To get a New Hampshire barber license, you finish 800 hours at an approved barber school or a 1,600-hour apprenticeship spread over at least 12 months. Then you pass a written exam and a practical exam ($88 and $99) with at least 75% on each and pay the license fee. Licenses run two years from the date they’re issued.
Barbers in New Hampshire are licensed by the Board of Barbering, Cosmetology, and Esthetics, which works through the state’s Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) in Concord. The law is RSA chapter 313-A, and the board’s rules are the Bar 100-700 rules. OPLC issues the board’s licenses and sets its fees.
If you’re working from an older guide, note that licenses now run two years from the date they’re issued instead of expiring in your birth month, and OPLC sets the fees. If you’re comparing New Hampshire with other states, see our guide to barber training requirements by state. Here’s the New Hampshire path as of November 2026.
To become a barber in New Hampshire, follow these steps:
- Complete 800 Hours of Barber School or a 1,600-Hour Apprenticeship
- Apply to OPLC for Your Exams and License
- Pass the Written and Practical Barber Exams
- Start Working, Open a Shop, or Become a Master Barber
- Renew Your License Every Two Years
Step 1. Complete 800 Hours of Barber School or a 1,600-Hour Apprenticeship
New Hampshire has two barber license levels. A barber may cut and trim hair, shave and trim beards, give facial and scalp massages, and shampoo and style hair. A master barber may also color, wave, curl, straighten, and bleach hair (RSA 313-A:1). For either one, you need a high school diploma or its equivalent, good professional character, and one of these training routes (RSA 313-A:10):
| License | Barber School | Apprenticeship | Minimum Time for an Apprenticeship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barber | 800 hours | 1,600 hours | 12 months |
| Master barber | 1,500 hours | 3,000 hours | 18 months |
Register as an Apprentice First
Whichever route you take, you can’t enroll in a school or start an apprenticeship until you’ve registered with OPLC and received an apprentice certificate (RSA 313-A:24). You must be at least 16. The application asks for proof of age and, if you’re under 21, a copy of your high school diploma or a letter showing you’re on track to graduate. Your school or your shop instructor signs it too. OPLC’s fee rule (Plc 1002.07) lists $55 for a two-year apprentice certificate, while the board’s older rule (Bar 301.01) still prints $25, so confirm the amount with OPLC.
Barber School
Barber schools are licensed and inspected under the board’s rules. A school program covers at least 800 hours for the barber license or 1,500 hours for the master barber license. School hours and shop apprenticeship hours can’t be transferred between the two routes (Bar 301.03), so pick your route before you start.
Shop Apprenticeship
You can also train in a licensed barbershop. Here’s how the board’s rules (Bar 301.01 to 301.06) set it up:
- Your instructor: You train under a licensed shop instructor who has practiced barbering in New Hampshire for at least two years.
- Hours: 1,600 hours over at least 12 months for barbering, or 3,000 hours over at least 18 months for master barbering.
- What you learn: Shampooing, haircutting, hairstyling, razor cutting, shaves and beard trims, scalp massage, hair analysis, hairpieces, business management, textbook theory, state laws and rules, and bacteriology, safety, and sanitation. Master barber apprentices add permanent waving, straightening, and coloring.
- Reports and tests: Your instructor sends the board a monthly attendance record by the 15th of the following month and tests you at least once a month.
- Paying clients: A barbering apprentice can’t work on paying customers until finishing at least 150 hours. A master barber apprentice must finish at least 3 months and 400 hours first.
- Supervision: For the first half of your required hours, your shop instructor must be in the shop whenever you work on a client. After that, you need direct access to a licensee while you work.
Each licensed barber may train up to two barber apprentices. A master barber may train two barber apprentices, or one master barber apprentice and one barber apprentice (RSA 313-A:24).
Step 2. Apply to OPLC for Your Exams and License
When your hours are done, you apply to take the exams. Under Bar 301.07, you file the board’s Exam Application Form and Initial Application for Licensure. Here’s what to know:
- What you send: Your contact details, month of birth, license type, and a copy of your high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Trained in another state: If you finished the required hours at an approved out-of-state school, you can still apply for the New Hampshire exams. Ask that state’s board to send a letter verifying your training.
- Temporary permit: Once you’re eligible for the exam, you can ask OPLC for a temporary permit to work under a licensed practitioner in a salon or barbershop while you wait to test. The permit fee is credited toward your exam fee (RSA 313-A:18).
The board’s office is at 7 Eagle Square, Concord, NH 03301, and the phone number is (603) 271-2152 (Bar 102.04).
Licensed in Another State?
New Hampshire’s license reciprocity law, RSA 310:17, lets you qualify for a New Hampshire license by endorsement if you hold an active license in good standing from another state whose requirements are substantially similar to New Hampshire’s, subject to OPLC’s review. Under Bar 304.01, you file the Individuals Licensed in Another State form and ask your current state board to send a certificate of state licensure. If you’re also weighing a license next door, see the barber license requirements in Maine and the Vermont barber license rules.
Step 3. Pass the Written and Practical Barber Exams
New Hampshire uses the national barber exams developed by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC). OPLC contracts with a testing company to give them, and the company notifies you of the date, time, and place at least 10 days before your exam, with a list of supplies to bring. The rules (Bar 303) and OPLC’s fee rules set these details:
- Fees: $88 for the written exam and $99 for the practical exam, for both barber and master barber candidates (Plc 1004.03).
- Written exam: Under the board’s rules, 100 multiple-choice questions, and you need 75% on each portion. Check the current NIC candidate bulletin for your exam’s format and time limit. You can ask in writing for an oral exam in English in place of the written one.
