2023 North Carolina General Statutes › Chapter 86B - Barber and Electrolysis Practice Act › Article 2 - Barbers. › § 86B-31 - Sanitary rules and regulations; inspections.

§ 86B-31. Sanitary rules and regulations; inspections.
(a) Each barber and each owner or manager of a barbershop, mobile barbershop, barber school or college, or any other place where barber service is rendered, shall comply with the following sanitary rules and regulations:
(1) Proper quarters. –
a. Every barbershop, or other place where barber service is rendered, shall be located in buildings, mobile units, or rooms of such construction that they may be easily cleaned, well lighted, well ventilated and kept in an orderly and sanitary condition.
b. Each area where barber service is rendered or where a combination of barber service and cosmetology service is rendered shall be separated by a substantial partition or wall from areas used for purposes other than barber services, cosmetology services, or shoe shining services.
c. Walls, floor and fixtures where barber service is rendered are to be kept sanitary.
d. Running water, hot and cold, shall be provided, and sinks shall be located at a convenient place in each barbershop so that barbers may wash their hands after each haircut. Tanks and lavatories shall be of such construction that they may be easily cleaned. The Board shall adopt rules regarding the disposal of wastewater in a barbershop or mobile barbershop.
e. Every barbershop or other place where barber service is rendered, and every building or structure used as a part of a barber school, shall comply with applicable building and fire codes and regulations.
f. If a mobile barbershop, all applicable requirements in accordance with G.S. 86B-30.
(2) Equipment and instruments. –
a. Each person serving as a barber shall, immediately before using razors, tweezers, combs, contact cup or pad, sterilize the instruments by immersing them in a product or solution that the Board may approve. Every owner or manager of a barbershop shall supply a separate container for the use of each barber, adequate to provide for a sufficient supply of the above solutions.
b. Each barber shall maintain combs and hair brushes in a clean and sanitary condition at all times and shall thoroughly clean mug and lather brush before each separate use.
c. The headrest of every barber chair shall be protected with clean paper or a clean laundered towel. Each barber chair shall be covered with a smooth nonporous surface, such as vinyl or leather, that is cleaned easily.
d. Every person serving as a barber shall use a clean towel for each patron. All clean towels shall be placed in closed cabinets until used. Receptacles composed of material that can be washed and cleansed shall be provided to receive used towels, and all used towels must be placed in receptacles until laundered. Towels shall not be placed in a sterilizer or tank or rinsed in the barbershop. All wet and used towels shall be removed from the workstand or lavatory after serving each patron.
e. Whenever a hair cloth is used in cutting the hair, shampooing, etc., a newly laundered towel or paper neckstrap shall be placed around the patron's neck so as to prevent the hair cloth from touching the skin. Hair cloths shall be replaced when soiled.
(3) Barbers. –
a. Every person serving as a barber shall thoroughly cleanse his or her hands immediately before serving each patron.
b. Each person working as a barber shall be clean both as to person and dress.
c. No barber shall serve any person who has an infectious or communicable disease, and no barber shall undertake to treat any patron's infectious or contagious disease.
(4) Any person, other than a licensed barber, shall before undertaking to give shampoos in a barbershop furnish the Board with a health certificate on a form provided by the Board.
(5) The owner or manager of a barbershop, mobile barbershop, or any other place where barber service is rendered shall post a copy of these rules and regulations in a conspicuous place in the shop or other place where the services are rendered.
(b) All barbershops, mobile barbershops, barber schools and colleges, and any other place where barber service is rendered, shall be open for inspection at all times during business hours to any members of the Board or its agents or assistants. Initial inspections conducted by the Board pursuant to this Chapter shall not be delayed if the sole reason for delay is the lack of a certificate of occupancy by a unit of local government. A copy of the sanitary rules and regulations set out in this section shall be furnished by the Board to the owner or manager of each barbershop, mobile barbershop, or barber school, or any other place where barber service is rendered in the State, and that copy shall be posted in a conspicuous place in each barbershop, mobile barbershop, or barber school. The Board shall have the right to make additional rules and regulations governing barbers and barbershops, mobile barbershops, and barber schools for the proper administration and enforcement of this section, but no such additional rules or regulations shall be in effect until those rules and regulations have been furnished to each barbershop within the State.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a licensed barber may practice barbering in a client's home out of medical necessity without meeting the requirements of subsection (b) of this section. The Board shall adopt rules to allow this exception. (1929, c. 119, s. 16; 1931, c. 32; 1933, c. 95, s. 2; 1941, c. 375, s. 7; 1961, c. 577, s. 3; 1979, c. 695, s. 1; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 605, s. 7; 2009-471, s. 1; 2014-115, s. 39.7; recodified from N.C. Gen. Stat. 86A-15 by 2022-72, s. 1(v); 2022-72, s. 2.)