Cosmetology / Barber License from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania licensed you at 1,250 training hours, and Colorado requires 1,500 — a 250-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, Pennsylvania → Colorado
| Pennsylvania (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Reciprocity with 41 states | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,250 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) | endorsement application fee is displayed in the DPO Online Services portal at application; no public fee schedule page for this profession |
| Processing time | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations | 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 | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology | 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 Pennsylvania cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania required 1,250 hours but Colorado wants 1,500 — do I need more school?
Not necessarily. The 250-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 Pennsylvania-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)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetology Licensure Guide (reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetologist Licensure Snapshot ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 — State Board of Cosmetology ↗ (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]