# New York Cosmetology & Barber Licenses - NYS DOS Registry (`j0401/ny-appearance-barber`) Actor

New York State appearance-enhancement and barber licenses from NYS DOS (public open data): cosmetologists, barbers, nail specialists, estheticians, waxers and natural-hair stylists, plus the licensed shops and area renters. Verify a license or screen by type, name or expiry.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/j0401/ny-appearance-barber.md
- **Developed by:** [Wenhao Yang](https://apify.com/j0401) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.03 / 1,000 ny appearance/barber license records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## New York Cosmetology & Barber Licenses - NYS DOS Registry

Every appearance-enhancement and barber license issued by the New York State
Department of State, straight from the state's open data. **221,437 individual
licenses** for cosmetologists, barbers, nail specialists, estheticians, waxers
and natural-hair stylists, plus **32,522 licensed shops and area renters** -
verify a license, screen a licensee, or profile the industry.

### Low cost

**From $0.00005 per record, down to $0.00003 at Gold.** Pay only for the
records you actually receive - the whole register stays queryable, you are
never billed for the scan behind it.

### What you get

One row per license. Two registers, chosen with `corpus`:

- **`corpus="individual"`** (default) - **221,437** operator, apprentice and
  trainee licenses. Holder name, license type, effective term and expiration.
- **`corpus="business"`** - **32,522** shop and area-renter licenses. Holder
  name, business name, full address, city, state and ZIP, plus the license
  issue date and the related business UID.

Both carry the **license number**, **license type**, **effective term** and
**expiration date** with a common schema.

### Filter it

- **Type** - `licenseType="Barber - Operator"` (individual) or
  `licenseType="DOSAEBUSINESS"` (business).
- **Name** - `name="GOLDSMITH"` for a licensee (matches the business name too,
  on the business register).
- **One license** - `licenseNumber="BO-15-00043"`.
- **Place** - `city="Brooklyn"`, `zip="11206"`, `state="NY"` (business only).
- **Expiry** - `expiresFrom="2026-10-01", expiresTo="2026-12-31"` for the
  renewals coming due this quarter.

### Example inputs

**All licensed barbers** - the operator tier.

```json
{ "licenseType": "Barber - Operator", "maxResults": 100 }
```

**Licenses up for renewal this quarter** - a date window.

```json
{ "expiresFrom": "2026-10-01", "expiresTo": "2026-12-31", "maxResults": 200 }
```

**One license by number** - an exact lookup.

```json
{ "licenseNumber": "BO-15-00043" }
```

**Shops in Brooklyn** - the business register, by city.

```json
{ "corpus": "business", "city": "Brooklyn", "maxResults": 100 }
```

**How it breaks down** - `mode=aggregate` counts per license type.

```json
{ "mode": "aggregate", "groupBy": "licenseType" }
```

### Or roll it up

Set `mode=aggregate` and get a count by **licenseType** (either register) or
**businessState** (business register). Every group comes back - this mode is
not cut off by `maxResults`.

### Then use it

- **Verify a professional** - confirm a cosmetologist's or barber's license and
  its expiry before hiring or booking.
- **Screen a shop** - pull the licensed businesses in a city or ZIP, with the
  holder behind each one.
- **Renewal tracking** - list the licenses expiring in a window, for outreach
  or compliance monitoring.

### Example output

**One licensed area renter on the business register**:

```json
{
 "platform": "ny-appearance-barber",
 "source": "ny-appearance-barber-business",
 "corpus": "business",
 "mode": "rows",
 "groupKey": "",
 "groupCount": "",
 "groupBy": "",
 "licenseNumber": "AEAR-18-00828",
 "licenseType": "DOSAERENTER",
 "licenseTypeLabel": "Appearance Enhancement Area Renter",
 "holderName": "Brousseau Cheryl",
 "businessName": "Sassy Images II",
 "address1": "2 Booth Dr",
 "address2": "",
 "city": "Plattsburgh",
 "state": "NY",
 "zip": "12901",
 "licensedState": "NY",
 "issueDate": "2018-09-25",
 "effectiveTerm": "2030-09-25T00:00:00.000",
 "expirationDate": "2034-09-25T00:00:00.000",
 "relatedBusinessUid": "AEB-18-01407",
 "sourceUpdatedAt": "2026-10-07"
}
```

