CO Cosmetology

Start at the Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure page under Education and Exam Info, then use Applications and Forms for the actual paperwork. The page also links the practice act, rules and regulations, and board policies. Requirements change through legislation and rulemaking, so verify against those linked documents rather than third-party summaries before you apply or schedule.

Kathryn Duran is listed as Program Director. The office address is 1560 Broadway, Suite 1350, Denver, CO 80202. The phone number is 303-894-7800 and the fax is 303-894-0144. Program and discipline questions go to [email protected], while application, renewal, and customer questions go to [email protected].

Build your study order around the rules the office actually enforces. Rule 1.7 covers infection control and prevention, and Rule 1.8 covers prohibited acts and scope of practice; both apply to every license type. Rule 1.9 addresses additional practices and training requirements, and Rule 1.10 covers inspections. Master these before drilling technique content, because they frame what you may legally do.

A Permanent Rulemaking Hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 2:00 P.M. (MDT) to consider revisions to Rules 1.1 through 1.11 implementing Colorado House Bill 26-1181, the continuation of the Barber and Cosmetologist Act following the 2025 Sunset Report. The proposed rule text is not yet in force. Study the rules currently in effect and watch the public notice page for adopted changes.

Under HB24-1004, signed June 4, 2024, if an applicant has a conviction, a regulator may only consider it for a three-year period beginning on the date of conviction or the end of incarceration, if the applicant has not been convicted of any other criminal offense during that three-year period. The page links an Ex-Offenders Practice in Regulated Occupations information webpage explaining how this may affect your application.

Use the Lookup a License tool and the downloadable licensee and discipline list linked from the page. These let you verify whether a business or individual holds a current credential and whether discipline has been recorded. Cross-check any program you plan to enroll in before paying tuition, since unlicensed operation falls under the prohibited acts and scope-of-practice rules.

The Licensing Services section links Update Contact Info and Print Your License, so you can keep your address current and produce a copy yourself. If you are a victim-survivor of domestic violence, sexual offenses, human trafficking, harassment, or stalking, the Address Confidentiality Program provides a legal substitute address for interacting with state and local agencies, including for licensure.

The page links File a Complaint Against a Licensee and a downloadable licensee and discipline list. Complaints are the mechanism the Division uses to surface violations of the practice act and rules, including infection-control failures found during inspections under Rule 1.10. Reviewing published discipline is also useful preparation, because it shows how scope-of-practice and sanitation rules are applied in practice.

Not always. A notice states that Division of Professions and Occupations websites will be down for a scheduled system update on Tuesday, November 17th from 7pm MST through 11:30pm MST, and all Division webpages will be unavailable during that window. Plan application submissions, license printing, and verification checks around that outage rather than at the last minute.