How Many Hours Is Barber School? Requirements by State (2026)
Every state sets its own rules for a barber license, and the training required ranges from a short permit course to 1,800 hours. Here is what each state's barber board or law requires today, with a link to the source, and what schools in that state charge where we have their prices.
Key findings
- Of the 50 states and DC, 50 set a minimum number of barber school hours (New York leaves it to schools). Most, 35 of the 50, require between 1,000 and 1,500 hours, and the median is 1,225 hours.
- Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio require the most training, 1,800 hours. Vermont and Virginia require the least for a full barber license, 750 hours, and Utah now issues a 130-hour barbering permit for cutting and shaving.
- 32 states let you train as an apprentice in a barbershop instead of going to school, and 17 set a shorter course for licensed cosmetologists who want a barber license.
| State | License | School hours | Apprenticeship route | Minimum age | Hours for cosmetologists | Typical tuition | Schools we list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Class 2 Barber | 1,000 | Yes | 16 | – | – | 5 |
| Alaska | Barber | 1,650 | Yes | – | – | – | 0 |
| Arizona | Barber | 1,200 | Yes | 16 | 200 | $10,800 | 21 |
| Arkansas | Registered Barber | 1,500 | No | – | 550 | – | 8 |
| California | Barber | 1,000 | Yes | 17 | – | $15,000 | 138 |
| Colorado | Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 16 | – | $18,260 | 18 |
| Connecticut | Barber | 1,000 | Yes | – | – | $14,201 | 5 |
| Delaware | Barber | 1,250 | Yes | – | – | – | 4 |
| District of Columbia | Barber | 1,250 | Yes | 18 | 250 | – | 1 |
| Florida | Barber | 900 | No | 16 | – | $13,823 | 82 |
| Georgia | Master Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 16 | 300 | $19,400 | 34 |
| Hawaii | Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 16 | – | – | 1 |
| Idaho | Barber | 900 | Yes | – | – | $11,629 | 10 |
| Illinois | Barber | 1,500 | No | 16 | 500 | $21,100 | 29 |
| Indiana | Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 18 | – | $18,842 | 13 |
| Iowa | Barbering and Cosmetology | 1,550 | Yes | – | – | – | 2 |
| Kansas | Barber | 1,200 | No | 16 | 500 | – | 6 |
| Kentucky | Barber | 1,500 | No | – | – | – | 2 |
| Louisiana | Registered Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 18 | – | – | 16 |
| Maine | Barber Hair Stylist | 800 | Yes | – | – | – | 2 |
| Maryland | Barber | 1,200 | Yes | – | – | $19,640 | 13 |
| Massachusetts | Barber | 1,000 | No | – | – | – | 5 |
| Michigan | Barber | 1,800 | Yes | 17 | – | $19,000 | 6 |
| Minnesota | Registered Barber | 1,500 | No | 17 | – | – | 5 |
| Mississippi | Barbering License | 1,500 | Yes | 16 | 600 | – | 9 |
| Missouri | Barber | 1,000 | Yes | 17 | 45 | $11,000 | 14 |
| Montana | Barber | 1,100 | No | 18 | 150 | – | 2 |
| Nebraska | Barber | 1,800 | No | 17 | – | – | 2 |
| Nevada | Barber | 1,500 | No | 18 | 400 | – | 7 |
| New Hampshire | Barber | 800 | Yes | – | – | $14,400 | 3 |
| New Jersey | Barber | 900 | No | 17 | – | $11,915 | 16 |
| New Mexico | Barber | 1,200 | Yes | 17 | – | $14,347 | 14 |
| New York | Barber | – | Yes | 17 | – | $9,000 | 16 |
| North Carolina | Registered Barber | 1,528 | No | – | – | – | 13 |
| North Dakota | Barber | 1,100 | No | 18 | – | – | 0 |
| Ohio | Barber | 1,800 | No | 16 | 1,000 | – | 12 |
| Oklahoma | Barber | 1,250 | Yes | 17 | 300 | $14,280 | 28 |
| Oregon | Barbering certification | 786 | No | – | – | $13,467 | 16 |
| Pennsylvania | Barber | 1,250 | Yes | 16 | 695 | $18,975 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 18 | – | – | 0 |
| South Carolina | Registered Barber | 1,500 | Yes | 17 | – | – | 6 |
| South Dakota | Registered Barber | 1,500 | No | 18 | – | – | 0 |
| Tennessee | Master Barber | 1,500 | No | 16 | – | $14,900 | 22 |
| Texas | Class A Barber | 1,000 | No | 17 | 300 | $14,050 | 140 |
| Utah | Barbering Permit | 130 | Yes | – | – | $12,320 | 12 |
| Vermont | Barber | 750 | Yes | – | 150 | – | 1 |
| Virginia | Barber | 750 | Yes | – | – | $16,277 | 13 |
| Washington | Barber | 1,000 | Yes | 17 | – | $12,045 | 16 |
| West Virginia | Barber | 1,200 | Yes | 18 | 300 | – | 4 |
| Wisconsin | Barber | 1,000 | Yes | – | – | $13,039 | 13 |
| Wyoming | Registered Barber (Barber, no chemicals) | 1,000 | No | 17 | 150 | – | 2 |
About this data
School hours are the training a new student needs at a licensed barber school for the state's standard barber license. Several states have more than one barber license; the License column says which one we show, and each state's page explains the others.
"Hours for cosmetologists" is the shorter course a licensed cosmetologist takes to add a barber license, where the state sets one. Typical tuition is the median tuition and fees of schools we list in that state that publish a price (federal data or the school's own website), shown when at least three do.
Rules change. We read each state's board pages, statutes and regulations on the date shown on the state's source; check with the board before you enroll.
Sources: each state's barber or cosmetology board, statutes and administrative code (linked on every state page).
Tell us if something here is out of date.
Use this data
You're welcome to quote these figures in articles, posts and reports. Please credit Barber School Finder with a link to this page.
Barber School Finder, "How Many Hours Is Barber School? Requirements by State (2026)," https://barberschoolfinder.com/barber-license-requirements-by-state (updated October 2026).
Data as of October 26, 2026. See how we collect and verify listings.