Cosmetology / Barber License from Connecticut to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology ↗
A cosmetology license transfers from Connecticut to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, verify your Connecticut license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken — an applicant who meets the criteria for licensure by reciprocity may obtain the license without examination (49 Pa. Code 7.31(b)).
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs downhill. Connecticut trained you to 1,500 hours; Pennsylvania requires only 1,250. With the hour test cleared by a margin, your transfer is administrative — license verification, application, fee — and the requirements below read as a checklist rather than an obstacle course.
What changes, Connecticut → Pennsylvania
| Connecticut (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | Reciprocity with 41 states |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,250 |
| Application fee | $100 (application fee; applications accepted online only) | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) |
| Processing time | no timeframe published by DPH | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations |
| Licensing authority | Connecticut Department of Public Health — Hairdresser and Cosmetician Licensure | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license with a minimum of two years of licensed work experience, documented by signed employer certifications.
- Provide criminal history records checks, dated within 180 days, from every state where you lived, worked, or trained during the past five years.
- Be licensed in a state with which Pennsylvania holds a reciprocal agreement; applicants from the eight non-reciprocal states apply by Act 41 endorsement instead.
- Pay the fees ($89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal)) and allow the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a Connecticut cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from Connecticut to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, verify your Connecticut license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. Exams are not retaken — an applicant who meets the criteria for licensure by reciprocity may obtain the license without examination (49 Pa. Code 7.31(b)).
Will Pennsylvania make me retake the cosmetology exams?
Exams are not retaken — an applicant who meets the criteria for licensure by reciprocity may obtain the license without examination (49 Pa. Code 7.31(b)).
What does the Connecticut-to-Pennsylvania transfer cost and how long does it take?
$89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal); processing the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- PA Department of State — Cosmetology Licensure Guide (reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetologist Licensure Snapshot ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 — State Board of Cosmetology ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CT DPH — Hairdresser Licensure Based on an Out-of-State License ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CT DPH — Hairdresser Licensure by Examination (1,500-hour requirement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]