|
Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers
|
For helpful information and links regarding COVID-19, please Click Here
RENEW ONLINE NOW:Renewals for Estheticians and Nail Techs are open until August 31, 2021. PLEASE REFERENCE THE NEW RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS DETAILED BELOW. Salons, Shops, and Schools are in Late-Renewal until December 31, 2021. RENEW TODAY!
https://secure.sos.state.ga.us/mylicense.
NEW ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY: APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Effective August 1, 2021, applications submitted for licensure, certification, or registration must be complete and correct, including submission of all required documents, prior to review by the Board or issuance of authority to test.
Board staff will notify the applicant of any application deficiencies. Applicants will have 60 days from the date of the notification to correct the deficiencies and submit requirements to the board office. Failure to comply within the 60-day window will result in the administrative withdrawal of the application.
When an incomplete application is withdrawn, and further consideration is desired, a new application with all appropriate fees and documents will be required.
Please (CLICK HERE) for more information regarding this policy.
NEW RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS:
Beginning with the June 1, 2021 Esthetician and Nail Technician renewals, the Late Renewal period has been changed from six months (180 days) to thirty (30) days. The late renewal period for Estheticians and Nail Technicians will be from September 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. If you do not renew your license by September 30, 2021, you will be required to apply for reinstatement. This requirement will be for all license types issued by the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers, and will be in effect at the next subsequent renewal period for your license type.
The Board has produced a video explaining the changes. Please click (HERE) for more information.
COVID-19 UPDATES:
May 10, 2021: With the Governor's Executive Order from April 30, 2021 (CLICK HERE); All Guidelines and Recommendations for Safely Getting Back to Work have been rescinded. However, the Board encourages all licensees to be cautious when interacting with your clients and customers.
CONTINUING EDUCATION REGISTRATION:
Starting April 1, 2021, registration is now open for Continuing Education providers. The application is located under the Forms & Downloads button on the Board's homepage. The registration period will close September 1, 2021. Your registration pack must be postmarked by September 1st!!! Once approved, you may begin offering CE's starting January 1, 2022. For more information, please see the instructions on the CE Provider application.In response to Governor Kemp’s recommendation that state employees work remotely, the Professional Licensing Boards Division has implemented telework options for its staff. Effective March 16, the Professional Licensing Boards Division will be closed to visitors. Constituents are encouraged to utilize web resources (www.sos.ga.gov/plb/) for online transactions and to answer frequently asked questions. For additional information you may contact the call center at 404-424-9966.
At the March 9, 2020 meeting, the Board voted to allow schools to teach the theory portion of the curriculum via distance learning or online, you may download the memo in the Applications/Download section of the website, or you may click here: https://sos.ga.gov/PLB/acrobat/Forms/28%20Reference%20-%20COVID-19%20Memorandum%20for%20Schools.pdf
Important information from the Board's testing provider, PSI:
https://www.psionline.com/blog/psi-services-ceo-owned-and-operated-test-center-closures-in-the-us
Veterans, Military Service Members, Transitioning Service Members, and Military Spouses, click here.
NEW: VIDEO TUTORIALS
Application assistance videos are now available. Please review these videos before you apply. They will be able to answer many of your application questions. Click on the "Application Tutorials" link in the Quick Links section, or simply click here: Videos
FRAUD WARNING
Georgia professional license holders are put on notice to not be scammed by fraudulent calls and emails from a fake entity calling itself “The Bureau of Occupational Licenses”, or anyone claiming to be an employee or official from a licensing Board. The scam threatens actions against an individual’s professional license for legal violations if the individual does not immediately pay money by cashier’s check or reloadable Green Dot MoneyPak cards.
You may receive aggressive calls or emails on official-looking letterhead alleging that your business has violated the law, but the ‘Bureau of Occupational Licenses’ is not a real government agency in Georgia.
The scam appears to be targeting people in the cosmetology and nail care industry. No professional licensing Board in Georgia will ever call a license holder and demand immediate payment of a fine, nor will any Board accept payment in Green Dot MoneyPak cards or other reloadable payment cards. If you receive a call from anyone demanding payment in reloadable payment cards to settle a government fine, please report it to your local police.
ATTENTION APPRENTICES: Theory Exam Now Required
Effective July 1, 2019, a change to Cosmetology and Barbering law O.C.G.A. § 43-10-13(c) now requires any apprentice who is licensed after July 1, 2019 must take the theory portion of the state Board exam within the first 12 months of his or her apprenticeship. The change in the law applies to all apprentices licensed by this Board after July 1, 2019. There are NO exemptions. This requirement does not apply to any apprentice whose license was issued prior to July 1, 2019. For more information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
REQUIRED FOR ALL RENEWALS
Renewals are not complete until all documents have been received and processed. For information about Continuing Education requirements, please see the section below. You should check the Board's website to see if your renewal has been approved. A new expiration date indicates that your renewal has been approved. Licenses that are not renewed must apply for a reinstatement by submitting a Reinstatement Application and fee.
