South Carolina H 3484: Hair braiders and makeup artists

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3484 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3484

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 40-7-20, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING BARBERS AND BARBERING, SO 
AS TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF "HAIR BRAIDING"; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-7-390, RELATING 
TO PERSONS EXEMPT FROM REGULATION BY THE STATE BOARD OF BARBER EXAMINERS, SO AS 
TO EXEMPT PERSONS PROVIDING HAIR BRAIDING AND PERSONS PROVIDING MAKE-UP 
ARTISTRY; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-13-360, RELATING TO PERSONS EXEMPT FROM 
REGULATION BY THE STATE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY, SO AS TO EXEMPT PERSONS PROVIDING 
HAIR BRAIDING AND PERSONS PROVIDING MAKE-UP ARTISTRY; AND BY REPEALING SECTION 
40-7-255 RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF HAIR-BRAIDING PRACTITIONERS.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 40-7-20(2) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 (2) "Hair braiding" means the weaving or 
interweaving of natural human hair for compensation without cutting, coloring, 
permanent waving, relaxing, removing, or chemical treatment. Hair braiding also 
includes the use of hair extensions, except when used in 
public places including, but not limited to, beaches, parks, and sidewalks. Hair braiding is distinct from the practices of barbering as 
defined in item (1) and cosmetology as defined in Section 40-13-20.

SECTION 2. Section 40-7-390 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
40-7-390. These persons are exempt from this 
chapter while engaged in the proper discharge of their professional duties:

 (1) 
persons authorized under the laws of this State to practice medicine and 
surgery;

 (2) 
commissioned medical or surgical officers of the United States Army, Navy, or 
Marine hospital service;

 (3) 
registered nurses;

 (4) 
students in schools, colleges, and universities who practice barbering only 
upon students in the school, college, or university premises for the purpose of 
earning part of their school expenses;

 (5) 
undertakers;

 (6) 
persons authorized by state law to practice cosmetology only when they are 
practicing in salons or schools of cosmetology;

 (7) persons providing hair braiding but 
no other services requiring a license under this chapter or Chapter 13; and

 (8) persons providing make-up artistry 
but no other services requiring a license under this chapter or Chapter 13.

SECTION 3. Section 40-13-360 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
40-13-360. The following are exempt from this 
chapter while engaged in the proper discharge of their professional duties:

 (1) 
a manufacturer's representative or sales person who demonstrates a product or 
technique for a promotional purpose;

 (2) 
an educational activity conducted in connection with a monthly, annual, or 
other special program from which the general public is excluded, provided this 
exemption applies only to the specific days of the special program;

 (3) 
a demonstration conducted by a manufacturer or a wholesaler for the purpose of 
exhibiting the technical application and use of a product; 
and

 (4) 
an unlicensed person employed in a cosmetology salon whose duties are expressly 
confined to shampooing hair under the direct supervision of a cosmetologist;

 (5) a person providing hair braiding, 
as defined in Section 40-7-20, but no other services requiring a license under 
this chapter or Chapter 7; and

 (6) a person providing make-up 
artistry but no other services requiring a license under this chapter or 
Chapter 7.

SECTION 4. Section 
40-7-255 of the S.C. Code is repealed.

SECTION 5. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 06, 2024 at 12:06 PM