Oregon Laws, Rules and Salon Business Practices
The legal frame
Oregon cosmetology is governed by ORS 690 and the administrative rules in OAR chapter 817, administered by the Oregon Health Licensing Office with the Board of Cosmetology. Know the difference: statutes are the law, rules are the operating detail. Both change, so verify current hour counts, fees, renewal dates, and record-retention periods in the current rule text rather than trusting a memorized number from a study sheet.
Licensure and scope
Practice only within your license. A nail technician performs nail care - not diagnosis or treatment of disease, and not cutting living tissue. Keep the license current, follow display requirements, and work only in a licensed facility or under off-site arrangements the Office specifically allows. Do not assume a private home or a client's kitchen is permissible.
Records and client care
Record the service performed, products used, and any reaction or referral. Obtain consent for minors as the rule requires, and document refusals of service.
Business practices
Know your business structure and whether you are an employee, booth renter, or independent contractor - taxes and insurance differ for each. Carry professional liability insurance, put prices, deposits, and cancellation terms in writing, keep product and service revenue records, and understand that salon policy is not law: a salon may be stricter than the rule, never looser.
Traps
Quoting a renewal date or hour requirement from an outdated rulebook; treating a house rule as legal authority; advertising a service outside your license; assuming independent-contractor status by label alone.
Rule of thumb
When a question asks what is legal, reason from public protection, sanitation, and scope of practice - then confirm any specific number in the current OAR chapter 817.