Effective July 1, 2012 the Professional Licensing Boards Division no longer prints and/or mails courtesy hard copies of pocket cards or wall certificates. Licensees may download free of charge an electronic version of the professional license at https://plbprint.sos.state.ga.us/printlicense/. Licensees wishing to obtain blue wall licenses and pocket cards may order them for $25.00 via the license renewal website at https://secure.sos.state.ga.us/mylicense. Sign in using your User ID and password, then select "Order Pocket Card" from the left side menu.
CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
***CURRENT CONTINUING EDUCATION PROVIDERS EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31, 2021. ANY COURSES TAKEN AFTER THAT DATE MUST BE FROM A PROVIDER WITH A CURRENT 2022-2023 REGISTRATION.***INSTRUCTOR CE REQUIREMENTS: All instructors seeking renewal of licenses must complete fifteen (15) hours of Board approved continuing education, with at least half of the 15 hours in teaching techniques, lesson planning, or other advanced teacher training. There are no CE exemptions for instructors.
HOW MANY CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS ARE REQUIRED?
In order to renew a license, each licensee must provide to the Board proof of completion a total of five (5) continuing education (CE) hours in a form acceptable to the Board as follows:
HOW DO I OBTAIN CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) HOURS?Three (3) hours of the total five (5) hours must be satisfied by a course in health and safety developed or approved by the Board. A health and safety course or program that meets or exceeds the three (3) hours that has been developed and offered through a college, university department, or division of continuing education of the Department of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Board of Regents, or The American Red Cross may be accepted by the Board without prior approval; and
Two (2) hours of the total five (5) hours must be in a course previously registered with the Board in any of the following areas:
(i) industry or trade show;
(ii) health and safety;
(iii) industry trends;
(iv) computer skills;
(v) business management;
(vi) the area of practice for the type of license held by the licensee.
If audited, the licensee shall submit written proof from the CE provider of attendance and/or completion of each CE course submitted for credit.
Your continuing education provider must be registered with the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers in order for you to receive continuing education credit. A list of approved continuing education providers may be found on the Board's website under the tab titled Education & Exams.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR A WAIVER OF THE CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) REQUIREMENTS?
- The first time you renew your license you are not required to meet the CE requirements. Every renewal after that, you must complete five (5) hours of continuing education every two (2) years in order to renew your license for master cosmetologist, esthetician, nail technician or hair designer.
- Master Barber, Barber II, and Barber Instructor licenses are 'exempt' from CE requirements until the 2018 renewal year and will be required every two years thereafter.
- A licensee who has held a license for 25 years or longer is eligible for a waiver of the continuing education requirement; or A licensee who can prove to the Board that he or she has a hardship may request a waiver. The waiver request form may be downloaded here.
- Reinstatement applications ARE NOT eligible for a waiver of continuing education; Georgia law O.C.G.A. 43-10-10 requires documentation must be submitted for all required continuing education hours since the date the license lapsed. Additional information may be found on the reinstatement application. The Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers cannot waive this statutory requirement.
COSMETOLOGY AND BARBER BOARDS COMBINED JULY 1, 2015
Effective July 1, 2015 with the passage of HB 314 the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers shall regulate barbering and the practice of cosmetologist in this state. The board shall operate under the rules and regulations of the Georgia State Board of Barbers and Georgia State Board of Cosmetology as they existed on June 30, 2015, until the board shall promulgate one set of rules and regulations governing both barbering and the practice of cosmetologists; such rules and regulations shall be adopted on or before July 1, 2016. The Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers shall consist of nine members who are appointed by the Governor. Two members must have had at least five years of practical experiences as a cosmetologist at the have had at least five years of practical experience as a cosmetologist at the master level, a portion of which must have been as a beauty shop or beauty salon owner or manager. One member of the board must have had at least five years of practical experience as a cosmetologist at the esthetician level. One member of the board must have had at least five years of practical experience as a nail technician. Two members of the board must have had at least five years of practical experience as a master barber. One member must be an instructor at a school of barbering. One member must be an instructor at school of cosmetology. One member shall not have any connection with barbering or the practice of a cosmetologist or any business related thereto whatsoever but shall have a recognized interest in consumer affairs and in consumer protection concerns.
REGULATION OF COSMETIC LASER SERVICES
Cosmetic Laser Services are regulated by the Georgia Composite Medical Board (GCMB).
You may review rules, Frequently Asked Questions, and application information for pulse light, laser, and other services at the GCMB website:
http://medicalboard.georgia.gov/cosmetic-laser-practitioners-applications.
Originally enacted in 2007 as House Bill 528, the Cosmetic Laser Services Act O.C.G.A. § 43‐34‐244 became effective February 26, 2014 when Governor Nathan Deal signed the House Bill 743, the General Appropriations Act, which authorized the Board to begin licensing cosmetic laser practitioners. There are two levels of licensure for this profession: assistant laser practitioner and senior laser practitioner. The Cosmetic Laser Services Act specifies the qualifications for each of these levels. The "grandfather period" for Assistant Laser Practitioner applications has ended.
Selling of Non-Prescription Contact Lenses
Selling of non-prescription colored contact lenses by an individual or business that is not a licensed ophthalmologist, optometrist or dispensing optician is illegal in the State of Georgia. Engaging in contact lens sales is a felony punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine by Georgia law O.C.G.A. § 31-12-12.