Alabama cosmetology license lookup.

The licence types Alabama issues

The Licensing page lists these licensing types: Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetician/Manicurist, Esthetics Instructor Licenses, Manicurist, Manicurist/Waxer, Natural Hair Stylist, Shampoo Assistant and Threader, along with an Apprentices entry. That is a longer list than many states publish, and it explains why a name search can fail: the person may hold a Manicurist licence when you searched for Cosmetology. Look for the type that matches the service you are buying.

Renewal years and what they tell you

The board FAQ says personal licences for barbers renew in even-numbered years during the licensee’s birth month, while personal licences for cosmetologists, estheticians, manicurists, eyebrow threaders, esthetician/manicurists, manicure/waxers and natural hair stylists renew in odd-numbered years during the birth month. This is useful when reading a record: an expiration date in the wrong parity year for that licence type deserves a question.

The FAQ also says licensees must tell the board of address changes in writing and that name changes are furnished with proof at renewal, or by a duplicate licence request with a $25 fee at other times. That is why a licensee’s name on a licence may differ from the name they use today.

Services in a client’s home

The FAQ cites Alabama Administrative Rule 250-X-3-.01(13): no licensee may perform services in a facility not licensed by the board, with exceptions for illness or incapacity of the recipient and for work done through a licensed shop. For a customer, that is a reason to check the shop as well as the stylist when someone offers to come to your home.

A worked example (hypothetical)

A customer in Huntsville is booking a threader recommended by a friend. She opens License Verification and searches the name. If the record is under Threader, good. If she finds no match, she tries other spellings and the Manicurist/Waxer type, then asks the provider for a licence number, and calls the board before concluding the work is unlicensed. No real person is described.

What this page does not cover

We did not open the verification search itself and the pages we read give no licence-number format or status glossary, so this guide offers no number check. Fees and reciprocity are on the Licensing page.

Sources

Read November 1, 2026. Each page was opened and checked against the claim next to it.

• Alabama Board of Cosmetology: Licensing: licensing types, License Verification link and contacts.
• Alabama Board of Cosmetology: FAQs: renewal years, name and address changes, rule on services outside licensed facilities.