Lash License Lookup by State

Yes. Every US state requires some form of license to perform lash extensions for pay. The specific license type and required training hours vary by state. Some states offer a standalone lash-specific license (like Texas), while others require a broader esthetician or cosmetology license. Performing lash services without a valid license can result in fines, legal penalties, and loss of the ability to get licensed later.

Yes. Texas requires at minimum a 320-hour Eyelash Extension Specialist license through TDLR. That license covers lash extension application and removal only. If you also want to offer lash lifts, brow lamination, or brow tinting, you need the 750-hour Esthetician license or the 1,000-hour Cosmetology Operator license.

Yes. Florida requires at minimum a 220-hour Facial Specialist registration through DBPR. There is no state exam for the Facial Specialist registration, making it one of the fastest paths to legal lash work in the country. The Facial Specialist license covers lash extensions, lash lifts, lash tinting, and most facial services.

Yes. California requires either a 600-hour Esthetician license or a 1,000-hour Cosmetologist license through the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC). California has no standalone lash-tech or waxing license. The Esthetician license is the most efficient path and covers all six lash and brow services. Tinting is in scope for both licenses, but the BBC only recognizes silver-nitrate products as FDA-compliant for eye-area use, which makes most commercial PPD-based tints an enforcement risk.

Lash and brow tinting are within the Esthetician and Cosmetologist scope in California under SB 803 (effective January 1, 2022), but the BBC's July 2022 Industry Bulletin states that only silver-nitrate-based products are FDA-compliant for eye-area use. Most commercial professional tint brands (RefectoCil, Belmacil, 1000 Hour, Elleebana) use PPD or coal-tar dyes and are not FDA-approved. The Board has historically issued roughly $500 citations for use of non-compliant tints.

Yes. New York has no standalone lash or eyelash-technician license. Lash work is licensed through the Appearance Enhancement system administered by the New York Department of State (NYSDOS). The 600-hour Esthetics license is the primary path for lash artists and covers lash extensions, keratin-only lash lifts, brow waxing, and silver-nitrate-only tinting. The 1,000-hour Cosmetology license is the only NY license DOS endorses for brow lamination. The 75-hour Waxing license covers brow waxing only and does not authorize any tinting or lash service.

Two rules. Since September 4, 2024, 19 NYCRR section 160.27(e) permits only FDA-listed silver-nitrate dyes (21 CFR 73.2550) on lashes and brows, which rules out most commercial tint brands like RefectoCil, Elleebana, 1000 Hour, and LashBase. Separately, the DOS Procedural Service Determinations chart (Rev. 12/19/2025) marks chemical-based lash perms and lifts as prohibited for every Appearance Enhancement license. Only keratin-only lash lifts with no chemical relaxer are permitted, even though nearly every commercial lash lift on the market uses ammonium thioglycolate.

Yes. Georgia has no standalone lash or eyelash-technician license. Only two licenses authorize any lash or brow work: the 1,000-hour Esthetician license and the 1,500-hour Master Cosmetologist license. The Esthetician license is the recommended path at roughly 500 fewer hours with the same lash and brow scope, and it is the only license in Georgia statute that expressly names lash extensions (O.C.G.A. section 43-10-1(8)(C)). Private lash academy certificates are not Georgia credentials, and practicing without an Esthetician or Master Cosmetologist license can draw $500 fines under Rule 240-2-.02.

Lash lifts and brow lamination are not named anywhere in Georgia statute (O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 10) or in Board rules (Chapter 240). They are treated as Esthetician services by industry consensus under the catch-all 'beautifying the face by cosmetic preparation' language in section 43-10-1(8)(D), but there is no express authorization or Board bulletin either way. This is genuinely ambiguous under Georgia law. Georgia esthetics schools teach these services and estheticians perform them routinely, but SuiteCal flags them as covered by industry consensus rather than express statute.

In most states, yes, as long as you hold a valid license and your home workspace meets your state's health and safety requirements for a licensed establishment. Requirements typically include a dedicated workspace, proper sanitation procedures, adequate ventilation, and in some states a separate entrance for clients. Check with your state board for specific home-based salon rules.