- Practical exam: The barber practical covers a tapered haircut, a straight-razor shave, a facial, and setting up your work area and client. The master barber practical adds hair lightening, coloring, chemical relaxing, and chemical waving. You need 75% to pass, and the practical is given in English only.
- Bring your own kit: You work on a mannequin you bring, with your own supplies, implements, and appliances. No one at the exam will lend you anything.
- Retakes: If you fail the written exam, you retake only the portion you failed. If you fail the practical, you retake the entire practical. You pay the exam fee again each time.
Older guides mention a separate New Hampshire state law exam. The board’s current exam rules call for a written exam and a practical exam only, so check your candidate bulletin for what’s covered before test day.
Your License Fee
Once you’ve passed both exams, you pay the license fee and the board issues your license. OPLC’s fee rule (Plc 1002.07, effective July 1, 2025) lists $55 for a two-year barber or master barber license, initial or renewal. The board’s own chapter still prints older amounts, a $30 license fee (Bar 303.10) and a $40 renewal fee (Bar 401.01), so confirm the current amount with OPLC before you pay. Display your license at or near your work station (RSA 313-A:17).
Step 4. Start Working, Open a Shop, or Become a Master Barber
It’s a misdemeanor for a shop to employ anyone who doesn’t hold a valid license or temporary permit (RSA 313-A:9).
Opening Your Own Barbershop
Every shop needs a shop license, and it must pass an inspection before the license is issued (RSA 313-A:19). Here’s what the board’s rules require:
- Space: At least 144 square feet, counting the restroom and reception area. The entrance can’t pass through living quarters, and the restroom must be open to clients and staff (Bar 302.03 and 302.05).
- Fees: OPLC lists $110 for a two-year shop license and $150 for an inspection tied to initial licensure (Plc 1002.07 and 1001.18). The board’s older rule (Bar 301.09) still prints $60 for a shop application.
- Booths and mobile shops: Renting a booth inside a licensed shop takes its own booth license, and mobile barbershops have separate rules (Bar 701).
A shop that earns a one-time 10-hour OSHA certificate, or an approved equivalent, in health, safety, disinfection, and sanitation is exempt from the routine sanitary inspections the law otherwise calls for after initial licensure. The inspection for your initial license still applies, and inspectors may still visit to investigate a complaint (RSA 313-A:21).
Becoming a Master Barber
The master barber license takes 1,500 school hours or a 3,000-hour apprenticeship over at least 18 months, plus the master barber written and practical exams.
Step 5. Renew Your License Every Two Years
New Hampshire licenses are valid for two years from the date they’re issued (RSA 310:8). OPLC must send a renewal notice at least two months before your license expires, but you’re still responsible for renewing if it never arrives. Here’s how renewal works:
- On time: File your renewal application and fee on or before the expiration date. OPLC’s fee rule lists the same $55 as the initial license.
- Expired: You can’t work on an expired license, and it can’t be renewed through the ordinary renewal process. You apply for reinstatement instead, and a license lapses one year after it expires.
- Continuing education: The board’s rules set no continuing education requirement for barbers. The old instructor requirement was repealed in 2016.
Barber Salary and Jobs in New Hampshire
BLS does not publish a barber wage for New Hampshire. Nationally, barbers earned a median annual wage of $38,210 as of May 2025, or $18.37 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in New Hampshire earned a median of $34,650, or $16.66 an hour. BLS wage estimates include reported tips but leave out self-employed barbers, so they don’t capture what you’d earn renting a booth or owning a shop.
| Occupation | Employment | Median Hourly Wage | Median Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbers (national, on a shop payroll) | 15,000 | $18.37 | $38,210 |
| Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists (New Hampshire) | 1,950 | $16.66 | $34,650 |
The 15,000 figure counts only barbers covered by the BLS wage survey, not total barber employment. BLS projections count about 75,800 barber jobs nationally in 2025 once self-employed barbers are included. Projections Central does not publish a barber projection for New Hampshire. For hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in the state, it estimates a 4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, with an average of 370 openings per year. Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects barber employment to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours is barber school in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire requires 800 hours at an approved barber school for the barber license and 1,500 hours for the master barber license. The apprenticeship routes take 1,600 hours over at least 12 months, or 3,000 hours over at least 18 months for master barbers.
Can you become a barber in New Hampshire through an apprenticeship?
Yes. You register with OPLC as an apprentice at 16 or older, then train 1,600 hours over at least 12 months under a licensed shop instructor with at least two years of New Hampshire barbering experience. Your instructor reports your hours to the board every month.
What exams do New Hampshire barbers take?
Barbers take the NIC written and practical exams. The written exam costs $88 and the practical $99, and you need 75% on each. The barber practical covers a tapered haircut, a straight-razor shave, and a facial on a mannequin you bring.
How often do you renew a New Hampshire barber license?
Every two years from the date your license was issued. OPLC’s fee rule lists $55 for renewal, and barbers have no continuing education requirement.
- Licensing agency: The New Hampshire Board of Barbering, Cosmetology, and Esthetics, through the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, under RSA 313-A and the Bar 100-700 rules.
- License levels: Barber and master barber, plus apprentice certificates, shop instructor licenses, and shop and booth licenses.
- Training: 800 school hours or a 1,600-hour apprenticeship over at least 12 months, after registering as an apprentice.
- Exams: NIC written ($88) and practical ($99) exams, with 75% needed to pass each.
- Fees and renewal: A two-year license that OPLC’s fee rule lists at $55, with no continuing education requirement.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Barbers and for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2026. National job outlook figures (2025-2035) are from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Barber school is the faster route to New Hampshire’s exams: 800 hours against 1,600 for an apprenticeship. Compare the barber schools near you, and ask each one about its schedule, its kit costs, and how it preps students for the NIC practical.