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Teaching future beauty professionals in North Dakota requires that you hold a cosmetology instructor license. To maintain your license and protect your livelihood, you must keep up with continuing education requirements and renewal deadlines. 

How to Tell When It’s Time to Renew Your Cosmetology Instructor License in North Dakota 

North Dakota cosmetology instructor licenses are issued yearly and expire on December 31. Every instructor must renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology annually to continue teaching in licensed schools and other board-approved educational settings. 

While some license types in North Dakota can move into legacy status, instructor licenses do not have that option. If you miss a renewal deadline, you won’t be able to legally teach until you bring your license back to active status. To do this, you might have to pay a late fee. 

Board-Approved Continuing Education Requirements 

Cosmetology instructors in North Dakota must complete eight hours of board-approved continuing education (CE) each year to renew their licenses. Instructors must attend seminars or courses that have been approved in advance.  

If there is an unapproved course you are interested in, you can write to the board before attending it to request approval. 

Board approval focuses largely on whether course materials support your role as an educator. Common topics for approved CE include teaching methodologies, lesson planning, and regulatory updates. These topics help you prepare your students for their cosmetology exams and day-to-day salon practice. 

Choosing CE Opportunities and Tracking Hours 

The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology tracks continuing education through a partnership with a third-party service called CE Broker. As an instructor, you can create an account on this platform for free. From there, you can easily monitor your hours and verify that courses have been correctly reported before submitting your renewal. 

You have many different options when choosing seminars and online courses that count toward your CE requirements. For online programs, the course administrator must obtain board approval, verify your attendance, and test your knowledge. After you complete a course, make sure to keep the certificate for your own records. 

Step-by-Step North Dakota Cosmetology Instructor License Renewal 

Ideally, you should start planning your CE hours early in the year. Choose courses already approved by the board, or submit a course or seminar for approval in advance. Complete your eight hours of CE well before the end of the year so that you have plenty of time for documentation and submission. 

Then, complete the renewal form and submit it along with the required fee to the North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology. You can face additional penalties on top of the renewal fee if your application or payment is received after December 31. If your license does expire, you must stop working as a cosmetology instructor until it is renewed. 

Keep Your North Dakota Cosmetology Instructor License Current 

When the time for renewal is approaching, having already completed your CE hours will make the process so much more straightforward. Enroll with RocketCert to fulfill renewal requirements for your North Dakota cosmetology instructor license and keep your business moving forward.