**`mode=aggregate`, `groupBy=licenseType`** (individual register) - one count
row per type:

```
Appearance Enhancement Operator - Cosmetology                118,465
Appearance Enhancement Operator - Nail Specialty              40,330
Appearance Enhancement Operator - Esthetics                    30,300
Barber - Operator                                              13,405
Appearance Enhancement Operator - Waxing                       10,784
Barber - Apprentice                                             2,681
Appearance Enhancement Operator - Cosmetology (Temporary)       2,039
...
```

### Notes on the data, from the source

- **Cosmetology dominates.** 'Appearance Enhancement Operator - Cosmetology' is
  118,465 of the 221,437 individual licenses (53.5%). The licensed-barber tier
  ('Barber - Operator') is 13,405.
- **Raw license numbers encode the tier** - `BO-` barber operator, `BA-` barber
  apprentice, `AENS-` nail specialty, `AEB-` appearance-enhancement business.
- **The business register keys on the shop, with the holder alongside.** Each
  row has both `businessName` and `holderName`, plus `relatedBusinessUid` linking
  an area renter back to the parent shop (e.g. `AEB-18-01407`).
- **`licenseType` differs by register.** The individual register uses readable
  labels; the business register uses four DOS codes. A type that belongs to one
  register is rejected on the other, so you never get a silent empty result.
  Codes are decoded into `licenseTypeLabel`.
- **Business `license_issue_date` is text in MM/DD/YYYY** - it is parsed to ISO
  (`issueDate`) on output; a value that will not parse comes back blank.
- **The business register is almost entirely New York** (32,397 of 32,522
  licences carry `state="NY"`).
- **The register refreshes daily**; `sourceUpdatedAt` carries the dataset's own
  refresh date.

# Actor input Schema

## `corpus` (type: `string`):

individual = licensed operators, apprentices and trainees (221k, default). business = licensed shops and area renters, with business name, address and city (32.5k).

## `name` (type: `string`):

Substring match on the holder name (and, on the business register, the business name too). e.g. 'GOLDSMITH'. Blank = any.

## `licenseType` (type: `string`):

The license type. The individual register uses readable labels ('Barber - Operator'); the business register uses four DOS codes. Matched exactly, so pick the values that belong to your corpus. Blank = any.

## `licenseNumber` (type: `string`):

Exact license number, e.g. 'BO-15-00043', 'AEB-26-01999'. Blank = any.

## `city` (type: `string`):

Substring match on the business city (business register only), e.g. 'Brooklyn', 'Buffalo', 'Rochester'. Blank = any.

## `zip` (type: `string`):

Exact business ZIP code (business register only), e.g. '11206'. Blank = any.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Exact business state (business register only), e.g. 'NY'. Blank = any.

## `expiresFrom` (type: `string`):

Earliest expiration date, YYYY-MM-DD. Blank = any.

## `expiresTo` (type: `string`):

Latest expiration date, YYYY-MM-DD. Blank = any.

## `mode` (type: `string`):

rows = license records matching your filters (default). aggregate = one count row per group (see groupBy).

## `groupBy` (type: `string`):

Which dimension to aggregate over (mode=aggregate). Blank = licenseType. businessState is business-register only - clear it when switching corpus. Every group is returned.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Cap the number of records pushed in rows mode (0 = default 50; up to 2,000 per run). Each record is metered individually, so there is no per-run charge cap. Aggregate mode returns every group.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "corpus": "individual",
  "name": "",
  "licenseType": "",
  "licenseNumber": "",
  "city": "",
  "zip": "",
  "state": "",
  "expiresFrom": "",
  "expiresTo": "",
  "mode": "rows",
  "groupBy": "",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `recordsUrl` (type: `string`):

New York State appearance-enhancement and barber license records - as JSON

## `datasetUrl` (type: `string`):

No description

## `runUrl` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("j0401/ny-appearance-barber").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("j0401/ny-appearance-barber").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call j0401/ny-appearance-barber --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,j0401/ny-appearance-barber"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/55zg7dnkUd895qYTv/builds/L3CadszQQGpQG4kJu/openapi.json