Cosmetologists
The Cosmetology Licensure Compact
Member states have enacted it. No state has issued a multistate cosmetology license to anyone, anywhere. Those two facts are both true right now, and the gap between them is the entire story.
What Has Actually Happened
An interstate compact lets a licensee in one member state work in another without a second license. Nursing has run one for years. Cosmetology's version has been passing through state legislatures since 2023, and the map of member states has been growing steadily.
A compact statute does nothing on its own. It authorizes a commission to exist. The commission then has to be seated, adopt rules, agree on fees, and stand up a data system that lets member boards see each other's discipline records in real time. Until all of that is running, the statute is a promise rather than a mechanism.
Several member states carry a codified adoption date years in the future, and some enacted the statute with no effective date at all. A state can be correctly listed as a member and be years away from issuing anything.
Where Each State Stands
Read from each state's own statute or legislative record rather than from a member map. 13 of the 51 jurisdictions we have read have enacted it in some form.
| State | Status | Citation Or Bill | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Statute in force | Ala. Code 34-7B-62 | June 2024 |
| Alaska | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Arizona | Statute in force | A.R.S. 32-581 | July 2024 |
| Arkansas | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| California | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Colorado | Statute in force | C.R.S. 12-105-125.5 and 24-60-4901 | August 2024 |
| Connecticut | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Delaware | Statute in force | 24 Del. C. 5140 to 5155 | June 2026 |
| District of Columbia | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Florida | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Georgia | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Hawaii | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Idaho | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Illinois | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Indiana | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Iowa | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Kansas | Statute in force | K.S.A. 65-1959 | July 2025 |
| Kentucky | Statute in force | KRS 317A.105 | June 2023 |
| Louisiana | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Maine | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Maryland | Statute in force | Bus. Occ. & Prof. 5-6A-01 | October 2024 |
| Massachusetts | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Michigan | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Minnesota | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Mississippi | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Missouri | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Montana | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Nebraska | Bill introduced | No compact statute exists. LB561 was indefinitely postponed April 18, 2024 and LB82 was indefinitely postponed April 17, 2026. | Not set |
| Nevada | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| New Hampshire | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| New Jersey | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| New Mexico | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| New York | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| North Carolina | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| North Dakota | No bill introduced | No compact statute and no bill. North Dakota codifies each compact as its own chapter of Title 43, and there is no cosmetology one alongside the nursing, medical, physical therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, dietitian and counseling compacts. | Not set |
| Ohio | Statute in force | ORC 4713.33 | October 2024 |
| Oklahoma | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Oregon | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Pennsylvania | Enacted | Act 43 of 2026 | July 2026 |
| Rhode Island | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| South Carolina | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| South Dakota | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Tennessee | Statute in force | T.C.A. 62-4-201 to 62-4-217 | July 2024 |
| Texas | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Utah | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Vermont | Bill introduced | H.539 (2026) | Not set |
| Virginia | Statute in force | Va. Code 54.1-700.1 | July 2024 |
| Washington | Enacted, adoption deferred | RCW 18.16.400 and 18.16.410 | June 2028 |
| West Virginia | Statute in force | W. Va. Code 30-27A-1 to 30-27A-15 | June 2026 |
| Wisconsin | Bill introduced | None | Not set |
| Wyoming | No bill introduced | None | Not set |
Joining a Compact Can Take Something Away
This is the finding worth carrying away, because it runs opposite to how the compact is usually described. Eight of the states we have read carry a clause that switches something off for licensees covered by an interstate compact.
- Tennessee's military recognition act does not apply to a license subject to a compact the state belongs to.
- Alabama switches off its own criminal history protections where a compact imposes the requirement.
- Arizona and Mississippi both bar a licensee who came in through universal recognition from compact eligibility.
- Nebraska's recognition statute applies "except as otherwise provided in ... an occupational licensing compact," written into a 2024 law.
At least four of those were drafted before the state joined anything, and several are not compact members at all. So this is a drafting convention moving through occupational licensing generally rather than a reaction to cosmetology specifically. It matters because these states' general recognition routes are usually stronger than their cosmetology ones, which means the clause tends to remove the better door.
What to Do Instead
There is a working route in every state today, and in most of them it is quicker than people expect. The thing to establish is which provision governs an arriving licensee in the state you are moving to, because it is frequently not the one the state advertises and frequently carries no training hour requirement at all.
Common Questions
Can I use the Cosmetology Licensure Compact to work in another state right now?
No. No state has issued a multistate cosmetology license to anyone, anywhere. Member states have passed the statute, and passing it is not the same as operating it. The compact needs a governing commission, adopted rules and a working data system before a single license can be issued, and that machinery is not running.
What does it mean when a state is listed as a compact member?
It means the legislature enacted the compact statute. It does not mean the state issues or accepts a multistate license today. Several member states carry a codified effective date in the future, and others enacted with no date at all. Treat a member list as a list of intentions rather than a list of open doors.
Will joining the compact make it easier to move my license?
Eventually it should, for licensees whose home state and destination are both members and both operating. But it is worth reading what a state gave up to join. Several states have written clauses switching off an existing recognition route for professions covered by a compact, and in those states the compact would replace a door that is currently open and better.
Should I wait for the compact instead of applying now?
Nothing published anywhere sets a date when a multistate license becomes available. Meanwhile most states already have a transfer route that works today, and in 33 of the 51 jurisdictions we have read it carries no training hour requirement. Apply through the route that exists.
Compact status was read from each state’s statute or legislative record for 51 jurisdictions, rather than from a published member map. Each state page carries its own citation and verification date.