Cosmetology / Barber License from Michigan to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Michigan to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your Michigan license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. 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); applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan and Colorado require identical training hours (1,500), which removes the usual friction from a cosmetology transfer. What remains is Colorado's administrative checklist below.
What changes, Michigan → Colorado
| Michigan (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $63 (application fee plus 2-year license fee; same $63 total for licensure by examination or reciprocity) | endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession |
| Processing time | LARA does not publish a processing timeframe in the cosmetology licensing guide | no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months) |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing — Cosmetology | Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unrestricted cosmetologist license in good standing in another state or U.S. territory.
- Request verification of licensure be sent directly to the office from every state in which you have ever been licensed.
- Attest to graduation from a school approved by the licensing state's school-approval agency.
- Training hours must equal or exceed Colorado's 1,500 contact hours, or total at least 65% of them plus five hours of documented licensed work experience for every missing training hour.
- Report any disciplinary actions taken against you in any other jurisdiction.
- Pay the fees (endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession) and allow no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Colorado accept a Michigan cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Michigan to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your Michigan license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. 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); applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams.
Will Colorado make me retake the cosmetology exams?
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); applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams.
What does the Michigan-to-Colorado transfer cost and how long does it take?
endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession; processing no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado DPO — Barber and Cosmetology Applications and Forms (endorsement instructions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 4 CCR 731-1 Barber and Cosmetology Licensure Rules, Rules 1.2 and 1.4 (Colorado SOS CCR) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LARA — Cosmetology (profession page) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LARA — Michigan Cosmetology Licensing Guide (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan Admin Code R 338.2121b — Licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]