Cosmetology / Barber License from District of Columbia to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept a District of Columbia cosmetology license?
A cosmetology license transfers from District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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)).
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
This move runs downhill. District of Columbia 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's different between District of Columbia and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
District of Columbia to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania to District of Columbia (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from District of Columbia matter?
Coming from District of Columbia matters here: only 8 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Pennsylvania.
The others get: reciprocity agreement (30), compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, reciprocity agreement (11), and compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (1).
- Reciprocity agreements
Pennsylvania's reciprocity agreement list names 41 states, not including District of Columbia.
District of Columbia's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- CLC membership
Pennsylvania has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; District of Columbia has not.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $89 for an out-of-state applicant; District of Columbia has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Training hours
Pennsylvania's first-time-applicant standard is 1,250 training hours for the standard license; District of Columbia's is 1,500.
Pennsylvania's is 250 training hours lower than District of Columbia's.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and District of Columbia carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this move): 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))
- District of Columbia (the reverse move): Written (ProV) and practical exams are waived for licensure by endorsement when you hold a current out-of-state license and your state board sends a Letter of Certification directly to the DC board
What changes, District of Columbia → Pennsylvania
| District of Columbia (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | Licensure by endorsement | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,500 | 1,250 |
| Application fee | DLCP publishes a $65 initial application fee plus $110 initial license fee for initial licenses (listed under the exam pathway); an endorsement-specific fee is not separately published | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) |
| Processing time | no timeframe published by DLCP | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations |
| Licensing authority | District of Columbia Board of Barber and Cosmetology (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) | 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- PA Department of State — Cosmetology Licensure Guide (reciprocity section) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- PA Department of State — Cosmetologist Licensure Snapshot ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7 — State Board of Cosmetology ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — Pennsylvania becomes 13th state to enact (SB 331) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — FAQ (compact not yet active) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DC DLCP — Board of Barber and Cosmetology (endorsement instructions, hours, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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