PA Cosmetology License Lookup for Berks Salons and Barbers

Pennsylvania licenses the person and the shop. The State Board of Cosmetology licenses stylists, nail techs, estheticians (the skin side: facials, waxing, lash and brow tinting) and the salons they work in; the State Board of Barber Examiners licenses barbers and barber shops; both boards sit inside the Department of State. Every one of those licenses is searchable at pals.pa.gov, called PALS, and as of 2026 the search is free, works on your phone and needs no account. The lookup gives you the license number, whether it's current and any discipline on record; the county's page of hair salons in Berks County fills in reviews and contact details.

Who licenses a stylist, a barber and a nail tech in Pennsylvania.

This is who licenses whom in a Pennsylvania salon, barbershop or nail salon, as of November 7, 2026.

The person doing the work	The board	The license to look for	What it lets them do
A stylist cutting or coloring hair	State Board of Cosmetology	Cosmetologist	Hair, skin and nails; a cosmetologist can do everything an esthetician or a nail technician can
Someone doing facials, waxing or lash and brow tinting	State Board of Cosmetology	Esthetician, or Cosmetologist	An esthetician license covers esthetics only
Someone doing a manicure, pedicure or artificial nails	State Board of Cosmetology	Nail Technician, or Cosmetologist	A nail technician license covers nail technology only
A braider doing natural hair braiding and nothing else	None since late 2024	No license required	Braiding without cutting, coloring or chemicals needs no license under Act 100 of 2024; a braider who also cuts or colors needs a cosmetologist license
A barber cutting hair, shaving or trimming a beard	State Board of Barber Examiners	Barber; a Barber Manager license for the barber who runs a shop with more than one chair	Barbering; a barber manager can also work as a barber
A student at a school clinic	Either board, through the school	The school's own license, searched under Facility with the license type Cosmetology School or Barber School	Services by students under a licensed instructor
The shop itself	State Board of Cosmetology or State Board of Barber Examiners	Cosmetology Salon, Esthetician Salon, Nail Technology Salon; Barber Shop	A shop license is tied to the owner and the address; a new owner means a new license and a new inspection

American Barber and Beauty Academy and Reading Barber Institute, both in Reading, run student clinics where, as the Academy puts it, all services are performed by students under the supervision of licensed instructors; search each school under Facility to see its own license. Pennsylvania licenses no tattoo artists or piercers, and the City of Reading issues its own permit to body-art shops instead; those rules are in what a tattoo costs in Berks County and the age rule.

How to look up a license on PALS, step by step.

Open pals.pa.gov and work down the search form in order.

1. Pick "Person" to check a stylist, barber or nail tech, or "Facility" to check the salon or shop's own license.
2. In the Board/Commission menu choose "State Board of Cosmetology" or "State Board of Barber Examiners". A barber may work in a licensed salon and a cosmetologist in a licensed barber shop, so if a name comes up empty under one board, try the other.
3. Leave License Type blank unless you know it.
4. Type the last name and first name, or the facility name as it's on the door; if you like, choose PA in the State menu and then Berks in the County menu. The form takes any one field or several, so if you know only a first name, search the salon under Facility, or ask the salon for the stylist's full name before you search.
5. Tick "I'm not a robot" and press Search.
6. Find the row that matches and press "Select" to open the record.

What the result shows and what counts as current.

The result row shows the name, license number, board, license type, a Status column and an address; the record behind it adds the issue, expiration and last-renewal dates and any disciplinary action.

So what does current mean? The Department's own word for a license in good standing is active (its verify page asks whether a professional has an active license); on the record, read the Status line and the Expiration Date, check that the date hasn't passed, and the Status Change list shows the changes with their dates. A cosmetologist's license expires on January 31; whether that's an odd or an even year is printed on the license, so a 2027 date and a 2028 date can both be right. A barber's license expires on April 30 of every even-numbered year. Neither needs continuing education, so an active status and a current date are the whole check.

