7.4 Practice Conditions, Prohibited Devices & Place of Practice
Key Takeaways
- NAC 644A.705 to 644A.825 are the conditions and procedures for practice, and NAC 644A.515 makes a booth-renting nail technologist personally responsible for complying with all of them
- NAC 644A.790 prohibits invasive procedures including removing a callus with any instrument having a sharp edge, blade, or point, and abrading skin below the stratum corneum
- NAC 644A.805 bans credo blades and other skin-cutting equipment, MMA liquid monomers, fumigants, and formalin from the licensed areas of an establishment, with removal required immediately or within 48 hours
- NAC 644A.810 allows practice only in a currently licensed cosmetological establishment, with narrow exceptions for emergencies, resort-hotel service areas, and Board-approved donated services
- NAC 644A.820 allows practice in a private residence only if the work rooms are completely and permanently sealed off from living quarters with entrances only from the street
Practice Conditions, Prohibited Devices & Place of Practice
Quick Answer: NAC 644A.705 to 644A.825 is the block of regulations titled Cosmetological Establishments and Schools of Cosmetology: Conditions and Procedures for Practice. It governs waste, exhaust, restrooms, surfaces, linens, foot spas, disinfectants, cosmetics, handwashing, communicable disease, prohibited procedures, banned devices, and where you may legally work. If the law exam asks "may I do this in a Nevada salon," the answer usually lives here.
Why This Block Matters to You Personally
Two provisions make these rules yours, not just the owner's:
- NAC 644A.515(1): a nail technologist who leases space from an establishment operator shall comply with the applicable provisions of NAC 644A.705 to 644A.825. Booth renters cannot point at the salon owner.
- NAC 644A.515(2): an operator who leases space to a barber, a health-care provider, or anyone else must make that person aware of those same requirements.
Enforcement is graduated. NAC 644A.860(2) sets a $100 fine per violation of NAC 644A.705 to 644A.770, and NAC 644A.865 upgrades violations of NAC 644A.740, 644A.765, and 644A.775 to 644A.790 to gross malpractice.
Waste, Sharps, and Chemical Disposal (NAC 644A.705)
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Chemical waste | Deposited in a closed container and disposed of in a fire-retardant container at the close of business each day |
| Other waste | Deposited immediately in waste disposal containers, which must be covered at all times unless located near a reception desk, office, or restroom |
| Container upkeep | Waste disposal containers must be kept clean |
| Blood-contaminated disposables | Disposed of in a sealable plastic bag, or in a manner that protects the licensee, the client, and later handlers such as sanitation workers |
| Sharps | Disposable sharps that contact blood go in a sealable rigid container; regardless of blood exposure, disposable sharp objects including blades, needles, and lancets must be disposed of in labeled sharps containers |
The "regardless of exposure to blood" clause is the exam hook: a clean, unused blade still goes in a labeled sharps container.
Facility Conditions Nail Technicians Get Asked About
- NAC 644A.710 — Exhaust systems. Each establishment, school, and each room or residence used as an establishment must have a mechanical system for exhaust acceptable to the Board, compliant with building codes, local ordinances, fire codes, the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
- NAC 644A.715 — Restrooms. Fully operable toilets accessible to clients and employees, each with a sink with hot and cold running water at all times and a mechanical exhaust system. Outside restrooms must be in plain view or clearly marked and within 100 feet of the entrance, under the same roof. Restroom floor covering must be non-porous and non-absorbent.
- NAC 644A.755(6) — Supplies used for service to clients must not be stored in any restroom. Neither may soiled towels and linens (NAC 644A.730(3)).
- NAC 644A.750 — Wax pots. Kept covered, exterior cleaned daily; contaminated wax discarded and the pot disinfected; disposable spatulas and wooden sticks dipped only once, then discarded without using the other end; any surface touched by a used wax stick disinfected immediately. This matters even to nail-only technicians who share a salon floor.
Prohibited Invasive Procedures (NAC 644A.790)
A licensee shall not perform any invasive procedure, including without limitation:
- (a) The application of electricity for any purpose other than beautifying the skin.
- (b) The application of a topical lotion, cream, or other substance not intended for use by a practitioner of a branch of cosmetology for beautifying the skin, or which affects anything below the stratum corneum.
- (c) The penetration of the skin by needles.
