Cosmetology / Barber License from Florida to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Florida to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your Florida license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken if you passed a written and practical exam accepted by your licensing state (at least 1,000 hours of work experience in the two years before applying can substitute for the practical); applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The number that defines this move: Florida licensed you at 1,200 training hours, and Colorado requires 1,500 — a 300-hour deficit on paper. That does not usually mean going back to school. It means proving the gap is covered another way: most boards in Colorado's position accept documented licensed work experience, supplemental hours, or their own exams. The requirements below are the exact menu Colorado offers.
What changes, Florida → Colorado
| Florida (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,200 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $95 (COSMO 4-B endorsement application fee per the official DBPR form (eff. June 2023); fee waivers available for military members and spouses) | endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession |
| Processing time | no timeframe published by DBPR | no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months) |
| Licensing authority | Florida Board of Cosmetology (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) | Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current, unrestricted cosmetologist license in good standing in another state or U.S. territory.
- Request verification of licensure be sent directly to the office from every state in which you have ever been licensed.
- Attest to graduation from a school approved by the licensing state's school-approval agency.
- Training hours must equal or exceed Colorado's 1,500 contact hours, or total at least 65% of them plus five hours of documented licensed work experience for every missing training hour.
- Report any disciplinary actions taken against you in any other jurisdiction.
- Pay the fees (endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession) and allow no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Colorado accept a Florida cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Florida to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your Florida license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken if you passed a written and practical exam accepted by your licensing state (at least 1,000 hours of work experience in the two years before applying can substitute for the practical); applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams.
Florida required 1,200 hours but Colorado wants 1,500 — do I need more school?
Not necessarily. The 300-hour gap can usually be bridged without re-enrolling: Colorado's options are listed in the requirements on this page (experience substitution and examination are the common routes). Contact the Colorado Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations) with your license history before paying for school hours.
Will Colorado make me retake the cosmetology exams?
Exams are not retaken if you passed a written and practical exam accepted by your licensing state (at least 1,000 hours of work experience in the two years before applying can substitute for the practical); applicants who do not meet endorsement requirements must take all or part of the Colorado written and practical exams.
What does the Florida-to-Colorado transfer cost and how long does it take?
endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession; processing no timeframe published; review begins only after all state license verifications arrive (board warns California verifications alone can take up to 3 months).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado DPO — Barber and Cosmetology Applications and Forms (endorsement instructions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 4 CCR 731-1 Barber and Cosmetology Licensure Rules, Rules 1.2 and 1.4 (Colorado SOS CCR) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Florida Statutes 477.019 (2025) — qualifications and licensure by endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DBPR COSMO 4-B application form, $95 fee ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]