The regulations call a license that wasn't renewed "unregistered", and someone holding an unregistered license isn't permitted to practice in Pennsylvania until it's renewed.

A disciplinary line records what the Department did and when. The Department's fines include $100 for a license not on the premises ($150 for a barber) and $500 for practicing without one, each for a first offense; read the line for what it was and when. The help line is 1-833-DOS-BPOA (1-833-367-2762), weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Since Act 100 of 2024, natural hair braiders and braiding salons in Pennsylvania are no longer required to be licensed, as long as they don't also do anything that counts as cosmetology. Cosmetology in the law covers arranging, braiding, dressing, curling, waving, pressing, cleansing, cutting and coloring hair, and Act 100 carved braiding-only work out of it; so a blowout, a rollerset or a flat-iron needs the license, braiding alone doesn't, and a braider who also cuts, colors or heat-styles needs the cosmetology license. The regulations and the PALS menu still carry the braider types, so a braider may show up with an older license, and a braiding-only shop with no license in the search is within the law.

What hangs on the wall at a licensed salon or barber shop.

At a licensed cosmetology salon, the rules put these where you can see them:

• The salon license, displayed in a conspicuous place.
• The stylist's or nail tech's own license, which has to be readily available for you to see, so if it isn't on the wall, asking for it is normal.
• A sign at the entrance saying it's a cosmetology salon.
• The posted name of the owner or the person in charge (the licensee who runs the salon when the owner's out).
• A notice near the entrance with the phone number for a complaint to the State Board of Cosmetology.

A barber shop posts a little more: the shop permit (the Barber Shop license in the table), each barber's license in front of his or her chair, the state's barber sanitation rules as a posted sheet, the inspector's dated sticker, the complaint notice, and the owner's and manager's names.

What if the shop changed hands? The shop's license is tied to the owner and the address, no salon or barber shop opens until it's been inspected and passed, and a new owner gets a new license with a different number, so search by the name on the door rather than an old number.

What a good salon does, and what you'll see from the chair.

What a good salon does is what the regulations say, and you can watch most of it from the chair:

• Tools that touch you, a nail tech's files and clippers included, are sanitized after each use.
• A clean towel comes out of a closed cabinet, the used one goes into a closed container, and a clean towel or fresh neck strip goes around your neck before a cut.
• Creams are scooped with a spatula rather than fingers, and hands are washed before your service starts.
• There's no powder puff or styptic pencil (the stick that stops a shaving nick) at the station, because the rule allows only a powder or liquid astringent on a clean towel or a piece of cotton for a nick.

The salon rule says "sanitized" and leaves the method to the salon; the barber rule spells the method out: after each patron the tools are cleaned with soap and water, fully immersed in a disinfectant registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, rinsed, dried and stored in a closed container. A barber who notices a skin condition doesn't treat it; the rule has him advise you to see a physician.

Where a complaint goes.

A complaint goes to the Department of State in writing, through the Statement of Complaint form on PALS or on a paper form you request by calling 800-822-2113, and it can be anonymous. The Department investigates, it can fine, suspend or revoke a license, and any discipline becomes public on the same lookup; what it usually can't do is get your money back.

Frequently asked questions.

Does a nail tech need a license in Pennsylvania?

Yes. A nail technician is licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology, and a cosmetologist may do nails without a second license, so the person at the station may hold either one; search by name under the Cosmetology board with License Type blank.

Do hair braiders need a license?

Not for braiding alone, since Act 100 of 2024; a braider who also cuts, colors or heat-styles needs the cosmetology license, and a braiding-only shop with none on file is in the clear.

Can I check the salon itself, not just the person?

Yes: pick "Facility" instead of "Person", choose the board and type the shop's name as it's on the door, and the record shows the shop's own license.

Where do I find a licensed salon or barber near me in Berks County?

The county's pages of hair salons in Berks County, nail salons in Berks County and barber shops in Berks County carry reviews and contact details but no license numbers; pick one or two you like, run the names through PALS before you book, and look for the license on the wall when you walk in.

