1.1 The Board, Minnesota Law & Key Definitions (Including the 2026 Changes)

1. Why This Section Matters

The Minnesota State Laws and Rules exam is 35 questions (30 scored) in 60 minutes. Its first content area, General Information (15%), tests definitions, the Board's purpose and responsibilities, and scope of practice. Scope of practice gets its own section (1.2). This section covers the legal framework and the vocabulary the rest of the exam depends on. If you misread a single defined term, such as "clean" versus "disinfect", you can miss an infection-control question even when you know the procedure.

2. The Three Legal Sources

Rules carry the force of law. The statute authorizes them: "The board may develop and adopt rules according to chapter 14" (155A.26). When a rule and a later statute disagree, the statute controls. For example, rule 2105.0410 still describes special event permits, but the Legislature repealed the statutory authority for them in 2026.

3. The Board: Name, Purpose and Membership

Name. The statute created the Board of Cosmetologist Examiners. Laws 2026, chapter 119, article 4, section 37 directs the revisor to change that name to Board of Cosmetology throughout Minnesota Statutes. The Board already presents itself as the Minnesota Board of Cosmetology, and PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin uses that name. Rule text (for example, 2105.0010, subp. 3) will show the old name until the rules are amended, so recognize both names on the exam.

Policy (155A.21). The Legislature found that licensing cosmetology serves the health and safety of the public "because of infection control and the use of chemicals, implements, apparatus, and other appliances requiring special skills and education." The Board protects consumers. It does not act as a trade association for salon owners.

Prohibition (155A.22). It is unlawful to practice cosmetology, or to run a cosmetology school or salon, except as sections 155A.23 to 155A.36 allow.

Membership (155A.20, as amended August 1, 2026). Seven members are appointed by the governor:

• two cosmetologists (one recommended by a professional association of cosmetologists, nail technicians and estheticians);
• two school instructors, one teaching at a public cosmetology school and one at a private school;
• one advanced practice esthetician (before August 1, 2026 this seat was "one esthetician");
• one nail technician; and
• one public member, as defined in section 214.02.

Licensed members must hold a current Minnesota license in their field, have practiced at least five years immediately before appointment, and know 155A.21–155A.36 and Minnesota Rules chapters 2105 and 2110. The 2026 amendment removed the older requirement that members be high school graduates. Terms, compensation, removal and vacancies follow sections 214.07 to 214.09. Complaint processing and fee-setting follow chapter 214.

Powers. The Board has the powers needed to administer chapter 155A (155A.24). It may hire staff for testing, licensing, inspections and complaint investigations. It adopts rules (155A.26). It inspects salons and schools, directing resources first to licensees who fail to meet the law or present a greater risk (155A.31). It enforces through the actions in 155A.33, covered in section 1.8.

4. Statutory Definitions You Must Know (155A.23)

5. Rule Definitions Used Across the Exam (Minn. R. 2105.0010)

• Clean (subp. 4): free from soil, dirt and debris, and washed with soap and water or a cleaning agent, then rinsed.
• Disinfect (subp. 4b): use an antimicrobial pesticide that eliminates harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses on nonporous surfaces.
• Disinfectant (subp. 4c): an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide for hospital use that is a bactericide, virucide and fungicide.
• Sterilization (subp. 11l): destruction of all microbial life and spores by heat, steam or chemical sterilants.
• Porous material (subp. 11g): absorbs liquid or lets it penetrate. Porous items are single-use.
• Basic exfoliation (subp. 2b): removal of dead cells in the stratum corneum by manual or chemical means. Advanced exfoliation (subp. 1b) removes epidermal cells by manual, mechanical or chemical means and belongs to advanced practice.
• Basic extraction (subp. 2c): using gloved fingers, cotton swabs or comedone extractors. Advanced extraction (subp. 1c): using lancets or needles.
• Chemical peel (subp. 3a): chemical exfoliation with nonprescription solutions or products.
• Sharps and sharps container (subp. 11h, 11i): items that can cut or penetrate skin, and the closed, puncture-resistant, leak-proof, biohazard-labeled container used for them.
• Work area (subp. 14): a space where regulated services are provided. A separate work area exists when it is partitioned by walls at least six feet high with doorways less than five feet wide.
• Advertising (subp. 2): any written or graphic representation meant to attract enrollment or sales, including signs, business cards and online material.

6. The 2026 Amendments at a Glance

Laws 2026, chapter 119, article 4 was signed May 27, 2026. Unless a section states otherwise, it took effect August 1, 2026. The PSI outline in use (bulletin effective June 5, 2026) was written before that date, so an older item could reflect the prior wording. Know both versions.

Two changes start later: instructor and operator license renewal alignment (January 1, 2028) and credit of up to 500 hours for registered barbers entering cosmetology or hair technology (January 1, 2027).

Exam tip: When an answer choice says the Board exists "to promote the salon industry" or "to set prices," eliminate it. Every Board power traces back to public health and safety.