STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6231
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 7, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to licensing of
laser hair removal technicians
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 400 of the general business law is amended by
2 adding two new subdivisions 12 and 13 to read as follows:
3 12. The practice of "laser hair removal" means the use of a laser or
4 pulsed light device in a hair removal procedure that does not remove the
5 epidermis.
6 13. "Laser hair removal technician" means a person licensed by the
7 secretary who practices laser hair removal as defined in subdivision
8 twelve of this section.
9 § 2. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 401 of the general business law,
10 subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 80 of the laws of 2015 and subdivi-
11 sion 3 as amended by chapter 341 of the laws of 1998, are amended to
12 read as follows:
13 1. No person shall engage in the practice of nail specialty, waxing,
14 natural hair styling, esthetics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal,
15 as defined in section four hundred of this article, without having
16 received a license to engage in such practice in the manner prescribed
17 in this article. No person shall act as a trainee or perform any service
18 as such unless [he or she] such person has obtained a certificate of
19 registration pursuant to this article.
20 3. A person licensed by any other state or country to practice nail
21 specialty, waxing, natural hair styling, esthetics [or], cosmetology or
22 laser hair removal shall be allowed to practice in New York state for
23 three months or less within any calendar year for the purpose of giving
24 to, or receiving from, persons who are licensed under this article
25 training in current styles, techniques or materials, provided however,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00118-01-5
S. 6231 2
1 that no such unlicensed person may provide services to the public for
2 any fee, or other compensation, whether direct or indirect.
3 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 403 of the general business law, as
4 amended by chapter 339 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as
5 follows:
6 1. There shall be established within the department an advisory
7 committee which shall consist of [nine] ten members broadly represen-
8 tative of the appearance enhancement industry; including one person
9 engaged in the practice of either nail specialty or waxing; two persons
10 engaged in natural hair styling; one of whom shall be knowledgeable in
11 the practice of styling techniques which place tension on the hair
12 roots, and one of whom shall ensure strict adherence to quality services
13 for all clients of all hair types, including, but not limited to, curl
14 pattern, hair strand thickness, and volume of hair; one person engaged
15 in esthetics; one person engaged in laser hair removal; two persons
16 engaged in cosmetology; two persons engaged in training of persons for
17 such practices and one person licensed as a dermatologist. The secretary
18 shall appoint such persons to serve on the advisory committee, provided,
19 that two shall be appointed by the secretary on the recommendation of
20 the temporary president of the senate and two shall be appointed by the
21 secretary on the recommendation of the speaker of the assembly. Each
22 member of the committee shall be appointed for terms of two years. Any
23 member may be reappointed for additional terms. The secretary shall
24 designate from among the members of the committee a chairperson who
25 shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary.
26 § 4. Section 404 of the general business law, as amended by chapter
27 664 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
28 § 404. Rules and regulations. The secretary shall promulgate rules and
29 regulations which establish standards for practice and operation by
30 licensees and trainees under this article in order to ensure the health,
31 safety and welfare of the public including licensees and trainees when
32 they are working within such establishments. Such rules and regulations
33 shall include, but not be limited to, the sanitary conditions and proce-
34 dures required to be maintained, a minimum standard of training appro-
35 priate to the duties of nail specialists, trainees, waxers, natural hair
36 stylists, estheticians, [and] cosmetologists and laser hair removal
37 technicians and the provision of service by nail specialists, trainees,
38 waxers, natural hair stylists, estheticians [or], cosmetologists or
39 laser hair removal technicians at remote locations other than the
40 licensee's home provided that such practitioner holds an appearance
41 enhancement business license to operate at a fixed location or is
42 employed by the holder of an appearance enhancement business license.
43 Regulations setting forth the educational requirements for nail special-
44 ists and trainees shall include education in the area of causes of
45 infection and bacteriology. Regulations related to the practice and
46 operation of licensed laser hair removal technicians shall include the
47 standards set forth in section four hundred four-d of this article.
