(a) The holder of any certificate of registration issued under Code Section 43-10-9 shall display the same in a conspicuous place in his or her beauty shop, beauty salon, or barber shop. Certificates of registration issued under Code Section 43-10-9 shall be renewable for a period of up to four years as approved by the division director. The holder shall pay to the division director a renewal fee in such amount as shall be set by the board by regulation. Upon failure to renew such certificate of registration, it shall stand automatically revoked. The holder shall be disqualified from practicing any occupation under this chapter until all fees to date of application for reinstatement shall be paid, an application for reinstatement shall be submitted along with a reinstatement fee in such amount as shall be set by the board by regulation, and documentation shall be submitted of completion of all required continuing education hours since the date the registration was automatically revoked. If the board is satisfied that the applicant for reinstatement meets all the qualifications set forth in this Code section and Code Section 43-10-9, the applicant shall be issued a new certificate of registration.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Code section, at the time of renewal of any cosmetologist, master cosmetologist, hair designer, esthetician, nail technician, master barber, or barber II certificate of registration, the holder of such certificate shall maintain proof, in a form approved by the board, of completion of five hours of continuing education biennially to be determined by the board. A licensee shall provide proof of completion of continuing education if audited by the board. A holder who is renewing a certificate of registration for the first time shall not be required to meet the continuing education requirement until the time of the second renewal. Further, the requirement for continuing education for a master barber and barber II will become effective beginning January 1, 2018.

(c) The board may require by rules or regulations that either three or four hours of continuing education shall be satisfied by a health and safety course or a review course of the board rules or regulations and applicable laws using a curriculum developed by the board or by a board approved provider. Such curriculum or course may be revised by the board or by a board approved provider as necessary to incorporate new developments. The board shall make the curriculum or course available to board approved providers of continuing education. The board may charge a fee to providers for registration as a board approved provider.

(d) The board may require by rules and regulations that the remaining one to two hours of continuing education may be satisfied by:

(1) Attendance at an industry or trade show registered with the board; or

(2) A course or courses of study registered with the board in one or more of the following subjects: health and safety, industry trends, computer skills, business management, or the holder's area of practice.

(e) To request registration of an industry or trade show for continuing education credit, a person or entity shall submit to the board the date and location of the industry or trade show. To request registration of a course of study for continuing education credit, the person or entity offering the course of study shall submit to the board an outline of the subject matter, a list of the persons teaching the course with a summary of their qualifications, the number of hours for each course, and the date and location where the course of study will be presented or has been presented, if applicable. Any certificate holder may request board approval of an unregistered industry or trade show or an unregistered course of study. A person or entity conducting an industry or trade show or a course of study shall provide written proof of attendance at the industry or trade show or completion of a course of study to all participants.

(f) The board shall register and allow credit as continuing education for courses conducted via the Internet or other electronic means or home study courses.

(g) Courses in cosmetology, hair design, nail technology, esthetics, computers, business, or health and safety issues offered by schools under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Department of Education, or any accredited postsecondary institution shall satisfy the continuing education requirement without a request to the board for approval or registration.

(h) In no event shall the testing of knowledge or skills be required as proof of the successful completion of a continuing education course.

(i) The continuing education requirement shall not apply to certificate holders who:

(1) Have held a certificate for 25 or more years; or

(2) Demonstrate a hardship based on a disability, age, illness, or such other circumstance as the board may identify by rule and determine on a case-by-case basis.

Certificate holders who claim an exemption from the continuing education requirement on the basis of paragraph (2) of this subsection shall provide a sworn statement setting out the facts supporting such exemption.