Michigan cosmetology laws and rules sit in Article 12 of the Occupational Code (Act 299 of 1980) and are administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) together with the Board of Cosmetology. To practice, you need 1,500 hours of approved schooling or a two-year apprenticeship, and you must pass both a theory exam and a practical exam.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Occupational Code – Article 12 To open a salon, you need a separate establishment license, a passing inspection, and ongoing compliance with sanitation standards the state actually enforces.
Qualifying for an Individual License
Five things have to line up before LARA will license you as a cosmetologist:
- You are at least 17 years old.
- You have education equivalent to the completion of the ninth grade.
- You have completed either a 1,500-hour course at a licensed cosmetology school or a two-year apprenticeship at a licensed establishment offering hair care, skin care, and manicuring services.
- You meet the good moral character standard.
- You pass the theory exam and the practical exam.
The education threshold trips people up because it is lower than most people assume. The statute says ninth-grade equivalent, not a high school diploma.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Occupational Code – Article 12 Individual schools often set higher admissions bars and may require a diploma or GED, but that is the school’s rule, not the state’s.
Good moral character is defined in the Michigan Administrative Code by a list of felonies that count as evidence you do not meet the standard, including homicide, manslaughter, felonious assault, larceny, extortion, criminal sexual conduct, armed robbery, embezzlement, and elder exploitation.2Legal Information Institute. Michigan Admin Code R 393-5033 – Good Moral Character A conviction on the list does not automatically disqualify you, but it shifts the burden to you to show rehabilitation.
Both exams are administered by PSI, the state’s contracted testing vendor. The theory portion is computer-based and covers safety protocols, chemical handling, and cosmetology principles. The practical portion evaluates services performed on a live model. You must pass both parts within one year of passing the practical portion.
The Apprenticeship Route
The two-year apprenticeship path has its own rules. Apprentices must hold a high school diploma or equivalent (unlike the school-based route), and the sponsoring establishment must offer hair care, skin care, and manicuring services.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Occupational Code – Article 12 An apprentice cannot work on the public until completing at least 350 hours of instruction in the general cosmetology curriculum. The sponsor must keep daily attendance records and submit them to LARA monthly. No establishment may train more than two apprentices at once, and the establishment cannot charge tuition.3State of Michigan LARA. Michigan Cosmetology Apprenticeship Guide If someone offers you an apprenticeship and asks for a training fee, that arrangement does not match Michigan law.
What a Cosmetology License Covers
Michigan defines cosmetology as one or more of four service categories: hair care, skin care, manicuring, and electrology.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339-1201
- Hair care covers cutting, coloring, bleaching, perming, relaxing, straightening, styling, and similar work on hair of the head or on a wig being worn.
- Skin care covers facials, hair removal, and related treatments as defined in the code.
- Manicuring covers filing, shaping, polishing, artificial nail creation, and skin care of the hands, arms, and feet. It explicitly does not include podiatric medicine.
- Electrology is permanent hair removal by electrical current.
A full cosmetology license covers all four categories. Limited licenses exist for practitioners trained only in a single area, such as manicuring, without completing the full 1,500-hour curriculum. A limited license only authorizes services within that specialty, and a cosmetologist working in a limited establishment cannot perform services the establishment is not licensed to offer.
The line between cosmetology and medicine matters at the edges. Chemical peels, for instance, have to stay in the cosmetic range; anything that penetrates below the outermost skin layer moves into procedures that require different credentials. When a treatment is close to that boundary, check the Board’s administrative rules before offering it.
Opening a Salon
Your individual license lets you practice. It does not let you run a shop. Every cosmetology establishment needs its own license from LARA, and you cannot serve clients until the license is actually issued.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339-1204
The application and two-year license fee together come to $75.6State of Michigan LARA. Michigan Cosmetology Establishment Licensing Guide You submit a floor plan diagram showing all work stations, service areas, equipment, walls, doors, and the drinking water source. LARA then inspects the premises for sanitation compliance and proper equipment. No services can be performed until the inspection passes. If the establishment sits next to a dwelling or a cosmetology school, it must be completely separated by full partitions and doors.
Both the establishment license and each working cosmetologist’s individual license must be displayed where the public can see them.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339-1204 One point worth planning around: there is no transfer process. If the business changes ownership or moves to a new location, the establishment license becomes void and you file a new application from the beginning.
LARA also issues limited establishment licenses for shops that offer only part of the cosmetology scope. A nail-only salon operates under a limited license, and it cannot host hair care or skin care work regardless of the practitioners’ individual credentials.