Sources

• Pennsylvania Department of State, "Verify a Professional or Occupational License" (read November 7, 2026): that PALS shows a license number and status and any disciplinary action, including suspension, fines or other penalties.
• Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS), license verification search (read November 7, 2026): the Person, Facility and Disciplinary searches, the board and license-type menus, the search fields, the result columns, the record's labels, and the line that the data is updated daily.
• Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, board page and "Salon Licensure Procedure": what the Board regulates, the Act 100 of 2024 braiding notice, the inspectors' line, the help line and hours; and the salon licensure procedure's inspection-before-opening and new-owner rules (read November 7, 2026).
• Pennsylvania State Board of Barber Examiners, board page (read November 7, 2026): what the Board regulates and the help line.
• Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology, "Renewal Information" and State Board of Barber Examiners, "Renewal Information": the January 31 expiration in odd or even years, the five-year exam rule; and the barber board's April 30 even-year expiration (read November 7, 2026).
• Pennsylvania Department of State, licensure snapshots: cosmetologist and esthetician and nail technician and cosmetology teacher and barber and barber manager: what each license covers and that none requires continuing education (read November 7, 2026).
• 49 Pa. Code Chapter 7, State Board of Cosmetology regulations (effective through September 5, 2026) and § 7.41 and § 7.43 and § 7.62: the license types and what each allows (§§ 7.11, 7.14, 7.14a, 7.15), the display rule (§ 7.41), the unregistered-license rule (§ 7.43), the person in charge (§ 7.62), booth rental (§ 7.65), the sign (§ 7.78) (read November 7, 2026).
• 49 Pa. Code §§ 7.91 to 7.95 and § 7.71, salon sanitation and equipment and § 7.93 and § 7.94 and § 7.95 and § 7.71: tools sanitized after each use, towels and neck strips, spatulas and dropped articles, hand washing, sharp tools stored points down, the covered waste container, the first-aid kit and wet sanitizer (read November 7, 2026).
• 49 Pa. Code Chapter 3, State Board of Barber Examiners regulations (effective through September 5, 2026) and § 3.55 and § 3.51 and § 3.15: the license types (§ 3.11), the display rule (§ 3.13), the unregistered and inactive rules (§ 3.15), the shop permit and posting (§ 3.51), the equipment list (§ 3.54), and the cleanse, disinfect, rinse and store procedure with its definitions (§§ 3.55, 3.1) (read November 7, 2026).
• Pennsylvania General Assembly, Cosmetology Law (Act 86 of 1933, as amended through Act 100 of 2024) (read November 7, 2026): the limited licenses (Section 5), booth rental prohibited (Section 8.1), the braiding exemption (Section 17(b)), the display of licenses and the complaint-number notice (Sections 18 and 18.1).
• Pennsylvania General Assembly, Barbers' License Law (Act 202 of 1931, as amended) (read November 7, 2026): the license at the working chair (Section 7), the inspection before opening, the inspector's dated seal and the complaint-number notice (Section 10), the posted owner and manager names (Section 12).
• Pennsylvania Department of State, "File a Complaint Against a PA-Licensed Professional" (read November 7, 2026): the written complaint through PALS, the phone numbers for a mailed form, anonymity, the investigation, public discipline, and the note on restitution.
• Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (read November 7, 2026): periodic facility inspections and the Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation's regional offices; and Board Contacts, the toll-free number.
• 49 Pa. Code § 43b.5 and § 43b.4, schedules of civil penalties and § 43b.4: the fines for practicing without a license, a license not available on the premises, and unsanitary towels or supplies (read November 7, 2026).
• American Barber and Beauty Academy (Reading), "Barber Services" (read November 6, 2026): services by students under the supervision of licensed instructors; and Reading Barber Institute, "About Us" (read November 7, 2026), students under a barber instructor on the way to a license.
• Pennsylvania Department of Health, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Program FAQs (read November 7, 2026): that the Department does not regulate tattooing; and City of Reading, Code Chapter 540, the city's body-art permit.