Texas Barbering Law and Administrative Rules
Where the rules live
Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1601 is the statute covering barbers and cosmetologists, and it is administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The day-to-day operating rules sit in 16 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 82. Know the license categories: Class A barber, barber instructor, barber shop/establishment, and barber college. Each is a separate license - a licensed barber working in an unlicensed shop is a violation for the barber as well as the owner.
Getting and keeping the license
The Class A barber license requires 1,500 hours of instruction at a licensed barber school (or an approved equivalent), a minimum age of 17, and passing the written and practical examinations. Licenses renew on a two-year cycle with a fee and a continuing-education requirement; confirm the current CE hour count and topic split with TDLR before you renew, because those figures are periodically revised. Keep the license available for inspection at your work location, and notify TDLR of address changes.
Practice and discipline
The licensee is personally responsible for the sanitation of his or her station and implements, even when the employer supplies them. You may not diagnose or attempt to treat infections, ringworm, lice, or broken skin - refer the client out. Advertising must be truthful, and you may not claim credentials or titles you do not hold. TDLR inspectors have authority to enter and inspect; refusing inspection is itself a violation. Sanitation and licensing violations can result in reprimand, suspension, revocation, or administrative fines, and practicing without a license is a criminal matter.
Worked example
An owner tells you the shop license is "still processing" but to go ahead and take clients. Taking them is unlicensed practice - stop and wait until the license is issued and posted.