Cosmetology / Barber License from Colorado to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Georgia accept a Colorado cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Colorado to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers, verify your Colorado license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. Written and practical exams are not retaken if you provide proof of passing a national or state-approved written and practical exam in English; otherwise the Board issues an exam-eligibility letter and you must pass the Georgia (NIC/PSI) exams within three attempts.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Colorado and Georgia require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Georgia's administrative checklist below.
What's different between Colorado and Georgia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Georgia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Colorado to Georgia (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Georgia to Colorado (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Colorado matter?
Coming from Colorado does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Georgia.
- CLC membership
Colorado has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; Georgia has not.
- Application fee
Georgia lists $75 for an out-of-state applicant; Colorado has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Training hours
Georgia's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Colorado's is 1,500.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Georgia and Colorado carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Georgia (this move): Written and practical exams are not retaken if you provide proof of passing a national or state-approved written and practical exam in English; otherwise the Board issues an exam-eligibility letter and you must pass the Georgia (NIC/PSI) exams within three attempts
- Colorado (the reverse move): Exams are not retaken if you passed a written and practical exam accepted by your licensing state (at least 1,000 hours of work experience in the two years before applying can substitute for the practical), or if you have held a current, valid license with a substantially similar scope of practice for at least one year; applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams
What changes, Colorado → Georgia
| Colorado (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | Licensure by endorsement |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession | $75 (endorsement application fee for Master Cosmetologist; the board fee schedule adds a non-refundable processing fee of $10 for paper applications or $5 for online applications; instructor endorsement is $100) |
| Processing time | no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months) | no timeframe published; the board processes applications in the order received, and a completed application may also go to a board meeting (it must be complete at least 15 days before the meeting to make that agenda); an application may be withdrawn if noted deficiencies are not satisfied within 60 days |
| Licensing authority | Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) | Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active cosmetology license in good standing in another state or U.S. territory at the appropriate level.
- Submit official certification of licensure from every state in which you have ever been licensed, showing no board orders or unpaid citations.
- Provide proof of high school graduation, GED, or postsecondary/college education.
- Be at least 17 years old and of good moral character.
- Submit a notarized application with a Secure and Verifiable Document (ID) and citizenship affidavit.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- GA SoS — Board of Cosmetology and Barbers FAQ (Endorsement/Reciprocity Requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- GA Rules — Chapter 240-11 Licensure by Endorsement (Rule 240-11-.01) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- GA Rules — Chapter 240-15 Cosmetology School Curriculum (1,500-hour master cosmetology course) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- GA SoS — How-to Guide: Master Cosmetologist, Cosmetology Instructor (endorsement checklist; after you apply) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- GA State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers — Fee Schedule (GSBCB rev. 03/22; endorsement $75, processing fee $10 paper / $5 online) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado DPO — Barber and Cosmetology Applications and Forms (endorsement instructions) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 4 CCR 731-1 Barber and Cosmetology Licensure Rules, Rule 1.2(A) cosmetologist hours (Colorado SOS CCR, 2021 compiled version; Rule 1.2(A) not amended since) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 4 CCR 731-1 — Colorado SOS CCR rule page (current version effective 10/30/2025; version history) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado SOS eDocket 2022-00290 — adopted Rule 1.4 Licensure by Endorsement (SB 22-116; one-year licensure alternative, Rule 1.4(B)(3)(b)) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado SOS eDocket 2023-00193 — adopted rules eff. 08/14/2023 (Rule 1.4(E) military spouse license) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact — official commission site (compact not yet active) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com