Opening a nail salon in Pennsylvania: the salon license

Before opening

In the Board's own capitals: the salon CANNOT be open or operating prior to inspection. The inspection is scheduled only after the completed application is reviewed, approved and all discrepancies are resolved.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Salon licensure procedure · Checked September 21, 2026

How to apply and the fee

Every salon applies through the PALS portal (pals.pa.gov). Fees are due at the time of application and are non-refundable. The Board's page does not print the amount, only points to 49 Pa. Code section 7.2, so read the figure on the PALS portal when applying. Changes to the salon's physical dimensions need a sketch attached.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Salon licensure procedure · Checked September 21, 2026

Booth rental is unlawful in Pennsylvania

This is the one that catches owners moving in from another state. Section 8.1 of the Cosmetology Law (Act of May 3, 1933, P.L. 242, No. 86), headed Booth Rental Prohibited, reads that the rental of booth space by an owner of a cosmetology salon, or the owner of a salon limited to esthetics, nail technology or natural hair braiding, to any holder of a license issued under this act is unlawful. So the booth rent model that is normal in many states does not work here: the people working in your shop are employees, not renters. Section 8 also makes it unlawful to practice nail technology for pay anywhere other than a licensed salon, with a single exception in section 8(b): a licensed cosmetologist or the holder of a limited license may furnish treatments to persons in their residences by appointment. A note on the source: the copy of the Cosmetology Law the Board publishes on its own site is marked Printed in February 2015, so confirm with the Board before you build a contract on this.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Cosmetology Law, the Board's printed edition (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

Floor space

The Board issues a separate handout, Square Footage Requirements, effective January 7, 2023. It says a cosmetology salon must be at least 10 feet wide, with 120 square feet minimum and an additional 60 square feet for each additional licensee. Its table reads 120 square feet for 1 licensee, 180 for 2, 240 for 3, 300 for 4, and on up to 1,260 square feet for 20. A WARNING, because the handout contradicts itself: directly under that table it prints the method as multiply length times width, minus 180, divide by 60, add 1 and round down. That formula does not reproduce its own table (by the formula, 120 square feet yields zero licensees). Do not sign a lease on this sheet without calling first. The handout carries the four regional inspection offices: Region 1 Pittsburgh 412-565-5026, Region 2 Scranton 570-963-4864, Region 3 Harrisburg 717-783-7240, Region 4 Philadelphia 610-768-3070, with a table assigning every county to a region. The Board's page adds that a variance from the minimums in 49 Pa. Code section 7.76 may be requested, that salon space may not be used for other purposes under section 7.77, and that Bureau inspectors inspect the entirety of the salon, not only the work area.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Square Footage Requirements, effective January 7, 2023 (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

The person in charge

Section 4.4 of the Cosmetology Law, headed Management of Cosmetology Salons, puts three duties on the owner. One, every salon owner shall designate a person in charge of the salon in the owner's absence. Two, the name of the owner or designated person in charge shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the salon. Three, the owner or designated person in charge shall be readily available during regular business hours to bureau inspectors. Section 9.2 adds that a licensed barber and a licensed cosmetologist may work in the same shop without any physical barrier between them, but that such a shop must still conform with section 4.4.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Cosmetology Law, the Board's printed edition (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

Moving, selling, renaming

Three situations, three different answers, all filed at pals.pa.gov. Moving: apply for a license at the new location. The new location cannot be open prior to successful inspection, but the existing salon may continue to operate while you wait, and the relocated salon receives a new license number. Selling to a new owner: the new owner cannot open or operate the salon until the salon is successfully inspected, the previous owner MUST return the salon license at the time of inspection, and a new license number is issued. A change of trade name, adding or deleting a partner, or correcting an address: the salon may continue to operate while the application is being processed.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Salon licensure procedure · Checked September 21, 2026

Renewal

Salon licenses (Cosmetology Salon, Nail Technology Salon, Esthetician Salon) expire on January 31 of odd-numbered years, on a two-year cycle. The renewal fee is $144.00 for all three of those salon types. For comparison, the individual Nail Technician license expires on January 31 of even-numbered years and costs $97.00, which means your shop license and your own license do NOT come due in the same year. Notices are emailed to the most recent email address the licensee has reported to the Board.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Renewal information · Checked September 21, 2026

Letting a license lapse

The Board's renewal page splits this at five years. Expired less than five years: go to pals.pa.gov, find the license by its number and click the green pencil icon to reactivate. Payment is by credit or debit card only, and you should allow seven to ten business days to receive your renewed license. Expired more than five years: you must retake the examination in order to reactivate the license, contacting Pearson Vue OHT on 888-511-5352. One thing said plainly: this section of the Board's page is written for individual licensees, not specifically for salon licenses, so if it is your SHOP license that has lapsed, telephone the Board rather than reasoning by analogy.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Renewal information · Checked September 21, 2026

Penalties

Section 20 of the Cosmetology Law: any person who shall practice or teach cosmetology, or act in any capacity wherein licensing is required, without complying with this act, shall upon conviction in a summary proceeding be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars ($300.00), and/or be sentenced to imprisonment not exceeding three months. Sections 20(b) and 20(c) set the same $300 ceiling for a licensee who practices while knowingly suffering from a contagious or infectious disease, or who knowingly serves someone afflicted with one, and for a licensee who infects a client through carelessness or negligence in practice.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Cosmetology Law, the Board's printed edition (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

A safety handbook in Vietnamese

Under Board Resources and Documents the Board publishes a nail salon safety handbook in four languages: English, Vietnamese, Korean and Spanish. The Vietnamese edition is titled Sống khỏe mạnh và an toàn khi làm nghề Nail, Hướng dẫn cho nhân viên tiệm Nail, catalogued as OSHA 3558-08 2012, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Department of Labor and adapted from material written by the Labor Occupational Health Program at the University of California, Berkeley and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. It covers chemical hazards, muscle strain, illness, and the rights of people working in nail salons. It is an OSHA guidance booklet rather than the Board's licensing rules, so read it for safety, not for what the license requires.

Source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology - Nail Salon Workers Guide, Vietnamese edition (PDF) · Checked September 21, 2026

Every line carries its own check date, because a page is only as trustworthy as its oldest line.

The oldest line on this page was checked September 21, 2026