1.4 Renewal, Cancellation, Inspection, Discipline & Appeals

1.4 Renewal, Cancellation, Inspection, Discipline & Appeals

The Two-Year Operator Cycle

RCW 18.16.170(1)(c) sets the term: cosmetologist, hair designer, barber, manicurist, esthetician, master esthetician, and instructor licenses expire two years from issuance. Subsection (2) lets the director set different expiration dates to establish staggered renewal periods.

WAC 308-20-570 governs the renewal itself. Each operator or instructor license shall be renewed every two years, and the renewal request must be accompanied by:

1. Social Security number;
2. the renewal fee required under WAC 308-20-210;
3. a statement noting any changes to the information in the original application and attachments;
4. renewal on or before the expiration date — failure to renew by the expiration date results in a penalty fee; and
5. an acknowledgment that failure to receive a renewal notice from the department does not constitute cause for failure to renew.

Washington requires no continuing education to renew a standard operator license. Do not assume otherwise from other states’ rules.

The fee schedule (WAC 308-20-210)

These figures are set by rule and are directly examinable.

The rule notes these are charged in addition to any third-party examination fees — that is, on top of the $169 written and $119 practical fees paid to Prov.

The One-Year Cancellation Cliff (RCW 18.16.110)

This is the most frequently mis-stated deadline in Washington cosmetology law, and the mistake always runs in the same direction — people say two years. The statutory cliff is one year.

RCW 18.16.110(2) provides that, except as provided in RCW 18.16.260:

• (a) failure to renew a license by its expiration date subjects the holder to a penalty fee and payment of each year’s renewal fee at the current rate; and
• (b) a person whose license has not been renewed within one year after its expiration date shall have the license canceled and shall be required to submit an application, pay the license fee, meet current licensing requirements, and pass any applicable examination or examinations, in addition to the other requirements of this chapter, before the license may be reinstated.

So the sequence is: expiration → penalty fee window → cancellation at one year past expiration → full re-application and re-examination. Practising while the license is expired is not permitted at any point in that sequence.

A transitional provision inside the same subsection allowed a person whose license expired on or after March 1, 2020 to renew, including if the license was canceled, until June 30, 2023; that window has closed.

Inactive status is the planned alternative. RCW 18.16.290 permits a license to be placed on inactive status at the licensee’s request, and RCW 18.16.110(3) allows reinstatement to good standing on payment of a renewal fee without penalty for a two-year license commencing on the reinstatement date. RCW 18.16.110(1)(d) confirms that a license on inactive status that has not been reinstated is not in good standing for practice purposes.

One mandatory, non-disciplinary suspension also exists: RCW 18.16.240 requires the department to immediately suspend the license of a person certified by DSHS as not in compliance with a support order, with automatic reissuance on receipt of a release.

Posting and the Photograph Requirement (WAC 308-20-550)

WAC 308-20-550 is specific, and its details are examinable:

1. Licenses, the chapter 18.16 RCW consumer notice, the apprentice salon/shop notice under WAC 308-20-555, and the most current inspection form must be posted in direct public view.
2. Original operator licenses with an attached current photograph shall be posted in clear view of clients in the operator’s work station.
3. Original instructor licenses with an attached current photograph shall be posted in clear view of the public.
4. Original school, instructor, salon/shop, and mobile unit licenses shall be posted in the reception area.
5. Personal services licensees shall display their licenses and consumer notice in direct view of their client.
6. A pocket identification card may not be used in lieu of an original license.
7. No license that has expired or become invalid for any reason may be displayed, and it must be surrendered to a department representative on request.
8. Licenses issued by another state, territory, or foreign country shall not be displayed in any salon/shop.
9. A department-issued receipt showing application for a duplicate license may be used if the original was lost, stolen, or destroyed, until the duplicate arrives.

The rule requires a current photograph; it does not prescribe a photo size, style, or maximum age. Answer what the rule says.

Inspection

DOL inspects. RCW 18.16.175 addresses salon/shop and mobile unit inspection and registration, and RCW 18.16.280(6) requires the director or the director’s designee to audit and inspect approved apprenticeship shops for compliance at least annually, with written notice when standards are not maintained. The most current inspection form must be posted in direct public view under WAC 308-20-550(1), which is why an inspection report is a public-facing document in a Washington salon.

Grounds for Discipline

Two statutes stack. RCW 18.235.130 (the Uniform Regulation of Business and Professions Act) defines unprofessional conduct generally. RCW 18.16.200 adds chapter-specific grounds, permitting discipline where the licensee or applicant:

• has been found to have violated any provision of chapter 19.86 RCW (the Consumer Protection Act);
• has engaged in a practice prohibited under RCW 18.16.060 without first obtaining and maintaining the required license in good standing;
• has engaged in the commercial practice of cosmetology, hair design, barbering, manicuring, esthetics, or master esthetics in a school;
• has not provided a safe, sanitary, and good moral environment for students in a school or for the public; or
• has failed to display licenses and notices as required.

RCW 18.16.270 applies the Uniform Regulation of Business and Professions Act, chapter 18.235 RCW, to this chapter.

Penalties (RCW 18.16.210)

If, following a hearing, the director finds a person, applicant or licensee has violated any provision of the chapter or any rule adopted under it, the director may impose one or more of:

Separately, RCW 18.16.110(1) lists the circumstances in which a license is not in good standing: it has expired without renewal; it has been denied, revoked or suspended and not reinstated; the holder has not complied with a director’s order to pay restitution or a fine or to acquire additional training; or it is on inactive status and has not been reinstated.

Appeals (RCW 18.16.220)

RCW 18.16.220 is direct and short. Any person aggrieved by the director’s refusal to issue or renew a license, by revocation or suspension, or by the application of any penalty under RCW 18.16.210, has the right to appeal the director’s decision to the superior court of the county in which the person maintains his or her place of business, and such appeal shall be filed within thirty days of the director’s decision.

Note the two different appeal tracks a candidate can encounter, and do not confuse them: a disciplinary appeal goes to superior court within thirty days under RCW 18.16.220, while an examination appeal is handled under WAC 308-20-123, is limited to significant procedural errors or adverse environmental conditions, and must reach the department within 15 days after notification of results.