To earn a Kansas barber license, you need to be at least 16 with a high school diploma or equivalent, graduate from a board-approved barber school, and pass a three-part state examination with a score of at least 80% on each part.1Kansas Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1812 – Qualifications for Licensure as a Barber; Temporary License After that, the license has to be renewed every year to stay active.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1819 – Renewal of License; Annual Requirement; Expiration Dates The Kansas Board of Barbering issues the license and sets the rules behind each of those steps.
Who Qualifies
The statutory floor is simple. You must be 16 or older and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent before the board will issue a barber license.1Kansas Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1812 – Qualifications for Licensure as a Barber; Temporary License Everything else in the process builds on those two conditions.
Barber School Requirements
You have to graduate from a barber school or college that the board has approved. State law sets the program at a minimum of 1,200 hours and a maximum of 1,500, to be completed within 18 months at no more than eight hours a day.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1810 – Barber Schools and Colleges; Approval by Board; Requirements The exact hour count inside that window is fixed by board regulation.
Required coursework covers the scientific fundamentals of barbering, hygiene, anatomy of the hair and skin, structure of the head and neck, basic chemistry related to sterilization, scalp and neck massage, and the core services of cutting, shaving, coloring, and perming. Kansas law also requires the curriculum to include barbering practices for all major ethnic groups in the state.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1810 – Barber Schools and Colleges; Approval by Board; Requirements
Alternative Paths
A few applicants can enter through a shorter route. If you completed a barber course through an institution under the Kansas Secretary of Corrections, the disciplinary barracks at Fort Leavenworth, or a barbering program in any branch of the U.S. military, you can qualify after an additional course of study at a licensed Kansas barber school as prescribed by the board. Licensed Kansas cosmetologists can cross over through a similar board-prescribed bridge program.1Kansas Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1812 – Qualifications for Licensure as a Barber; Temporary License The length of that extra study is set by the board rather than by statute.
The Licensing Examination
Once you graduate, you apply for the next board exam using the official application on the board’s website.4Kansas Board of Barbering. Forms The initial exam fee is $230, non-refundable, and the application goes to the board’s office at 700 SW Jackson, Suite 1002, Topeka, KS 66603.5Kansas Board of Barbering. Kansas Barber License Examination
The exam has three parts. You need 80% or higher on each to pass.
- National Written Theory. A 110-question multiple-choice test covering barber theory, taken at a separate site on a different day from the other two sections.
- Practical Examination. You bring two models. The first portion requires a live model; the second can use a live model or a mannequin. Arranging your models is your responsibility.
- Kansas Rules and Regulations. A written test on state-specific laws and board rules, taken the same day as the practical.5Kansas Board of Barbering. Kansas Barber License Examination
Fail one portion and you can retake only that portion. Re-examination fees are $150 for the written theory, $100 for the practical, and $50 for the Kansas rules and regulations section.5Kansas Board of Barbering. Kansas Barber License Examination Anyone who fails is entitled to sit for the next exam the board holds.1Kansas Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1812 – Qualifications for Licensure as a Barber; Temporary License
Working While You Wait: Temporary License
If you’ve graduated from an approved school and applied for the next available exam, the board can issue a temporary license so you can start working before your test date. The temporary license is good only until the exam results come back. The board will issue no more than three temporary licenses to any one person, so repeated failures eventually close that door.1Kansas Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1812 – Qualifications for Licensure as a Barber; Temporary License
Once you hold any license from the board, state law requires you to display it in a visible spot at or near your work chair.6Kansas State Legislature. Kansas Code 65-1818 – Display of License
Keeping the License: Annual Renewal
Kansas barber licenses renew every year. The same yearly requirement applies to instructor licenses, shop licenses, and school licenses.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1819 – Renewal of License; Annual Requirement; Expiration Dates The board can prorate fees when a license is issued, restored, or renewed for less than a full year. Current fee amounts are posted on the board’s website, or you can call the office at 785-296-2211.
If your license lapses for less than three years, you can restore it by filing a renewal application and paying the restoration fee. Let it lapse for three years or more and you have to retake the licensing examination and pay the full exam and license fees over again.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1819 – Renewal of License; Annual Requirement; Expiration Dates That three-year line matters. A late fee is a nuisance; starting the exam over is a different kind of setback.
Barber schools can design refresher courses specifically for barbers who haven’t renewed in three or more years, and for applicants who have failed the board exam at least twice.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1810 – Barber Schools and Colleges; Approval by Board; Requirements
Separate Licenses for Instructors, Shops, and Schools
A Kansas barber license lets you cut hair. It does not, on its own, let you teach, open a shop, or run a school.
Teaching at a Kansas barber school requires an instructor’s license. All instructors must be licensed practicing barbers who pass a two-part instructor examination with at least 75% on each part.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 65-1810 – Barber Schools and Colleges; Approval by Board; Requirements Separate exam instructions are on the board’s website.5Kansas Board of Barbering. Kansas Barber License Examination
Opening a barbershop requires a shop license. The board inspects the proposed location and issues the license only if it meets sanitation and layout standards set out in K.A.R. 61-1-1 through 61-1-31, which cover water, waste disposal, lavatories at each work station, and disinfection procedures. Barber schools need their own approval from the board, and the board can revoke a school’s permit, after notice and a public hearing, for failing to comply with applicable statutes or sanitation rules.7Kansas Board of Barbering. Kansas Board of Barbering Regulations
Where to Apply
Application forms for the exam, renewal, and the other license types are posted on the Kansas Board of Barbering website.4Kansas Board of Barbering. Forms Completed forms and fees go to the board at 700 SW Jackson, Suite 1002, Topeka, KS 66603, and the office phone is 785-296-2211. Because fees are set by board regulation and can change, confirm the current amount before you mail your application.