No. A certificate is proof that you completed a training course. A license is legal permission from your state to practice. You cannot legally perform lash or brow services for pay with only a certificate. You must also hold a valid state license and work in a licensed establishment.

It depends on the license and your state. In Florida, the Facial Specialist program is 220 hours and can be completed in as little as 2 to 10 weeks. In Texas, the Eyelash Extension Specialist program is 320 hours (6 to 12 weeks), and the Esthetician program is 750 hours (3 to 10 months). In California, the Esthetician program is 600 hours (3 to 6 months full-time). In New York, the Esthetics program is 600 hours (3 to 6 months full-time) and must be completed at a NY State Education Department-approved school, with no apprenticeship route available. Georgia has one of the highest hour requirements in the U.S.: the Esthetician program is 1,000 hours (9 to 12 months full-time), with a 2,000-hour apprenticeship as an alternative. Full cosmetology programs in any state can take a year or more.

Penalties are serious. In Texas, TDLR can impose fines of $500 to $5,000 or more and conduct unannounced inspections. In Florida, fines can reach $5,000 per violation, and unlicensed practice is a second-degree misdemeanor that can result in up to 60 days in jail. In California, unlicensed practice is a $1,000 fine under Business and Professions Code section 7317 and a misdemeanor under section 7349, and mobile lash work advertised on social media without a Personal Service Permit is a frequent BBC enforcement target. In New York, unlicensed practice violates General Business Law Article 27, and DOS conducts random and complaint-driven inspections without notice. NY also enforces 19 NYCRR section 160.27(e), which prohibits any non-silver-nitrate lash or brow tinting, and prohibits chemical-based lash lifts for every Appearance Enhancement license. In Georgia, Board fines under Rule 240-2-.02 run $25 to $300 per rule violation, plus $500 per unlicensed practitioner found on-site and $500 for operating a salon without a salon/shop license. Beyond fines, unlicensed practice can make it harder to get a license later and exposes you to liability if a client has a reaction.

It depends on the states involved. Texas uses a substantial equivalence system where out-of-state licenses may be accepted if your training meets Texas standards. Florida offers endorsement for Facial Specialists and Cosmetologists from states with comparable requirements. California offers Licensure by Endorsement for out-of-state licensees of the same type, with processing in about 6 to 8 weeks, but will not accept standalone lash-tech or waxing licenses from states like Nevada, Connecticut, or Minnesota, since California has no equivalent license type. New York is one of the hardest US states for transfer: Florida, California, Texas, and several other major states are NOT on the NY endorsement or reciprocity lists. Applicants from those states must prove equivalent hours (600 for Esthetics, 1,000 for Cosmetology) and still pass both the NY written and practical exams, or document 5 or more years of licensed practice. Georgia uses Endorsement (not reciprocity) and does NOT require hours equivalence. An active out-of-state license in good standing plus passage of written and practical exams in English qualifies. The Georgia Endorsement application is notarized, paper-only, and $75. Current GA Board rules contain no blanket state exclusions. The Texas Eyelash Extension Specialist license is difficult to transfer anywhere because most states do not have an equivalent standalone lash license.

Rules vary by state. In Florida, a makeup exemption (effective July 1, 2020) allows anyone to apply temporary strip lashes and cluster lashes without a license. However, semi-permanent lash extensions, lash tinting, and any chemical service still require a license in every state. If you are gluing individual lash extensions to natural lashes, you need a license.

It varies by state. In Texas, cosmetologists and estheticians must complete 4 hours of CE every 2-year renewal cycle. In Florida, CE requirements vary by license type. California does not require continuing education for any BBC license. New York does not require continuing education for any Appearance Enhancement license, but NY licenses renew every 4 years rather than every 2. Georgia requires 5 hours of CE per 2-year renewal cycle (3 hours health and safety, 2 elective), with the first renewal waived and tracking through CE Broker. Older industry references that say Georgia has no CE requirement are outdated. Check your state board website for the exact hours, approved course types, and renewal deadlines. Missing CE can result in a lapsed license in states that require it.