Florida Barber License: Requirements, Hours, Exam & Cost (2026)

Florida licenses barbers through the Florida Barbers' Board at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). This guide covers the training hours, the written exam, the fees on the official forms, the restricted barber option, renewal, and what to do if you already hold a license in another state. Every figure links to the official source.

Requirements change. This page is an independent summary, not legal advice and not affiliated with any state board. Always confirm with the state board before you apply. Last reviewed: October 21, 2026.

Florida barber license at a glance

Step by step: getting licensed by exam

1. Enroll in a Florida barbering school. The training has to be at a school licensed under Florida's education laws, a barbering program in the public school system, or a government-operated program in Florida (s. 476.114). DBPR's FAQ notes that barber schools are regulated by the Department of Education and the Commission for Independent Education, not by the Barbers' Board (DBPR FAQ).
2. Complete the hours. The BAR 1 form breaks the 900 hours into subjects (see the table below). Your school can certify you to sit for the exam once you've completed at least 600 hours and a school official finds you competent (BAR 1).
3. Take a board-approved HIV/AIDS course. It must be at least 2 hours and completed within 2 years before you apply. Send the completion certificate with your application (DBPR checklist).
4. Apply to DBPR with form BAR 1 online or by mail, with the fee and your school's certification of hours (BAR 1).
5. Schedule the written exam with Pearson VUE. After approval, DBPR's exam vendor contacts you to schedule. You can test at a Pearson VUE center or by remote online proctoring (candidate booklet; Pearson VUE Florida DBPR page).
6. Pass with 70% or higher. You get a photo-bearing score report right after the exam with instructions for the next step (candidate booklet).

The 900 hours, by subject

From the BAR 1 instructions, which cite board rule 61G3-16.001(3)(b), F.A.C. (BAR 1):

If you hold a cosmetology license, DBPR's FAQ says to have a Florida barber school evaluate your hours; the school assesses what you still need and signs off on your application (DBPR FAQ).

The Florida barber exam

Florida writes its own barber exam; it is not the NIC national exam. According to DBPR's candidate booklet (effective August 2024):

• Closed book, computer-based, 100 multiple-choice questions (A to D), 3 hours. Unscored pilot questions may be added, with extra time.
• Passing score: 70%. Results come right after the exam.
• Content: safety, sanitation and sterilization 30%; Florida barber laws and rules 25%; hair cutting and styling 15%; chemical procedures 10%; hair structure and chemistry 10%; shaving, beard and mustache trimming 5%; shampooing 5%.
• Silent, non-printing calculators are allowed at test centers, and word-for-word translation dictionaries are permitted for candidates whose first language isn't English. DBPR also publishes the candidate booklet in Spanish.
• If you fail, you can review the questions you missed within 21 days (review fee $30.00 per the DBPR fee table) and must file a reexamination application before rebooking. Online-proctored candidates waive the review.
• Florida law lets you retake the exam as many times as needed, though the board can set waiting periods and extra training after a third failure. If you tested early at 600 hours and failed, you must complete all 900 hours before retesting (s. 476.114).

Because Florida uses its own exam, we don't link national (NIC) practice tests on this page. The best study guides are the content outline and textbook list in the official booklet, plus Chapter 476, F.S. and Chapter 61G3, F.A.C.

What it costs

Fees on the official DBPR documents as of October 21, 2026:

So a full barber applying by exam pays DBPR and Pearson VUE $237 or $187 in total, depending on the application date, before school and course costs. DBPR also lists fee waivers or discounts for military veterans, their spouses and Florida National Guard members (DBPR checklist), and a low-income fee waiver that leaves $105.50 due for a full barber by examination (DBPR fee waiver list).

Restricted barber license

A restricted barber can cut hair, shave, shampoo, blow dry and apply hair tonics and sprays, but cannot do chemical services such as perms, relaxers or color (candidate booklet). The route:

• Complete a restricted barber course of at least 600 hours: Florida laws and rules 75; safety, sanitation and sterilization 325; hair structure, cutting and cleansing 150; shaving, beard and mustache trimming 50 (DBPR FAQ). Licensed barbers from another state or country (within the last 5 years, no discipline) can also qualify under the statute (s. 476.144(6)).
• Pass a 30-question written exam on Florida barber laws and rules, 1 hour (candidate booklet).
• Pay the restricted barber fees in the cost table above.

Already licensed in another state?

Florida licenses out-of-state barbers by endorsement: if your barber license in another state is current and active, you don't need Florida schooling or the Florida exam (s. 476.144(5); DBPR FAQ). You apply on form BAR 4 with a license certification from every state where you've been licensed and a board-approved HIV/AIDS course taken within the last 2 years. Apprentice licenses are not eligible, and endorsement applicants must have their Florida license before they start working. Barbers who can't endorse may be able to take the Florida exam if they've held their license for at least one year (DBPR checklist). Compare other states in our barber license reciprocity chart.

Working while you wait

After you apply with proof of your education and pay the fees, Florida law lets you practice under the supervision of a licensed barber in a licensed barbershop while you wait for your first exam results (s. 476.144(7)). DBPR's FAQ adds that the supervising barber must be physically present and you must post your exam results and a recent photo at your station. If you fail, you can keep working only after applying for reexam, and you can't work after a second failure until you pass and are licensed (DBPR FAQ).

Renewal

Barber and restricted barber licenses expire on July 31 of every even-numbered year. Before the deadline you need to complete a board-approved HIV/AIDS continuing education course from a Barbers' Board-approved provider and pay the $70 renewal fee. DBPR emails a notice about 90 days before expiration (DBPR FAQ).

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

We read each of these on October 21, 2026 and summarized them in our own words. Contact the board at 850.487.1395 (DBPR Customer Contact Center) before you apply or pay.

• Florida Statutes s. 476.114 (2026): examination prerequisites
• Florida Statutes s. 476.144 (2026): licensure, endorsement, restricted license
• DBPR BAR 1 application: license by examination based on Florida education (PDF)
• DBPR checklist: Barber license by examination (BAR 1)
• DBPR Candidate Information Booklet: Barber and Restricted Barber written exams (PDF, eff. Aug 2024)
• DBPR Candidate Information Booklet in Spanish (PDF)
• DBPR exam administration and review fees (PDF, updated Sep 8, 2022)
• Florida Barbers' Board FAQs (DBPR)
• DBPR BAR 4 endorsement application (PDF)
• DBPR low-income fee waiver: fees still due (PDF)
• Florida Barbers' Board (DBPR)
• Pearson VUE: Florida DBPR exams

Last reviewed: October 21, 2026. See our methodology. Spotted a change? Tell us.