Renewal Information
All licenses must be renewed beginning July 1 through July 31 during the renewal cycle. As a reminder of the most recent law change, beginning July 2026, license renewals will occur biennially (every even-numbered year).
The license renewal must be received through the online portal by July 31st, 11:59 PM EST or the license will become Inactive and the appropriate restoration fee must be paid, no exceptions. Click here to access the online portal
Agency staff are available 8:00 am – 4:30PM EST, Monday through Friday but close entirely on recognized federal holidays. After hours and weekends are not staffed. All calls and emails are returned in the order received. Email is best kbc@ky.gov if you have technical questions, provide your name, license number and a screenshot to better assist you.
- If you need assistance and prefer to visit our office, please bring your ID, electronic device, form of payment in debit or credit card.
Pre-renewal notices were released June 17 & June 18, 2026.
If you log into your account and see your name with no licensing details screenshot your account information, email kbc@ky.gov no later than July 31st, 2026, 11:59 PM EST. Include your name, license number and email address you used to log into your account immediately as it can take up to 72 hours for a response from the development team.
Required Documentation for a Name Change Request
- Supporting legal name change documentation (such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order)
- A valid government-issued photo ID reflecting the current legal name
- A current photograph taken within the last six (6) months
- If you have the proper documentation, please submit your name change during your license renewal to avoid additional fees. Please be patient as these applications must be manually reviewed prior to their release. Continue to monitor your emails for additional communications from the board.
Photo Requirements
- Use a photo taken within the last 6 months, be sure to turn off your live mode feature.
- All photos must be a JPEG or PNG format. Photo types that will not reach us include but are not limited to HEIC (live photo), and PDFs.
- Stand facing forward.
- Capture the shoulders up.
- Use a solid white or light blue background
- DO NOT USE AI-GENERATED IMAGES or filters as these are not permitted.
- Please note what is NOT accepted. Photos that include your spouse, friends, family or pets, car-selfies, or photos that are too dark/bright/blurry that make features indistinguishable.
Government Photo ID Requirements
- KAR requires a current Driver's License, State ID, Passport ID or Military ID that has been recorded in the database.
- Expired Driver's License, State ID, Passport ID or Military ID will not be accepted.
- Please upload a clear digital image of the government-issued ID. Photocopies will not be accepted.
Current Employment Details
- Employers will be required to list all employees/booth renters. This will be required to be updated within 30 days of any changes throughout the year.
- Managers are not authorized to remove themselves from a salon account. We encourage all managers who leave a salon location to email kbc@ky.gov to allow a 10-day notice to be sent to salon owners.
- Please avoid delays by encouraging your manager to renew prior to the renewal of the salon license or a HOLD will be placed on the salon account for manual review and release. Salon licenses will be emailed to the email address you list during the salon renewal application.
Felony Support documents (if applicable)
- Judgement of Sentence (obtainable from the courthouse)
- Letter from Probation or Parole Officer (if applicable)
- Letter from applicant with detailed explanation of the felony
- It is the law to report felonies that have not previously gone before the board for review. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.
Duplicate Licenses
- Duplicate licenses request close July 1st - August 1st of each year to allow renewal of licensure, please do not request a duplicate license until after you have renewed to the new expiration of 7/31/2028. The application fees are non-transferable, and they are non-refundable. A licensee must submit a duplicate license application with fee to purchase a duplicate license. The license will print indicating the license is a Duplicate copy.
Certification Request
- Any licensee can request a certification for their license. Please renew your license prior to requesting your certification, your certification will expire when your license expires. Certifications are typically used when applying for a license in another state. Applicants must submit the Certification Request through the online portal along with the fee of $25. Certifications can only be submitted to the transferring state. No certification will be mailed to a private address. This application and fee are non-transferable and non-refundable.
Upon completion of your license renewal, your application will travel through the portal to our lockbox for processing. After your responses are reviewed, your license will either be approved with an expiration date of July 31, 2028, or placed on HOLD for further review. Holds require manual review from our team.
Your status change notification will serve as proof that your renewal has been submitted. Keep your receipt in a safe location, payments are processed through a third-party vendor and not accessible to our team. Please monitor your emails for a deficiency notice. If you do not receive your license within 60 days, please contact our office.
When you receive your license, post within the licensed facility where you provide services.
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