California Board of Barbering & Cosmetology
California cosmetology license renewal
Renew here
Renewal is on BreEZe — not on barbercosmo.ca.gov
The board publishes the rules; the Department of Consumer Affairs runs the transaction. If you have been searching the board's site for a renewal button, that is why you could not find one.
Go to BreEZeRenewal fee
$50
The same for every individual licence type — cosmetologist, barber, esthetician, manicurist, electrologist.
Renewal cycle
Every 2 years
Licences expire at midnight on the last day of the month they were issued in — not on a fixed calendar date, so your month is personal to you.
Late (delinquency) fee
$25
Defined in statute as 50% of the renewal fee, so it moves if the renewal fee ever does.
Continuing education
None
California requires no CE to renew. If you also hold a Texas licence, that one needs 4 hours every 2 years.
No continuing education to renew
California requires none. The complete Act and Regulations mentions continuing education exactly once, and only conditionally — “if applicable, prescribed by this chapter” — and the chapter prescribes none. If you hold a licence in Texas as well, note that one is different: 4 hours every two years, including sanitation and human trafficking awareness.
Your expiry date is personal to you
Licences are issued for a two-year period and expire at midnight on the last day of the month of issuance. There is no common renewal date, so two people licensed the same year can have different deadlines. Check the licence itself rather than assuming.
If it has already expired
An expired licence can still be renewed for up to five years after expiry, on payment of every accrued renewal fee plus the $25 delinquency fee. Past five years, renewal is no longer available and a different route applies. Practising on an expired licence is a separate problem from the fee.
Common questions
How much does it cost to renew a cosmetology license in California?
$50. It is the same $50 for barber, esthetician, manicurist and electrologist licences. If you renew after expiry you also pay a $25 delinquency fee, which the Business and Professions Code sets at 50% of the renewal fee.
Do I need continuing education to renew in California?
No. California has no continuing education requirement for barbering and cosmetology licences. The Act and Regulations mention CE once, conditionally — “if applicable, prescribed by this chapter” — and the chapter prescribes none. This is a real difference from Texas, which requires 4 hours every two years.
When does my California cosmetology license expire?
Two years from issue, at midnight on the last day of the month it was issued in. Two people licensed in the same year can have different renewal months, so check your own licence rather than assuming a common date.
Where do I actually renew?
On BreEZe (breeze.ca.gov), the Department of Consumer Affairs licensing system — not on barbercosmo.ca.gov. The board's own site is where the rules live; BreEZe is where the transaction happens. That split is why so many people search for the board's URL and still cannot find the renewal button.
What if my license has already expired?
An expired licence can be renewed within five years of expiry, on payment of all accrued renewal fees plus the delinquency fee. Past five years it can no longer be renewed and a different route applies.