Can I work in another compact state on my cosmetology license?

Not yet, in any of them. Enacting the compact makes a state a member; it does not create a privilege to practice. The Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission is still in rulemaking on the rules a compact needs before it can operate — commission fees, data system reporting, and definitions — and publishes no route to apply for or verify a privilege. Until that changes, working in another state means getting that state’s license the ordinary way.

How is this different from the nursing or PT compacts?

Mostly by age. The Nurse Licensure Compact has been issuing multistate licenses for years and the PT Compact has 38 states actively issuing privileges. Cosmetology is at the stage those compacts passed through years ago: enough states have signed up to stand up a commission, and the commission is building the machinery. The pattern is the same everywhere — enactment first, operation later, often much later.

When will the Cosmetology Compact start issuing privileges?

No date has been announced. Judging by the compacts ahead of it, the gap between the first enactments and the first privileges runs to several years — the occupational therapy compact took until 2026 to open applications in its first eight states, and the counseling compact has nine live states out of thirty-nine members. Watch the commission’s rulemaking page rather than the member count.

CompactStates.com — https://www.compactstates.com · Always confirm license status with the issuing board of nursing.

Cosmetology compact states

13 states have enacted the Cosmetology Licensure Compact. None of them can issue you anything yet — and here is why.

Can I use a cosmetology compact privilege yet?

No — not in any of the 13 member states. Enacting the compact makes a state a member; it does not create a privilege to practice. The commission is still in rulemaking on the rules a compact needs before it can operate at all — commission fees, data system reporting, definitions — and publishes no route to apply for or verify a privilege. Until that changes, working in another state means getting that state’s license the ordinary way.

Cosmetology Compact Commission — rulemaking ↗Last reviewed 2026-09-22

The 13 states that have enacted it

Members by legislation. Alabama, Arizona and Kentucky were first in 2023; Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are the most recent, in 2026.

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Delaware
Kansas
Kentucky
Maryland
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia

Not a member (38)

Alaska
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Enactment first, operation later

This gap is the rule, not the exception. The occupational therapy compact has 37 members and 8 issuing; the counseling compact has 39 members and 9 live; the ASLP compact has 37 and 4. Only the nursing and physical therapy compacts are mature enough that most members actually work. See every compact compared by state.

Frequently asked questions

13 have enacted it: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia. Alabama, Arizona and Kentucky were first in 2023; Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia joined in 2026.