Sanitation and Safety Rules You’ll Be Inspected On
Michigan’s sanitation requirements start at R 338.2171 in the Administrative Code and are treated as a condition of continued licensing, not a suggestion.7Legal Information Institute. Michigan Admin Code R 338-2171 – Establishment and School Requirements
At the establishment level, you need an adequate supply of hot and cold running water, sufficient cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing equipment and supplies, the manufacturer-labeled container for every disinfectant and sterilant in use, and a shampoo bowl with hot and cold running water if you offer hair care. All areas must be kept safe and sanitary.
Tool and linen rules under R 338.2171a are specific. Non-electrical tools that contact a client must be cleaned and then disinfected or sterilized between uses. Towels, capes, and neck strips must be machine-washed in water at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 25 minutes across the wash and rinse cycle.8Legal Information Institute. Michigan Admin Code R 338-2171a – Disinfecting and Sterilizing Requirements Practitioners must apply antiseptic to their hands before performing any service, and any tool not disposed of after a single use has to be cleaned according to the disinfection rules.9Legal Information Institute. Michigan Admin Code R 338-2171b – Patron Protection
Chemical safety is enforced by MIOSHA, Michigan’s own occupational safety agency. MIOSHA sets permissible exposure limits for common salon chemicals and requires employers to keep a Safety Data Sheet for every product used in the workplace. Ventilated tables or portable ventilation units are recommended wherever chemical treatments happen, and building exhaust fans should stay running throughout operating hours.
Renewal and Continuing Education
The renewal fee for cosmetologists is $48.10State of Michigan. License Renewal Fees The standard continuing education requirement is six hours per renewal cycle, from state-approved educators or programs, covering updated safety protocols, new techniques, and regulatory changes. You submit proof of completed hours with your renewal through LARA’s online portal.
Letting a license lapse is expensive in time, not just money. Reinstatement typically requires showing that you completed the equivalent of one year of continuing education in the twelve months before applying, a much heavier lift than staying current.
Booth Renters, Independent Contractors, and Self-Employment Tax
A large share of Michigan cosmetologists work as booth renters rather than employees. The tax and legal consequences catch new booth renters off guard every year.
The IRS uses three categories to sort out whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor: behavioral control (does the salon dictate how and when you work?), financial control (do you set your own prices, pay your own expenses, and supply your own tools?), and the type of relationship (is there a written contract, and are employee-type benefits provided?).11Internal Revenue Service. Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee? No single factor decides the question. A salon owner who calls someone a booth renter but controls their schedule, sets their prices, and requires specific products is likely employing them regardless of what the contract says. Reclassification is expensive on both sides: the owner owes back employment taxes, and the worker’s own filings may not match reality.
If you genuinely operate as an independent contractor, you owe self-employment tax on net earnings of $400 or more. The rate is 15.3%, split between 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.12Internal Revenue Service. Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare Taxes) The Social Security portion applies to the first $184,500 of combined earnings in 2026.13Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base An additional 0.9% Medicare tax kicks in above $200,000 in earnings ($250,000 for married filing jointly).
Employees split the 15.3% with their employer. Booth renters pay all of it. That shift is the single biggest financial shock for cosmetologists moving from employee to independent status without adjusting their pricing. A common working figure is to set aside 25 to 30 percent of net income for federal and state taxes combined.
Moving a License Into Michigan
Cosmetologists licensed elsewhere can seek a Michigan license by endorsement under Administrative Code R 338.2121b. LARA compares your training and experience against Michigan’s requirements.14Legal Information Institute. Michigan Admin Code R 338-2121b – Licensure by Endorsement If your original state required substantially equal or higher training hours, the process is relatively straightforward. If your state required fewer than 1,500 hours, documented work experience may be used to make up the difference.
You will generally need verification of your current license sent directly from your original state’s board, proof of training hours, and possibly proof of passing national exams such as those from the National Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology. Application costs typically run between $50 and $200, with processing taking a few weeks under normal circumstances.
Discipline and Penalties
The Board of Cosmetology investigates complaints involving unsanitary conditions, unlicensed practice, fraud, and other violations of the Occupational Code. Confirmed violations can carry:
- Administrative fines up to $10,000 per violation
- License suspension
- License revocation
- Mandatory remedial education before reinstatement
The $10,000 ceiling comes from the general enforcement provisions of the Occupational Code.15Michigan Legislature. Michigan Occupational Code – Article 6 In practice, most first-time sanitation violations draw a corrective order or a modest fine rather than immediate revocation. The Board reserves its harshest penalties for repeat offenders, practitioners who endanger clients, and people practicing without any license at all.
If a complaint is filed against you, you have the right to respond and to request a formal hearing where evidence is reviewed. The process is administrative rather than criminal, but a revocation effectively ends a cosmetology career in Michigan. In extreme cases involving serious public health risk, the state can also refer the matter for criminal prosecution.