How to get a Barbering and Cosmetology License in Iowa

Iowa cosmetologist licenses

Iowa issues 2 cosmetologist credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every Iowa cosmetologist license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

Requirements

Background check

Licensure by verification applicants with a criminal history must submit a copy of the complete criminal record.⁶

Fees

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

Apply online

amanda-portal.idph.state.ia.us²

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years⁴

When it expires

Biennial period runs April 1 of one year to March 31 two years later. A license issued within six months before renewal skips that renewal. You may renew in the 60 days before expiry.⁸

Renewal fee

$60³

Exemptions

First renewal after initial licensure is exempt.⁵
Licensees practicing only in another state may meet that state's CE (none if that state has none).⁵
Deemed compliant while on honourable active military duty, as an active-duty military spouse, or as a government employee posted outside the U.S.⁵

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $60³ (renewal during the 30-day grace period)

Renew online

amanda-portal.idph.state.ia.us⁸

From another state

Who needs a Barbering and Cosmetology License

Cleansing, massaging and beautifying the skin of the scalp, face, neck, arms, hands, legs, feet or upper body; hair removal by depilatory, wax, sugar or tweezing; makeup, lashes, lash/brow tinting; nail care and enhancements; shaving with a straight razor (needs a shaving certificate).¹

Work that does not need this license:

• Not defined as practice: licensed health professionals acting within their profession; supervised students in licensed schools; unpaid emergency/casual services; facility staff and volunteers serving residents without direct pay; services on yourself or immediate family; product demonstrations; persons in a registered establishment training program.¹

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Unlicensed persons may work under licensee supervision in an establishment registered in the establishment training program, after 2 hours of Iowa law/rules and sanitation education, with written disclosure to clients.¹

Requirements for a Barbering and Cosmetology License

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Schooling

High school graduate or equivalent.¹

Education or training

At least 1,550 clock hours¹

The board's words

“shall be a minimum of one thousand five hundred fifty clock hours, or fifty-one”

Who may teach it: Iowa-licensed school sends a diploma or official transcript to the board. Graduates of unapproved schools must have the school send a transcript and curriculum for board review against 481 IAC 941.14. Foreign education needs an accredited evaluation.²
Alternative: Registered apprenticeship: the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship sends a certificate of completion.²
Alternative: A legacy barbering or legacy cosmetology curriculum (rules in effect June 30, 2023) satisfies the education requirement.⁴

Experience

Optional route (Iowa Code 157.3(3), 2025): 2,000 hours of supervised practice in a registered establishment training program, signed off by the supervising licensees, qualifies you to take the exam.¹
Supervision: Within the physical presence of a licensee who is available to help.¹

Exam

NIC (National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology) or national theory cosmetology exam²
Passing score: 75% or higher⁴
National theory (written) exam. Shaving with a razor needs separate board certification (NIC barber practical or a 40-hour shaving program).⁴
Exam waived: Exam waived for applicants licensed in a state with a reciprocal agreement with Iowa under Iowa Code 147.44, 147.48 and 147.49.¹

Also required

If ever licensed elsewhere, submit official verification from every state where licensed (name, number, issue/expiry date, status, discipline).²

Also required

Cosmetologists licensed after July 1, 2005 cannot be certified for chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser or IPL.⁴

Also required

Services outside a licensed establishment need a one-year permit ($40) unless scheduled through an establishment.⁹

How much a Barbering and Cosmetology License costs

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

How to apply

1. Complete 1,550 hours at a board-approved or nationally accredited barbering and cosmetology school (or a registered apprenticeship).²
2. Pass the NIC (or national) theory cosmetology exam with 75%+; pay the test fee to the testing service. Out-of-state results must be sent directly to DIAL.²
3. Apply online and pay the $60 nonrefundable fee; have your school send the diploma/transcript and send verifications of any other licenses.² amanda-portal.idph.state.ia.us²
4. Optional: apply for the shaving certificate ($25) if you will shave with a razor.⁴

Renewal and continuing education

Continuing education

At least 6 hours each renewal period⁵

Required topics

At least 4 hours in the practice discipline⁵
At least 2 hours in Iowa barbering and cosmetology law and rules and sanitation/infection control⁵

Approved courses

The board does not pre-approve CE providers; licensees must check courses against 481 IAC 944 and keep certificates for four years (random audits).¹⁰

If it expires

30-day grace period after expiry (late fee $60). After that the license is inactive and you may not practice until reactivated.⁸

Moving to Iowa with a license from another state

These are the routes the Iowa Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Arts & Sciences publishes for the Barbering and Cosmetology License. The other cosmetologist licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Military service members, veterans and spouses: Licensees serving honourably on active duty, or spouses of active-duty personnel, may meet CE by the rules of the state where they practice and are deemed compliant during service. Statewide licensure by verification (481 IAC 501) also applies.⁴

Barbering & Cosmetology Instructor License

Requirements

Education or training

At least 1,000 clock hours⁴
1,000 hours of instructor training at a board-approved school, OR two years of active practice within the six years before applying.⁷
Alternative: Two years of active practice within six years before applying⁴

Experience

At least 2 years⁷
Hold a current Iowa license in the discipline to be taught (or a barbering & cosmetology license plus the skill to teach that discipline).⁷
License you must hold first: Current Iowa practitioner license⁴

Exam

NIC instructor exam (or national theory instructor exam)⁷
Passing score: 75% or higher⁷
Exam waived: Endorsement applicants may be exempt from the NIC instructor exam.⁴

Fees

How to apply

1. Hold a current Iowa license in the discipline you will teach.⁷
2. Complete 1,000 instructor-training hours or document 2 years of practice within 6 years; pass the NIC instructor exam (75%).⁷
3. Apply online and pay the $60 nonrefundable fee.⁷ amanda-portal.idph.state.ia.us²

Renewal

Continuing education

At least 12 hours each renewal period⁸

Required topics

6 hours in teaching methodology in addition to practitioner CE⁵
At least 2 hours in Iowa barbering and cosmetology law and rules⁵

If it expires

30-day grace period after expiry (late fee $60). After that the license is inactive and you may not practice until reactivated.⁸
Reactivating instructors need an extra 6 CE hours in teaching methodology.⁴

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Iowa Code ch. 157 (Barbering and Cosmetology), incl. §§ 157.1, 157.2, 157.3, 157.4, 157.10, 157.12D (Iowa Code 2026)
• 481 IAC ch. 940 (Licensure), incl. 481-940.2, 940.3, 940.8, 940.9
• 481 IAC 941.14 (course of study requirements)
• 481 IAC ch. 944 (Continuing education)
• 481 IAC 507.5
• 481 IAC ch. 501 (Licensure by verification or work experience)

Rule changes since January 2024

• December 9, 2025: Iowa Code 157.3(3) and 157.12D (2025 Acts, ch 140) add an establishment training program: 2,000 supervised hours in a registered establishment qualify a person for the exam. Date given is the Iowa Code 2026 chapter PDF (printed Dec. 9, 2025) that shows the change; the effective date is not stated in the source.¹
• July 1, 2024: Barber and cosmetologist licenses merged into a single barbering and cosmetology license (ARC 7920C); existing cosmetologist licenses convert on renewal.⁴

Common questions

Cosmetologist licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming