2.1 Board Authority & OCGA Title 43 Chapter 10

2.1 Board Authority & OCGA Title 43 Chapter 10

Quick Answer: Georgia Barber II practice is regulated by the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers. House Bill 314 (2015) combined the former Barber and Cosmetology boards into one Board effective July 1, 2015. Licensing power sits in OCGA Title 43, Chapter 10; operational detail is in Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 240. Expect Board-structure, statute, and rule questions on the written exam.

Who Regulates Georgia Barbering?

If you practice as a Barber II in Georgia, you answer to the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers (often shortened to "the Board"), which operates under the Georgia Secretary of State’s professional licensing structure. The Board’s job is not to run barbershops or teach haircutting technique. Its job is public protection: deciding who may enter the profession, what training is required, how exams and renewals work, what shops and schools must post and maintain, and when discipline or fines apply.

For Barber II candidates, that means every hour requirement, exam score rule, apprentice supervision limit, and shop-posting duty you study traces back to Board authority. When a practice question asks which agency issues your license or enforces sanitation and facility rules, the correct answer names this Board—not a city business-license office, not a private school, and not a national testing company by itself. PSI administers exams for Georgia; the Board sets the licensing standards those exams support.

HB 314 (2015): One Board for Cosmetology and Barbering

Georgia did not always have a combined board. For years, barbers and cosmetologists answered to separate state boards. That arrangement changed with House Bill 314, which took effect July 1, 2015 and created the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers by combining the former Georgia State Board of Barbers and the former Georgia State Board of Cosmetology.

Why this matters on the exam:

• Older study materials or word-of-mouth answers may still say "State Board of Barbers" as if it were a standalone agency. That label describes pre-merger history, not today’s regulator.
• After the merger, barbering and cosmetology share one statutory chapter and one rule book (Chapter 240), while license types remain distinct. Barber II is still Barber II; Master Barber is still Master Barber; Master Cosmetologist is still a different credential with a different scope.
• Board organization rules (for example Rule 240-1-.01) expressly recognize the July 1, 2015 combination of the former boards.

Think of HB 314 as a governance change, not a rewriting of every technical skill. You still must know shaving, clipper work, and infection control. You also must know that the single merged Board now writes and enforces the rules for both professions.

OCGA Title 43, Chapter 10: The Statute

Georgia’s primary licensing statute for this field is Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) Title 43, Chapter 10. Statutes are the laws passed by the General Assembly. They create the Board’s authority and set high-level requirements such as the need for licensure, examination frameworks, apprenticeship concepts, and unlawful practice prohibitions.

Important exam distinctions:

When a question asks where licensing authority comes from, point to OCGA 43-10. When it asks for a specific curriculum hour split (for example 1,140 school hours), point to the Chapter 240 rule that implements that authority—commonly Rule 240-14-.03 for Barber II school curriculum.

You do not need to memorize every Code section number, but you should recognize recurring citations that appear in Board materials, including provisions around licensing, shops, schools, apprentices, and examinations (for example references connected to OCGA §§ 43-10-8, 43-10-11, 43-10-12, 43-10-13, and 43-10-14 in rule and FAQ materials).

Chapter 240 Rules: Where Daily Requirements Live

The Board’s administrative rules are published as Georgia Compilation of Rules and Regulations, Department 240. Chapter 240 is organized into subject chapters that map cleanly to exam topics:

• 240-2 — Violations and fines (shop, school, and related schedules)
• 240-3 — Continuing education and renewal-related CE rules
• 240-4 — Facility requirements (including license posting)
• 240-5 — Apprentices
• 240-6 — Licensure by examination
• 240-14 — Barber school equipment and curriculum (including Barber II)

Those rule numbers are fair game on Georgia law questions because they are how the Board turns Title 43 into enforceable day-to-day standards.

Why State Law Appears on the Written Exam

Georgia’s Barber II written exam is not only a skills-theory test. Roughly a meaningful slice of Georgia candidates’ written preparation is state law and Board rules—who may practice, how you get licensed, how you renew, and what shops must do. That emphasis exists because a technically skilled but unlicensed or out-of-scope practitioner still creates a public-protection problem.

Expect questions that test whether you can:

1. Name the correct regulator after the 2015 merger
2. Separate statute from rule (OCGA 43-10 vs Chapter 240)
3. Respect license tiers — Barber II is a no-chemical-services barber license; chemical services require Master Barber training and licensure
4. Connect Board authority to consequences — inspections, citations, fines, and discipline for rule violations

Barber II Scope Reminder (Law Context)

Georgia’s two-tier barber system is part of the legal framework you must keep straight:

• Barber II — licensed for barbering services without chemical services such as coloring, permanent waving, or relaxing
• Master Barber — additional training/hours and exam pathway that includes chemical services

Do not answer Georgia law questions as if Barber II automatically includes chemical work. Scope boundaries are a licensing rule, not a personal preference.

Study Checklist for This Section

• Memorize the Board’s full name and the July 1, 2015 HB 314 merger date
• Link OCGA Title 43 Chapter 10 to authority and Chapter 240 to detailed requirements
• Practice distinguishing "old separate barber board" answers from current combined-Board answers
• Keep Barber II vs Master Barber scope clear whenever a law question mentions services

Official starting points for verification include the Board pages on the Georgia Secretary of State site and the published Chapter 240 rules.