- (d) The abrasion of the skin below the stratum corneum.
- (e) The removal of a callus using an instrument, tool or other device that has a sharp edge, blade or point.
- (f) The injection or administration of any substance, including a controlled substance.
Paragraph (e) is the nail technologist's rule. It is why the correct callus tool in Nevada is a foot file or pumice, and why any exam answer involving a blade is wrong. The narrow exceptions in NAC 644A.790(2) and (3) — electrolysis needles used by a licensed electrologist, and microneedling by a licensed advanced esthetician within stated limits — never apply to a nail technologist.
NAC 644A.785 draws the companion line for skin removal: a cosmetologist or esthetician may remove skin at or above the stratum corneum for beautification only, using products or implements intended for that purpose, and shall not use any technique or practice for the removal of skin below the stratum corneum.
Prohibited Devices and Products (NAC 644A.805, NAC 644A.800)
Except in a designated retail sales area for products sold to the public, a licensed establishment shall not have within its licensed areas:
- (a) Skin cutting equipment, including razor-type callus shavers, credo blades or graters, and other implements used to remove skin — including corns or calluses — by cutting below the skin surface.
- (b) Methyl methacrylate (MMA) liquid monomers, and fumigants, formalin tablets or formalin liquids.
- (c) Any device that lets a licensee perform a service outside the scope of services of a person licensed, certified, or registered under NAC or NRS Chapter 644A.
If an inspector finds one, it must be removed immediately if it is not permanently mounted and fits in the licensee's vehicle, or within 48 hours if it must be uninstalled or is too large.
Separately, NAC 644A.800 prohibits an establishment from having on its premises any cosmetic product containing a hazardous substance banned by the FDA for use in cosmetic products, or from using a cosmetic product in a manner the FDA has not approved.
Where You May Work (NAC 644A.810 to 644A.825)
NAC 644A.810(1): a person licensed to practice cosmetology may practice only in a currently licensed cosmetological establishment, except as provided in that section and in NAC 644A.812 and 644A.815.
| Exception | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Emergency practice (NAC 644A.810(2)–(3)) | Permitted only if the licensee notifies and receives approval from the Board before practicing, giving the name of the person to receive the service, the type of service, the address or location, the date and time, and the licensee's name, license type, and license number. The licensee must hold an active license in good standing and regularly operate in or be employed by an establishment, and must record the appointment in the establishment's appointment book as an out-call service |
| Resort hotel (NAC 644A.812) | A licensee employed by an establishment located within a resort hotel may provide specified services in hotel areas the resort authorizes; the establishment must maintain and produce to the Board a record of each employee, each date, and which services were provided |
| Donated services (NAC 644A.815) | A licensed nail technologist may work outside an establishment if the services are donated to a charitable organization and the Board has given prior written approval; every possible effort must be made to maintain proper sanitation |
| Private residence (NAC 644A.820) | Permitted only where the practice rooms are completely separate from living quarters and completely and permanently sealed off, so the only entrances and exits are from the street; the room must meet all establishment requirements in NAC 644A.705 to 644A.825, and must have a ceiling not less than 8 feet and be equipped to give proper service |
| Mobile establishment (NAC 644A.530 to 644A.580) | A self-contained, self-supporting, enclosed mobile unit that must be separately licensed, pass an inspection, comply with general standards, and file a monthly itinerary with the Board |
The pattern is consistent: Nevada does not forbid working outside a salon, but every route out requires advance Board involvement. A house call arranged directly with a client, with no prior Board approval, is unlicensed practice.
Working While Contagious (NAC 644A.775, NAC 644A.780)
Section 2.7 covers this in operational detail; on the law exam remember the two directions. NAC 644A.775 bars a person afflicted with an infectious or communicable disease that may be transmitted during the practice of cosmetology, or with an infestation of animal parasites, from working or training in an establishment or school. NAC 644A.780 bars a licensee from performing any service on skin that is inflamed, infected, broken, or otherwise compromised, or on a client whose skin shows secretion of any bodily fluids.
A Nevada nail technologist wants to perform a manicure at a client's home as a one-time favor. Under NAC 644A.810, what is required?
A Board inspector finds a razor-type callus shaver in the pedicure station drawer of a licensed Nevada salon. What does NAC 644A.805 require?