Cosmetology Continuing-Education Hours by State (2026)

Unlike nursing, most states require no continuing education to renew a cosmetology license. This table ranks the states we've verified by CE hours required per renewal cycle, highest first — the many states that require none show as 'None required'.

cosmetology CE hours by state, ranked

#StateCE hours per cycleCycle
1 North Carolina Cosmetology renewal 24 hours 36 mo
2 Illinois Cosmetology renewal 14 hours 24 mo
3 Florida Cosmetology renewal 10 hours 24 mo
4 Minnesota Cosmetology renewal 8 hours 36 mo
5 Nebraska Cosmetology renewal 8 hours 24 mo
6 Maryland Cosmetology renewal 6 hours 24 mo
7 Iowa Cosmetology renewal 6 hours 24 mo
8 District of Columbia Cosmetology renewal 6 hours 24 mo
9 Georgia Cosmetology renewal 5 hours 24 mo
10 Texas Cosmetology renewal 4 hours 24 mo
11 Ohio Cosmetology renewal 4 hours 24 mo
12 South Carolina Cosmetology renewal 4 hours 24 mo
13 California Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
14 New York Cosmetology renewal None required 48 mo
15 Pennsylvania Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
16 Michigan Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
17 New Jersey Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
18 Virginia Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
19 Tennessee Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
20 Massachusetts Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
21 Arizona Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
22 Indiana Cosmetology renewal None required 48 mo
23 Missouri Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
24 Washington Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
25 Colorado Cosmetology renewal None required 12 mo
26 Oregon Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
27 Wisconsin Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
28 Alabama Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
29 Kentucky Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
30 Oklahoma Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
31 Connecticut Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
32 Nevada Cosmetology renewal None required —
33 Utah Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
34 Kansas Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
35 Arkansas Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
36 Mississippi Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
37 West Virginia Cosmetology renewal None required 12 mo
38 Idaho Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
39 Hawaii Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
40 Maine Cosmetology renewal None required 12 mo
41 New Hampshire Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
42 Rhode Island Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
43 Delaware Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
44 South Dakota Cosmetology renewal None required 12 mo
45 Louisiana Cosmetology renewal None required 12 mo
46 New Mexico Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
47 North Dakota Cosmetology renewal None required 12 mo
48 Alaska Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
49 Vermont Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo
50 Wyoming Cosmetology renewal None required 24 mo

States without a single published hour count

These states don't publish a single fixed CE-hour figure — the requirement depends on factors covered on each state's full guide:

Based on 51 states verified against official boards. Figures change — confirm with your board before filing.

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