PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania has streamlined the process by which business owners renew or obtain occupational licenses. Gov. Josh Shapiro touted the effort at a West Philly barbershop Thursday morning, praising the program for making businesses and the state as a whole more competitive.
Earlier this week, Shapiro signed an executive order creating the Pennsylvania Permit Fast Track Program, which slashes wait times, cuts red tape, and institutes a money-back guarantee to ensure certainty and accountability for businesses, workers and students.
Darryl Thomas, owner of Philly Cuts, said he was having a hard time renewing his license, but after the changes were made, it was a snap.
“I renewed it, paid my fee. I did that around 1:30 in the afternoon and about 6:30, I got notification,” he said. “As an entrepreneur, it’s one less hurdle that you have to worry about.”
In 2023, the commonwealth tanked at the bottom of the state occupational licensing index. Now, Shapiro said Pennsylvania is ranked as one of the least burdensome states in the country to obtain an occupational license.
“We’re now in the top seven,” Shapiro said. “I take real pride in that. We turned that around in less than two years.”
Wait times for cosmetology application processing used to average 15 days, and barbershop applications 12 days. Now, workers can get same-day approval. Shapiro said it’s important for people to be able to work.
“We want to create more opportunities for people,” he added, “and one of the ways you do that is to break down all the silos that exist in government. You cut through the red tape and you get people to work more quickly.”