How to Become a Barber in Utah: 2026 Permit, Hours & Schools

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The rules for how to become a barber in Utah changed on January 1, 2026. Utah no longer issues its old barber license to new applicants. In its place are a Barbering Permit, which needs only 130 hours of training, and a Master Barbering License at 1,000 hours that adds chemical services. Permit candidates take a new combined written and hands-on test that includes a straight-razor neck shave, so practice with a razor like the Black Widow Professional shavette. Here’s how the new system works, checked against Utah’s Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) and the state code.

Who licenses barbers in Utah

Utah has no standalone barber board. The Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), part of the Department of Commerce, licenses barbers with help from the Cosmetology and Associated Professions Licensing Board. DOPL is in the Heber M. Wells Building, 160 East 300 South, 4th floor, in Salt Lake City (801-530-6628, dopl@utah.gov). The law is Title 58, Chapter 11a of the Utah Code, and the rules are R156-11a. Since January 31, 2026, applications have been online only.

Credential	Training	Source
Barbering Permit	130 hours or apprenticeship	58-11a-302.10
Master Barbering License	1,000 hours or apprenticeship	58-11a-302.19
Haircutting Permit	150 hours	58-11a-302.17
Legacy barber license	Renewal only (not issued to new applicants)	58-11a-302.24

Checked October 2026. Confirm with DOPL.

The 2026 overhaul: permit vs master license

A 2025 law (Chapter 491, which DOPL calls SB 330) repealed and re-enacted Utah’s cosmetology and barber licensing. The new statute is clear:

“An individual may not engage in the practice of barbering unless the individual holds a barbering permit.”

Utah Code 58-11a-302.10(2)

The Barbering Permit covers cutting, clipping and trimming, draping, shampooing, scalp treatments, basic wet styling and blow-drying, wigs, face and neck shaving (including with an electric trimmer) and head, neck and shoulder massage. In other words, it covers classic barbershop work. The Master Barbering License adds styling, hair fusing and extensions, weaving, perms, bleaching, coloring and relaxing. It’s the same credential tier as Master Hair Design.

If you held a barber license before 2026, you can keep renewing it as a “legacy” barbering license. New legacy licenses go only to people who registered an apprenticeship or started a 1,000-hour school program on or before January 1, 2026.

Training hours and service counts

For the permit, the statute requires a school curriculum covering “hair safety requirements” and “barbering” with “a minimum of 130 hours of instruction or the equivalent number of credit hours,” or an approved apprenticeship. The master license requires 1,000 hours covering hair safety, haircutting and barbering, and chemical services. Schools can deliver up to half of a program online. If you trained in another state with fewer hours, the hours you practiced as a barber there can make up the difference.

Utah also counts services, not just hours. DOPL’s proposed rule (published October 1, 2026) lists minimum service counts for each credential:

Service	Barbering Permit	Master Barbering
Haircuts	20	40
Face and neck shaves	28	28
Beard and mustache trims	10	10
Perms / lightening / relaxers / color	None	17 / 17 / 15 / 10

Proposed rule R156-11a; it may take effect November 9, 2026. Check the final version.

The apprenticeship route

Both credentials can be earned through apprenticeship. Under 58-11a-306, you need at least 130 apprenticeship hours for the permit or 1,000 for the master license. Your supervisor must be licensed as an instructor in barbering and provide one-on-one direct supervision. The law also limits how many apprentices one supervisor can take:

“An apprenticeship supervisor may not provide direct supervision to more than two apprentices during the apprenticeship program.”

Utah Code 58-11a-306(1)(b)

Register with DOPL before you start ($20). You must finish within two years of approval and tell DOPL within 30 days if your supervisor changes. To qualify as an instructor, a supervisor needs six months of experience, a 75-clock-hour instructor training program (or on-the-job training) and an exam.

Age and education

Utah’s statute lists no minimum age or high school requirement for barber credentials. You apply, document your service counts, complete school or an apprenticeship and pass the exam. Schools set their own admission rules. The Barber School in Midvale, for example, asks for a high school diploma, GED or home-school credential. Confirm any state requirement with DOPL.

The exams

Barbering Permit: the Integrated Competency Assessment (ICA). DOPL describes the format: “For each subject area, you will answer a set of multiple-choice questions and then complete a related hands-on demonstration within a service.” Prov’s candidate bulletin lists 98 tasks and 48 multiple-choice questions (142 scored points), including a 35-minute basic tapered haircut and a neck shave with a straight razor. Results arrive by email “within minutes.” The cost is $105 per attempt, whether it’s your first try or a retake, and you can cancel or reschedule free at least three days ahead.

The ICA supply list includes a full-size mannequin head (no junior heads) with a clamp, clippers (“fully charged if cordless”), guards, shears, straight razors, non-aerosol shaving cream, a steam towel, neck strips, a blow dryer, a spray bottle, EPA-registered disinfectant wipes, a first aid kit and gloves. Everything must be labeled in English and fit in a kit no larger than 30 by 30 inches. The reference text is Milady Standard Barbering, 7th edition. If you test with a cordless clipper like the Wahl Professional 5 Star Magic Clip Cordless, charge it the night before.

Master Barbering License: under the proposed rule, you pass the NIC Hair Design Theory exam and the Barber Styling Practical. DOPL’s FAQ sets a 70% passing score. Exams must be passed within three years before you apply, and the theory exam is offered in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean. We couldn’t confirm the NIC exam fees for Utah.

Utah barber fees

Fee	Amount	Notes
Barbering Permit application	$60	Renewal $52
Master Barbering application	$60	Renewal $52
Apprentice registration	$20	Renewal $20
Utah Barber ICA (Prov)	$105	Per attempt
Barber instructor	$60

Source: DOPL fee schedule (“All fees are non-refundable”) and Prov. Checked October 2026.

