State Board of Cosmetologists - Licensing - Eyelash Extensions

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb1025*

HOUSE BILL 1025
C3 6lr2996

By: Delegates Rose and Miller
Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2026
Assigned to: Economic Matters
Committee Report: Favorable
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 23, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

State Board of Cosmetologists – Licensing – Eyelash Extensions 2

FOR the purpose of repealing the option for an applicant for a limited license to provide 3
eyelash extension services to pass a practical and written examination administered 4
by the State Board of Cosmetology in order to be licensed; and generally relating to 5
eyelash extension licensing and the State Board of Cosmetologists. 6

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Business Occupations and Professions 8
Section 5–305 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2018 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Business Occupations and Professions 14

5–305. 15

(a) To qualify for a limited license to practice cosmetology, an applicant shall be 16
an individual who meets the requirements of this section. 17

(b) An applicant for a limited license to provide esthetic services shall: 18

2 HOUSE BILL 1025

(1) be at least 17 years old; 1

(2) have completed successfully a 9th grade education or the equivalent; 2

(3) have received training by: 3

(i) serving as a regist ered apprentice for at least 6 months as 4
provided under §§ 5–404 and 5–405 of this title; or 5

(ii) successfully completing at least 600 hours of instruction in 6
providing esthetic services in a cosmetology school approved by the State Department of 7
Education or the Maryland Higher Education Commission in consultation with the Board; 8
and 9

(4) have completed 1 hour of in –person or virtual training in domestic 10
violence awareness under § 5–305.1 of this subtitle. 11

(c) An applicant for a limited license to provide eyelash extension services shall: 12

(1) be at least 17 years old; 13

(2) have completed successfully a 9th grade education or the equivalent; 14
and 15

(3) [(i)] have received training by: 16

[1.] (I) serving as a registered apprentice for at least 3 17
months as provided under §§ 5–404 and 5–405 of this title; or 18

[2.] (II) successfully completing at least 100 hours of 19
instruction in providing eyelash extension services in a cosmetology school approved by the 20
State Department of Education or the M aryland Higher Education Commission in 21
consultation with the Board[; or 22

(ii) pass a practical and written examination administered by the 23
Board]. 24

(d) An applicant for a limited license to provide hair services shall: 25

(1) be at least 17 years old; 26

(2) have completed successfully a 9th grade education or the equivalent; 27

(3) have received training by: 28

(i) serving as a registered apprentice for at least 15 months as 29
provided under §§ 5–404 and 5–405 of this title; or 30
HOUSE BILL 1025 3

(ii) successfully com pleting at least 1,200 hours of instruction 1
providing hair services in a cosmetology school approved by the State Department of 2
Education or the Maryland Higher Education Commission in consultation with the Board; 3
and 4

(4) have completed 1 hour of in –person or virtual training in domestic 5
violence awareness. 6

(e) An applicant for a limited license to provide hair services – blow drying shall: 7

(1) be at least 17 years old; 8

(2) have completed successfully a 9th grade education or the equivalent; 9

(3) have received training by successfully completing at least 350 hours of 10
instruction providing hair services – blow drying in a cosmetology school approved by the 11
State Department of Education or the Maryland Higher Education Commission in 12
consultation with the Board; and 13

(4) have completed 1 hour of in –person or virtual training in domestic 14
violence awareness. 15

(f) An applicant for a limited license to provide nail technician services shall: 16

(1) be at least 17 years old; 17

(2) have successfully completed a 9th grade education or the equivalent; 18

(3) have received training by: 19

(i) serving as a registered apprentice for at least 3 months as 20
provided under §§ 5–404 and 5–405 of this title; or 21

(ii) successfully completing at least 250 hours of instruction in 22
providing nail technician services in a cosmetology school approved by the State 23
Department of Education or the Maryland Higher Education Commission in consultation 24
with the Board; and 25

(4) have completed 1 hour of in –person or virtual training in domestic 26
violence awareness under § 5–305.1 of this subtitle. 27

(g) If an applicant is licensed to practice as an esthetician, eyelash extension 28
technician, hairstylist, hairstylist – blow drying technician, or nail technician in another 29
state or foreign country, the applicant meets the training requirements of this section if the 30
applicant has held a limited license in the other state or foreign country and has actively 31
practiced in the other state or foreign country for a period of 6 months. 32
4 HOUSE BILL 1025

(h) An applicant for a limited license shall pass an examination given by the 1
Board under this subtitle. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
October 1, 2026. 4

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.