48 Regulations setting forth the educational requirements for cosmetolo-
49 gists or natural hair stylists shall include education regarding the
50 provision of services to individuals with all hair types and textures,
51 including, but not limited to, various curl or wave patterns, hair
52 strand thicknesses, and volumes of hair. In promulgating such rules and
53 regulations the secretary shall consult with the state education depart-
54 ment, the advisory committee established pursuant to this article, any
55 other state agencies and private industry representatives as may be
56 appropriate in determining minimum training requirements.
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1 § 5. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 404-d
2 to read as follows:
3 § 404-d. Laser hair removal rules and regulations. 1. The secretary
4 shall, in consultation with the appearance enhancement advisory commit-
5 tee provided for in section four hundred three of this article, promul-
6 gate rules and regulations which establish standards for the practice
7 and operation of licensed laser hair removal technicians in order to
8 ensure the health, safety and welfare of the public including licensees
9 and trainees when they are working in such establishments. Such rules
10 and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with section four
11 hundred four of this article and shall include, but not be limited to:
12 the identification of a state approved curriculum for licensees; the
13 implementation of a registration fee for laser hair removal establish-
14 ments; a minimum age requirement for laser hair removal technicians; the
15 minimum number of hours of training a trainee must receive from a state
16 approved curriculum; training requirements specifying the minimum number
17 of procedures, specific to each part of the body, to be performed on
18 volunteers; and continued certification by a nationally accredited
19 organization acceptable to the department.
20 2. The department may, at its discretion, waive training and curric-
21 ulum requirements for currently employed licensed estheticians perform-
22 ing laser hair removal provided that the licensed esthetician satisfac-
23 torily completes the competency examination approved by the department.
24 3. The secretary shall require establishments providing laser hair
25 removal to maintain a maintenance of a minimum of one million dollars in
26 liability insurance.
27 § 6. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 406 of the general busi-
28 ness law, as amended by chapter 341 of the laws of 1998, is amended to
29 read as follows:
30 a. Any person intending to practice nail specialty, waxing, natural
31 hair styling, esthetics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal as
32 defined in this article, or to own or operate an appearance enhancement
33 business, shall first make application to the secretary for a license
34 therefor.
35 § 7. Subdivision 2 of section 406 of the general business law, as
36 amended by chapter 341 of the laws of 1998 and paragraph c as amended by
37 section 3 of part D of chapter 328 of the laws of 2014, is amended to
38 read as follows:
39 2. a. Any person seventeen years of age or older may apply to the
40 secretary for a license to practice nail specialty, waxing, natural hair
41 styling, esthetics or cosmetology.
42 b. Each such application shall also be accompanied by satisfactory
43 evidence of having taken and passed the appropriate examination or exam-
44 inations offered by the secretary pursuant to this article for the
45 license sought and evidence of the successful completion of an approved
46 course of study in nail specialty, waxing, natural hair styling, esthet-
47 ics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal in a school duly licensed
48 pursuant to the education law. Each application for a license to prac-
49 tice laser hair removal shall be accompanied by satisfactory evidence of
50 having taken and passed the examinations offered by the secretary for a
51 license to practice esthetics or cosmetology and evidence of the
52 successful completion of an approved course of study in esthetics or
53 cosmetology in a school duly licensed pursuant to the education law.
54 c. Any applicant for a license to practice nail specialty, waxing,
55 natural hair styling, esthetics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal
56 may submit satisfactory evidence of licensure to practice an equivalent
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1 occupation issued by any other state, territory, protectorate or depend-
2 ency of the United States or any other country in lieu of the evidence
3 of schooling and examination required by this subdivision, provided that
4 such license was granted in compliance with standards which were, in the
5 judgment of the secretary, not lower than those of this state and
6 provided that such state, territory, protectorate, dependency, or coun-
7 try extends similar reciprocity to the licensees of this state, or the
8 applicant practiced an equivalent occupation in such state, territory,
9 protectorate, dependency or country for a minimum of five years, or the
10 applicant is a member of the household of a member of the armed forces
11 of the United States, national guard or reserves and was a member of
12 such household before such member relocated to the state.
