Cosmetology license in California: cost, hours and steps
California rolls the application, the written exam and the first license into a single $125 payment to the state board.
Cosmetology license fees in California
$125
paid to the state and its exam and fingerprint vendors
| Application and license | $125 |
| Training: 1,000 school hours | about 34 weeks |
| Renewals in 5 years, every 2 years | 2 × $50 = $100 |
Cosmetologist license. Fees read on official pages, October 20, 2026.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application for examination and initial license (combined, covers the PSI written exam) | $125 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the totals are built · California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology · read October 20, 2026
In California a cosmetologist pays $125 to become licensed, and that one payment does three jobs: it is the application for examination, it covers the written exam delivered by PSI, and it buys the initial license. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology sets it, and there is no separate vendor bill. California is also one of the few states with no practical exam for cosmetologists; candidates only need to pass the written test. That makes it the 7th cheapest of the 15 states priced here, against a median of $163. Training is 1,000 hours at a board-approved school, tied for the lowest requirement in our table, or completion of the state's cosmetology apprenticeship program, roughly 34 weeks of school at 30 hours a week. The minimum age is 17. The license renews every two years for $50.
One payment instead of three
Most boards split the bill between an application, a testing company and a license fee. California does not. The cosmetologist application form lists an initial license fee of $125, non-refundable, and that amount covers the examination and the license that follows. The record behind this page found no separate PSI charge and no Live Scan fingerprint requirement for cosmetologist applicants, so the calculator shows a single line.
The flip side of a bundled fee is that a retake is not priced on the form read for this site. If you fail the written exam, ask the board what a new examination request costs before you rebook; this page does not count one.
Written exam only
The board's own words are that candidates "only need to pass the written exam to become licensed." There is no hands-on practical on a mannequin, which removes both a fee and a scheduling step that applicants in Texas or Washington face. Your preparation after school is for one sitting rather than two, and there is no kit or model to bring to a test center.
1,000 hours, or an apprenticeship
A board-approved school must certify 1,000 hours under Business and Professions Code section 7362.5. The other route is the cosmetology apprenticeship program set out in Article 4 of the Barbering and Cosmetology Act. Applicants who practiced in another state can have that experience credited at 100 hours for every 3 months worked, which helps someone short of the hour total.
Weeks to finish California beauty school
Cosmetology training in California
34 weeks
| Required hours | 1,000 |
| Months at that pace | 7.7 |
| First-license fees | $125 |
Renewal and transfers
The license is valid two years and renews for $50. Over ten years that is 5 renewals, $250 in all. The renewal page read for this site lists no continuing education requirement, but it does not state that none applies either, so check before your first cycle. Cosmetologists licensed in another state can apply through the board's reciprocity application rather than repeating school. For the national picture, see the cosmetology license guide; for skin care alone, the esthetician license has a shorter course.
California cosmetology license over the years
Cosmetology license in California, 10 years
$375
| First license | $125 |
| Renewals | 5 × $50 |
| Continuing education | not on the pages read |
Every cosmetology fee in California, with its source
| Fee | Amount | In the total | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application for examination and initial license (combined, covers the PSI written exam) | $125 | counted | source |
| Renewal | Value |
|---|---|
| Cycle | every 2 years |
| Fee | $50 |
| Continuing education | not read on an official page |
| Required training | 1,000 school hours. 1,000 hours at a board-approved school (B&P Code 7362.5), or completion of the cosmetology apprenticeship program (Article 4, Sec. 7332); out-of-state practice credited at 100 hours per 3 months. |