Cosmetology / Barber License from Pennsylvania to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Delaware accept a Pennsylvania cosmetology license?
Both Pennsylvania and Delaware have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, but multistate licenses are not yet being issued (as of 2026-10-29). Until the compact activates, transfer your cosmetology license the standard way: apply for licensure by endorsement.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Compact enacted — not yet issuing
Interim path until the compact activates: licensure by endorsement.
The number that defines this move: Pennsylvania licensed you at 1,250 training hours, and Delaware requires 1,500 — a 250-hour deficit on paper. That does not usually mean going back to school. It means proving the gap is covered another way: most boards in Delaware's position accept documented licensed work experience, supplemental hours, or their own exams. The requirements below are the exact menu Delaware offers.
Both states have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact. That changes nothing today — the compact is not yet operating as a multistate network — but once the compact activates, a multistate license could cover work in Delaware without a separate Delaware license (changing your home state would still mean licensing there). If your timeline is flexible, check cosmetologycompact.gov before filing.
What's different between Pennsylvania and Delaware
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Delaware. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Delaware (this page): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, licensure by endorsement.
Delaware to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Compact enacted — not yet issuing; until it issues, reciprocity agreement.
The two directions differ: Pennsylvania and Delaware do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania matters here: only 12 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Delaware.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38).
- Reciprocity agreements
Delaware's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
Pennsylvania's reciprocity agreement list names 41 states, including Delaware.
- CLC membership
Pennsylvania and Delaware have both enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact, which is not issuing yet, so it does not cover this move today.
- Application fee
Delaware lists $128 for an out-of-state applicant and Pennsylvania lists $89 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Training hours
Delaware's first-time-applicant standard is 1,500 training hours for the standard license; Pennsylvania's is 1,250.
Delaware's is 250 training hours higher than Pennsylvania's.
- Exam rules on record
Delaware and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Delaware (this move): Delaware does not retest reciprocity applicants; you must show you already passed a professionally developed, nationally used written and practical examination in a licensing jurisdiction
- Pennsylvania (the reverse 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))
What changes, Pennsylvania → Delaware
| Pennsylvania (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLC status | CLC enacted — not yet issuing | CLC enacted — not yet issuing |
| Training hours | 1,250 | 1,500 |
| Application fee | $89 (licensure by reciprocity / Act 41 endorsement application fee, applied for through the PALS portal) | $128 (cosmetologist reciprocity application fee, paid through DELPROS; non-refundable) |
| Processing time | the board's processing guide describes a three-phase timeline but publishes no fixed durations | no timeframe published by the Division of Professional Regulation |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology | Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current cosmetologist license in another state, U.S. territory, or DC.
- Apply under Method 1 if at least one jurisdiction where you are licensed requires hours equal to or greater than Delaware's.
- Apply under Method 2 with proof of one full, uninterrupted year of full-time licensed work experience within the last five years if all your licensing jurisdictions require fewer hours than Delaware.
- Have license verification sent directly from each licensing jurisdiction to the board, and submit copies of all current licenses.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Pennsylvania required 1,250 hours but Delaware wants 1,500 — do I need more school?
Not necessarily. The 250-hour gap can usually be bridged without re-enrolling: Delaware's options are listed in the requirements on this page (experience substitution and examination are the common routes). Contact the Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (Division of Professional Regulation) with your license history before paying for school hours.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- Delaware DPR — Cosmetology License by Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Delaware DPR — Cosmetology and Barbering Fee Schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Delaware DPR — Board of Cosmetology and Barbering (no compact information posted) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact — Delaware becomes 12th state to enact (SB 217, June 10, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact — official commission site (compact not yet active) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com