8.1 Nail Technology Salon Standards
Key Takeaways
49 Pa. Code § 7.71b sets the minimum equipment for one nail technician, including a labeled first aid kit with a blood spill kit, twelve sanitary towels for each work station, a sink with hot and cold running water in the work area, and one Class A, B, and C fire extinguisher.
In a nail technology salon, the designated person in charge may be a licensed cosmetologist or a licensed nail technician, and the owner or that person must be readily available in person to Bureau inspectors during regular business hours.
49 Pa. Code § 7.65 prohibits booth rental inside a salon, and Cosmetology Law Section 8.1 makes an owner's rental of booth space to a license holder unlawful.
Section 7.76(a) still prints 180 square feet for one licensee, while Section 9.4 and the January 7, 2023 Board sheet use 120 square feet for a cosmetology salon, plus 60 square feet for each additional licensee.
A nail technology salon has a fixed equipment list, a person who can meet an inspector, and a ban on rented booths.
Equipment for one nail technician
Minimum equipment for one nail technician is 49 Pa. Code § 7.71b(a), and the table keeps the two chair lines separate. The first aid kit must be labeled, and it fails if the blood spill kit, eyewash, or sterile gauze is missing. Twelve sanitary towels are required for each work station. The sink must supply hot and cold running water and be readily accessible to each work station in the work area.
For each additional nail technician, equipment and supplies shall be increased so each nail technician can render services safely and efficiently.
| Item | What § 7.71b requires for one nail technician |
|---|---|
| Chairs and manicure table | One chair for manicure and pedicure, plus one manicure table with a light, a chair, and a stool |
| Pedicure equipment | One pedicure basin and stand |
| First aid kit | One labeled kit containing antiseptic, cotton balls, protective plastic or latex gloves, a blood spill kit, a hazardous waste bag, eyewash, burn ointment, plastic or latex bandage strips of varying sizes and shapes, and sterile gauze pads |
| Waste and linen | One covered waste container, a closed storage area for soiled linen, one closed towel cabinet for clean linen, and twelve sanitary towels for each work station |
| Sanitation and reception | One wet sanitizer, a closed container for sanitized implements, and a reception desk |
| Water and fire | One sink with hot and cold running water readily accessible to each work station in the work area, and one multipurpose fire extinguisher suitable for Class A, B, and C fires |
The person in charge
Under § 7.62, the salon is managed by the owner or, in the owner's absence, by a designated person in charge. In a nail technology salon, that person may be a licensed cosmetologist or a licensed nail technician. An unlicensed receptionist cannot serve in that role. The owner and the designated person in charge are both responsible for posting the name of the owner or designated person in charge in a conspicuous place. The regulation ties that posting to section 4.4(b) of the act (63 P.S. § 510.4(b)). Section 4.4 also requires the owner or designated person in charge to be readily available during regular business hours to Bureau inspectors. Section 7.62(d) states the duty as readily available in person.
Where the work may be done, and booth rental
Section 8(a)(2) makes it unlawful to practice nail technology for pay except in a licensed cosmetology salon or a salon limited to esthetics or nail technology. A limited-license holder may give treatments in a residence by appointment.
Booth rental is a separate ban. Section 7.65 prohibits rental of booth space within a salon. Section 8.1, amended October 16, 2024, makes it unlawful for an owner of a cosmetology salon, or of a salon limited to esthetics or nail technology, to rent booth space to any license holder under the act. Section 7.50 applies § 7.65 to nail technology salons unless the context indicates otherwise.
The 180-square-foot regulation and the 120-square-foot statute
Floor space in § 7.76(a) is still a minimum of 180 square feet for a salon operated by one licensee, with a minimum width of 10 feet, plus at least 60 square feet for each additional licensee. On request, the Board may grant a variance it believes is reasonable. Subsection (b) covers only salons opened before September 15, 1976, that have operated with one cosmetologist. It suggests 10 feet by 12 feet, or 120 square feet, with 60 square feet for each additional operator, and a variance after the Board examines the layout. That suggestion does not change subsection (a).
Act 164 of 2022, approved November 3, 2022, added Section 9.4 and took effect in 60 days. A licensed cosmetology salon operated by one licensed cosmetologist must have at least 120 square feet and a width of at least 10 feet, plus at least 60 square feet for each additional licensee. The Board may grant a variance it believes is reasonable. The Board sheet effective January 7, 2023 states those same cosmetology-salon figures. Its table lists 120, 180, and 240 square feet for one, two, and three licensees. Prefer Section 9.4 and that sheet for a cosmetology salon. Section 7.76 has not been rewritten to 120.
Section 7.50 applies §§ 7.75 through 7.78, including § 7.76, to nail technology salons unless the context indicates otherwise. No separate square-footage number is published for nail technology salons alone. A line on the 2023 sheet still subtracts 180, divides by 60, adds 1, and rounds down. That arithmetic fits the older 180-square-foot start. The sheet's table gives 240 square feet to three licensees. Use the opening sentence and the table.
Sleeping in the salon
Section 14 makes it unlawful for the owner of any salon or school of cosmetology to permit any person to sleep in, or use for residential purposes, any room used wholly or in part as a salon or school of cosmetology.
Scenario: a rented Saturday chair
Andre, a licensed nail technician, posts his name as the designated person in charge and is present during business hours. He refuses a licensed friend's offer to rent the second chair on Saturdays. The room is 12 feet wide and 150 square feet. Section 7.76(a) still requires 180 square feet for one licensee. Section 9.4 and the January 7, 2023 sheet require 120 square feet and a 10-foot width for one licensee in a cosmetology salon. He does not use 150 square feet as a nail-salon figure of his own. Employing a second technician means more equipment so each person can work safely and efficiently, plus at least 60 more square feet under both rules.
Under 49 Pa. Code § 7.71b, how many sanitary towels must a nail technology salon keep for each work station?
One sanitary towel for each client served that day
Twenty-four sanitary towels
Twelve sanitary towels
Six sanitary towels
Who may be the designated person in charge of a nail technology salon under 49 Pa. Code § 7.62?
A licensed cosmetologist or a licensed nail technician
Only a licensed esthetician
Only the owner, and only when the owner is a licensed cosmetologist
Any employee the owner names, including an unlicensed receptionist
Which statement keeps the printed floor-space rules distinct?
Section 9.4 requires 180 square feet and § 7.76 requires 120 square feet for one licensee
Both § 7.76 and Section 9.4 now say 120 square feet, because the rule was rewritten
Nail technology salons use an unpublished minimum of 90 square feet per licensee
§ 7.76(a) still prints 180 square feet; Section 9.4 and the 2023 sheet use 120
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