Amends existing law to provide for the taking of examinations upon completion of eighty percent of education hours.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 514 BY BUSINESS COMMITTEE AN ACT1 RELATING TO THE BARBER AND COSMETOLOGY SERVICES ACT; AMENDING SECTION2 54-5810, IDAHO CODE, TO ESTABLISH A PROVISION REGARDING EXAMINATIONS;3 AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.4

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:5

SECTION 1. That Section 54-5810, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby6 amended to read as follows:7 54-5810. QUALIFICATIONS FOR LICENSURE -- INSTRUCTORS -- APPRENTICES8 -- STUDENTS. (1) To qualify for licensure under this chapter, an applicant9 for licensure must:10 (a) Be at least sixteen and one-half (16 1/2) years of age at the time of11 application;12 (b) Have completed at least two (2) years of high school or have at-13 tained an equivalent education as determined by the board;14 (c) Pass an examination for the occupation in which the applicant is15 seeking licensure, which examination shall be conducted or approved by16 the board; and17 (d) Prove to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant has not18 engaged in conduct that would constitute grounds for discipline under19 section 54-5823, Idaho Code.20 (2) Except as otherwise provided, and in addition to the requirements21 listed in subsection (1) of this section, an applicant for licensure:22 (a) As a barber, must have:23 (i) Completed and graduated from a course of instruction of at24 least nine hundred (900) hours in a barber school approved by the25 board; or26 (ii) Completed at least one thousand eight hundred (1,800) hours27 as an apprentice in an apprenticeship that covered all aspects of28 the practice of barbering;29 (b) As a barber-stylist, must have:30 (i) Completed and graduated from a course of instruction of at31 least one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours in a barber school32 approved by the board; or33 (ii) Completed at least three thousand (3,000) hours as an appren-34 tice in an apprenticeship that covered all aspects of the practice35 of barber-styling;36 (c) As a cosmetologist, must have:37 (i) Completed and graduated from a course of instruction of at38 least one thousand six hundred (1,600) hours in a cosmetology39 school approved by the board; or40

2 (ii) Completed at least three thousand two hundred (3,200) hours1 as an apprentice in an apprenticeship that covered all aspects of2 the practice of cosmetology;3 (d) As an electrologist, must have:4 (i) Completed and graduated from a course of instruction of at5 least six hundred (600) hours in a school approved by the board; or6 (ii) Completed at least one thousand two hundred (1,200) hours as7 an apprentice in a cosmetology establishment under the direct per-8 sonal supervision of a licensed electrologist instructor;9 (e) As an esthetician, must have:10 (i) Completed and graduated from a course of instruction of at11 least six hundred (600) hours in a school approved by the board; or12 (ii) Completed at least one thousand two hundred (1,200) hours13 as an apprentice in a cosmetology establishment under the direct14 personal supervision of a licensed cosmetology instructor. Such15 establishment must have at least one (1) licensed esthetician16 on-site in accordance with board rules; and17 (f) As a nail technician, must have:18 (i) Completed and graduated from a course of instruction of at19 least four hundred (400) hours in a school approved by the board;20 or21 (ii) Completed at least eight hundred (800) hours as an apprentice22 in a cosmetology establishment under the direct personal super-23 vision of a licensed cosmetology instructor. Such establishment24 shall have at least one (1) licensed nail technician on-site in ac-25 cordance with board rules.26 (3) To qualify as an instructor of barbering, barber-styling, cosme-27 tology, electrology, esthetics, or nail technology, an applicant must:28 (a) Hold a current license in the profession or closely related profes-29 sion, as determined by the board, for which the applicant seeks to in-30 struct;31 (b) Have worked for at least five (5) of the last seven (7) years as a li-32 censed barber, barber-stylist, cosmetologist, electrologist, estheti-33 cian, or nail technician, or have satisfactorily completed:34 (i) A minimum six (6) month teacher's course of instruction in one35 (1) of the specialties described in this subsection; or36 (ii) A minimum three (3) month teacher's course of instruction in37 a school of one (1) of the specialties described in this subsec-38 tion, if the applicant has at least two (2) years of experience as39 a licensee in one (1) of the specialties described in this subsec-40 tion; and41 (c) Have completed twelve (12) college credit hours or equivalent edu-42 cation, as determined by the board, or pass an examination approved by43 the board.44 (4) To be qualified to hold an apprenticeship for purposes of this chap-45 ter, a person must:46 (a) Meet the qualifications set forth in paragraphs (a), (b), and (d) of47 subsection (1) of this section; and48 (b) Be registered as an apprentice with the board.49

3 (5) To be considered a student for purposes of this chapter, a person1 must:2 (a) Meet the qualifications set forth in paragraph (b) of subsection3 (1) of this section; and4 (b) Be registered as a student in a licensed barber school or cosmetol-5 ogy school.6 (6) A student shall be permitted to take an examination required pur-7 suant to subsection (1) of this section after such student has completed8 eighty percent (80%) of the education hours required pursuant to subsection9 (2) of this section.10 (6) (7) A high school student enrolled in a licensed school may be under11 sixteen and one-half (16 1/2) years of age while accruing the course of in-12 struction hours required for licensure.13

SECTION 2. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby14 declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after15 July 1, 2026.16