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

What's different between Utah 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

Utah to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

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

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Utah matter?

Coming from Utah 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 Utah.

Utah's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

CLC membership

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

Application fee

Pennsylvania lists $89 for an out-of-state applicant and Utah lists $60 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; Utah's is 1,600.

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

Exam rules on record

Pennsylvania and Utah 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))
• Utah (the reverse move): Utah accepts NIC examinations passed at 70% or greater (within one year of application if used directly) or any substantially equivalent theory/practical examination approved by another state's licensing authority passed at 70% or greater; holding an equivalent out-of-state license for at least one year qualifies for endorsement without retaking examinations

What changes, Utah → 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 endorsement 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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