Proof: license verification showing 5 years, letters from employers, coworkers or clients, and tax returns showing cosmetology as your occupation.1
Fee
$1001
Route
Exam waiver
What the board says
Foreign-trained applicants qualify by either the exam route or the out-of-state license route.3

Military service members, veterans and spouses: If your license becomes void while you are on active duty in the US armed forces (or called up with the National Guard), DPH must renew it up to one year after discharge. Active-duty licensees who live in Connecticut may ask DPH to waive the renewal fee.7

City and county rules

The state license is the practitioner license. DPH works with local health directors on salon inspections. Every hairdressing shop must be managed by a registered hairdresser and cosmetician.8

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a cosmetologist in Connecticut, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Connecticut is on the Connecticut license lookup page.

Look up a license
elicense.ct.gov9

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

Common questions

How long does it take to get a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license in Connecticut?

The rules set at least 1,500 clock hours2 before you can be licensed. The board does not publish how long it takes to process an application.

Can I transfer my cosmetologist license to Connecticut?

DPH publishes these routes for the Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license: license by endorsement1 and exam waiver3. Conditions and forms.

How often do you renew a Registered Hairdresser and Cosmetician license in Connecticut?

Every 2 years1. The renewal fee is $1001.

Cosmetologist licenses in other states

Sources

Every number and rule above links to one of these official pages. Select a footnote number to read the board's own words.

  1. Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 387 Hairdressers and CosmeticiansConnecticut General AssemblyChecked November 7, 2026
  2. Hairdresser Licensure RequirementsConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  3. Hairdresser Licensure of Foreign Trained ApplicantsConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  4. Hairdresser Licensure Based on an Out-of-State LicenseConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  5. Health Care Practitioner License Types that Expire BienniallyConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  6. Hairdresser Reinstatement of a Lapsed LicenseConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  7. Health Care Practitioner Renewal InformationConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  8. Hair Salons and Barber ShopsConnecticut Department of Public HealthChecked November 7, 2026
  9. eLicense license lookup (credential type list)State of Connecticut eLicenseChecked November 7, 2026