A permit candidate who passes on the first try pays $165 to the state and Prov ($60 + $105).

Renewal and continuing education

Utah licenses run on a two-year cycle: “Licenses expire on September 30 of odd years,” so the next deadline is September 30, 2027. DOPL mails a notice at least 60 days ahead, and renewal costs $52. We found no continuing-education requirement for barbers in the renewal statute or on DOPL’s renewal page. Confirm with DOPL.

Moving to Utah with a barber license

Under Utah Code 58-1-302, DOPL issues a license by endorsement if your out-of-state license has a similar scope of practice, you’ve worked under it for at least one year and it’s in good standing. Apply through My License One, select licensure by endorsement and have your current board send verification directly. If you don’t meet all three requirements, DOPL may still evaluate you, and with a job offer you might get a limited supervised training permit. Foreign-trained applicants verify their hours through an approved credentialing company.

Recent changes

• January 1, 2026: Chapter 491 (2025) created the Barbering Permit, Haircutting Permit and Master Barbering License, and stopped issuing new standard barber licenses.
• January 31, 2026: applications moved online only.
• July 1, 2026: Chapter 64 (2026; DOPL calls it SB 117) changed instructor licensing and, according to DOPL, restored the cosmetology/barber license.
• Pending: proposed R156-11a rules for curricula, service counts and exams were published October 1, 2026 and “MAY become effective on: 11/09/2026.”

What barbers earn in Utah

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ OEWS survey (May 2025) puts Utah’s median barber wage at $25,370 a year ($12.20 an hour), with a mean of $25,890, based on about 320 employed barbers. That’s well below the national median of $38,210. OEWS counts only wage-and-salary workers and leaves out the self-employed and booth renters, who make up much of the trade. Treat the figure as an hourly floor, not what a busy chair earns.

Barber schools in Utah

Most Utah barber schools still run 1,000-hour programs, which now line up with the Master Barbering License. If you only want the 130-hour permit, ask schools whether they offer a shorter track. Our best barber schools guide explains how to compare.

The Barber School (Midvale)

The Barber School runs a 1,000-hour program: about six months full-time or up to 12 months part-time, with classes starting every month and an evening track. Its tuition page lists tuition of about $13,900 plus books, an iPad and a kit, registration and an application fee, for a total of about $16,600. It’s FAFSA-eligible and on College Navigator.

Ogden-Weber Technical College (Ogden)

OTECH’s public Master Barber program is 1,000 clock hours, with estimated tuition of about $2,500 and materials of about $1,500. That makes it one of the cheapest routes in the state. Day classes run Monday to Friday, 8 to 4, and evening classes Monday to Thursday, 4 to 9. The next start is March 8, 2027, with applications open July 1 to October 31, 2026. It’s Pell-eligible and on College Navigator.

Paul Mitchell The School Salt Lake City (Holladay)

Paul Mitchell’s Salt Lake campus lists a Master Barber/Master Hair Design program at 1,000 hours, with a hybrid distance-education version. The tuition section didn’t load when we checked, so get current costs from admissions. It’s on College Navigator.

Touring campuses? Use the checklist in our barber school near me guide.

Barber school kit: what students need

The Barber School’s kit (with books and an iPad) runs about $2,300, and OTECH estimates about $1,500 for materials. Build around the ICA supply list, since that’s what you’ll be tested with.

A clipper and guards

The ICA allows cordless clippers if they’re fully charged. The Wahl Professional 5 Star Magic Clip Cordless is a common cordless pick, and a separate set of Wahl Professional 1–8 color-coded guards lets you keep spares in your kit (check fit if you use a non-Wahl clipper).

A straight razor for the neck shave

The ICA includes a neck shave with a straight razor, and the permit’s service count includes 28 shaves. A Black Widow Professional shavette takes single-edge blades, so you can start each shave with a fresh edge.

Between practice shaves, disinfect your implements in Barbicide Disinfectant Concentrate (16 oz).

Neck strips, spray bottle and shears

Neck strips and a spray bottle are both on the supply list. A box of Graham Sanek Neck Strips (12 packs) and a BeautifyBeauties continuous spray bottle (16.9 oz) cover them.

For shears, the Equinox Razor Edge Series barber shears is a low-cost practice pair. Our barber starter kit guide has more.

Which Utah route makes sense?

If you want to cut and shave, the 130-hour Barbering Permit is one of the shortest barber training requirements in the country. Just make sure a school or supervisor actually offers a 130-hour track. If you want color, perms and extensions too, the 1,000-hour Master Barbering License is the full route, and a public program like OTECH keeps the cost low. The rules are still being finalized, so confirm your plan with DOPL before you enroll. For the ICA, practice your straight-razor neck shave with a Black Widow Professional shavette.

FAQ

How many hours do you need to be a barber in Utah? 130 hours for a Barbering Permit, or 1,000 hours for a Master Barbering License that adds chemical services. Either can be done through school or a registered apprenticeship.

Does Utah still issue barber licenses? Not to new applicants. Since January 1, 2026, Utah issues Barbering Permits and Master Barbering Licenses. Existing barber licenses renew as legacy licenses.

What is the Utah Barber Integrated Competency Assessment? It’s Prov’s combined written and hands-on test for the permit: 48 questions and 98 tasks, including a tapered haircut and a straight-razor neck shave, for $105 per attempt.

Is there a minimum age to be a barber in Utah? Utah’s statute sets no minimum age or education requirement, but schools often require a diploma or GED. Check with DOPL.

How often do Utah barbers renew? Every two years, by September 30 of odd years, for $52. We found no continuing-education requirement.

Licensing rules, fees and hours can change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your state barber board before you enroll or apply.