Florida cosmetology license requirements

Almost every number on this page is different in another state, which is exactly why a national textbook will mislead you here. Florida sets its own hours, its own age and education floor, and its own renewal cycle, and the exam tests the Florida figures.

Training hours	1,200 at a licensed cosmetology school
The other route	A registered apprenticeship equivalent to those hours
Minimum age and education	16 years old, with the tenth grade completed or its equivalent
Regulator	The Board of Cosmetology, within the DBPR, under Ch. 477 F.S.
Renewal cycle	Biennial — two years
Continuing education	16 hours per biennium, set by rule in Ch. 61G5 F.A.C.
Where the license lives	Displayed conspicuously at the station where you work
If you move	The department must be notified of the address change
Licensed in another state	Licensure by endorsement, with its own requirements

Where the point is lost: Two traps sit either side of the license itself. Completing the 1,200 hours makes you eligible to sit the examination — it does not authorize you to work for compensation, and there is no grace period while a result is pending. At the other end, a license that has expired does not authorize practice either, even while a renewal is being processed. The continuing-education hour count and its required subjects are set by rule and are revised from time to time, so confirm the current requirement in Ch. 61G5 rather than trusting any study guide, this one included.