13 d. Notwithstanding the educational requirements of this section and
14 the testing requirements of this section, an applicant who otherwise has
15 met the licensing requirements of this article for a nail specialist,
16 waxer, natural hair stylist, esthetician [or], cosmetologist or laser
17 hair removal technician who shall provide satisfactory evidence [he or
18 she] that such applicant has been actively and continuously engaged in
19 the practice of nail specialty, waxing, natural hair styling, esthetics
20 [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal for at least one year prior to
21 the effective date of this article, may be issued a license for nail
22 specialty, waxing, natural hair styling, esthetics [or], cosmetology or
23 laser hair removal pursuant to this article. Notwithstanding the educa-
24 tional and testing requirements of this section, a person licensed to
25 practice barbering under article twenty-eight of this chapter who other-
26 wise has met the licensing requirements of this article may be issued a
27 license to practice natural hairstyling. Other than applicants licensed
28 under article twenty-eight of this chapter, those persons who apply
29 after a twelve month period from the effective date of this article will
30 be required to provide evidence of training and to take the examination
31 or examinations as required for other licenses pursuant to this article.
32 e. Upon acceptance by the secretary of a proper application for an
33 operator's license to practice nail [speciality] specialty, waxing,
34 natural hair styling, esthetics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal,
35 the secretary may issue a temporary operator's license which shall
36 expire six months from issuance. Upon good cause shown, the secretary
37 may renew a temporary operator's license for one additional six-month
38 period upon filing the appropriate application and fee.
39 § 8. Subdivision 1 of section 407 of the general business law, as
40 amended by chapter 255 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as
41 follows:
42 1. The examinations for the license to practice natural hair styling,
43 esthetics, nail specialty [and], cosmetology and laser hair removal
44 shall be practical and written. The examinations for the license to
45 practice waxing shall be limited to a written examination only. The
46 secretary shall determine reasonable standards of performance for each
47 license and shall evaluate the prospective applicants and applicants on
48 the basis of such standards. The objectives of the examinations shall be
49 to insure that prospective applicants and applicants have sufficient
50 basic skills to safeguard the health and safety of the public and to
51 insure that prospective applicants and applicants have attained adequate
52 levels of skill to competently engage in the activities authorized by
53 the license.
54 § 9. Subdivision 1 of section 409 of the general business law, as
55 amended by section 2 of part Y of chapter 60 of the laws of 2011, is
56 amended to read as follows:
S. 6231 5
1 1. The non-refundable fee for an application for a license to engage
2 in the practice of nail specialty, waxing, natural hair styling, esthet-
3 ics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal, shall be forty dollars
4 initially and for each renewal thereof the fee shall be forty dollars;
5 the fee for a temporary license and each renewal shall be ten dollars.
6 § 10. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 410 of the general busi-
7 ness law, as amended by chapter 80 of the laws of 2015, is amended to
8 read as follows:
9 a. The secretary may issue an order directing the cessation of any
10 activity related to nail specialty, waxing, natural hair styling,
11 esthetics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal for which a license is
12 required by this article upon a determination that a person, partner-
13 ship, limited liability company or business corporation, engaging in the
14 business or occupation of, or holding [himself, herself or itself] a
15 person, partnership, limited liability company or business corporation
16 out as or acted, temporarily or otherwise, as a nail specialist, natural
17 hair stylist, esthetician [or], cosmetologist or laser hair removal
18 technician within this state without a valid license being in effect.
19 The secretary shall, before making such determination and order, afford
20 such person, partnership, limited liability company or business corpo-
21 ration an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel in reference
22 thereto in an adjudicatory proceeding held pursuant to section four
23 hundred eleven of this article as applicable.
24 § 11. Subdivision 1 of section 412 of the general business law, as
25 amended by chapter 80 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as
26 follows:
27 1. The practice of nail specialty, waxing, natural hair styling,
28 esthetics [or], cosmetology or laser hair removal without a license or
29 while under suspension or revocation, or in violation of an order
30 directing the cessation of unlicensed activity issued by the secretary
31 pursuant to section four hundred ten or four hundred eleven of this
32 article, is a violation and is subject to a civil penalty of up to five
33 hundred dollars for the first violation; one thousand dollars for a
34 second such violation; and two thousand five hundred dollars for a third
35 violation and any subsequent violation.
36 § 12. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
37 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
38 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
39 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
40 effective date.
