Cosmetology / Barber License from Nevada to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between Nevada 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

Nevada to Pennsylvania (this page): Reciprocity agreement.

Pennsylvania to Nevada (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.

The two directions differ: Nevada and Pennsylvania do not give each other's licensees the same route.

Does coming from Nevada matter?

Nevada gets Pennsylvania's most common result: 30 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.

The others get: compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, reciprocity agreement (11), licensure by endorsement (8), and compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement (1).

Reciprocity agreements

Pennsylvania's reciprocity agreement list names 41 states, including Nevada.

Nevada's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

CLC membership

Pennsylvania has enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact; Nevada has not.

Application fee

Pennsylvania lists $89 for an out-of-state applicant and Nevada lists $325 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Training hours

Pennsylvania's first-time-applicant standard is 1,250 training hours for the standard license; Nevada's is 1,600.

Pennsylvania's is 350 training hours lower than Nevada's.

Exam rules on record

Pennsylvania and Nevada 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))
• Nevada (the reverse move): The theory and practical examinations are not retaken when your out-of-state training and license are comparable under NRS 644A.640, but every reciprocity applicant must pass Nevada's 25-question state law test with at least 75%; the Board may require additional examinations if your qualifications are not comparable

What changes, Nevada → Pennsylvania

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the reciprocity application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold a current license with a minimum of two years of licensed work experience, documented by signed employer certifications.
5. Provide criminal history records checks, dated within 180 days, from every state where you lived, worked, or trained during the past five years.
6. 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.
7. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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