Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology

The State Board of Cosmetology regulates the practice and licensure of cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, and cosmetology teachers, along with the salons and schools where they work, throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The board sits within the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) and determines, case by case, whether a licensee has violated the state's Cosmetology Law or the board's regulations. Following the passage of Act 100 of 2024, natural hair braiders, natural hair braider teachers, and natural hair braiding salons are no longer required to hold a license, and the board no longer accepts new applications, renewals, or reactivations for those categories.

The board's physical office is at 2525 N 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110, and mail is routed to a separate P.O. Box 2649, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649 — the Postal Service does not forward licenses, so keeping a current mailing address on file matters. Nearly all licensing activity, including applications, renewals, and reactivations, is handled online through the PA Licensing System (PALS) rather than by mail or in person.

Phone support is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 1-833-DOS-BPOA, with language interpreters available for callers who need them. Applicants and licensees needing technical help with PALS can also submit a support ticket directly through the PALS Help Center, and questions specific to letters of good standing, exam status, or disciplinary documents can be emailed to St-COSMETOLOGY@pa.gov.

Pennsylvania licenses cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, and cosmetology teachers as personal licenses, alongside separate salon and school licenses. Personal and salon licenses run on a two-year cycle that expires every January 31st, though individual licenses are staggered so some expire in odd-numbered years and others in even-numbered years — licensees should check their own license to confirm which applies. Pennsylvania does not require continuing education hours to renew a personal cosmetology license.

Every Pennsylvania cosmetology-related license renews on a two-year cycle that ends on January 31st. Cosmetologist and esthetician licenses are split across both odd- and even-numbered years depending on when they were originally issued, while cosmetology teacher, esthetician teacher, and nail technology teacher licenses, along with cosmetology school licenses, expire on January 31st of even-numbered years, and cosmetology, esthetician, and nail technology salon licenses expire on January 31st of odd-numbered years. The board emails renewal notices to the most recent address on file and does not mail paper renewal notices.

Renewals are completed online through PALS (www.pals.pa.gov) rather than by mail or phone. Licensees log in, confirm their information, and pay the applicable renewal fee by credit or debit card. Renewal fees are $97 for cosmetologists, estheticians, and nail technicians; $135 for cosmetology, esthetician, and nail technology teachers; $144 for cosmetology, esthetician, and nail technology salons; and $315 for cosmetology schools.

A license that has been expired for less than five years can typically be reactivated online through PALS: licensees log in, locate their license number, select the green pencil "reactivate" icon, and follow the prompts to pay by credit or debit card. A reactivated license is then mailed out, and the board advises allowing seven to ten business days for delivery.

A license expired for more than five years cannot be reactivated online. Pennsylvania law requires the licensee to retake the licensing examination through Pearson VUE's OHT Processing Center before the license can be reinstated.

Complaints against Pennsylvania-licensed cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, teachers, salons, and schools are handled by the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, which reviews thousands of complaints across the state's 29 licensing boards and commissions each year. Complaints can also be filed against anyone suspected of practicing without a license.

To file, a complainant submits a Statement of Complaint Form through the PALS website. Paper forms are available by request for anyone who needs help downloading or obtaining one, by emailing RA-ST-Complaints@pa.gov or calling the complaint hotline at 1-800-822-2113 (within Pennsylvania) or 717-783-4849.

Once submitted, legal office staff in the Professional Compliance Office review each complaint to determine whether it falls within the board's jurisdiction and whether further investigation is warranted. Cases that proceed are often investigated by the Department's Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation, which gathers evidence and witness statements before the matter moves to prosecution or a negotiated consent agreement. Finalized disciplinary actions become part of the licensee's public record, though the board may expunge some matters after five years.