Pennsylvania’s CROWN Act took effect on January 24, 2026, and it makes discrimination based on natural hair texture and protective hairstyles illegal across the Commonwealth. Governor Shapiro signed the law on November 25, 2025, amending the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act so that hair traits historically associated with race now fall inside the legal definition of race itself. That covers you at work, in housing, at school, and in businesses open to the public. If you experience this kind of discrimination, you have 180 days to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
Which Hairstyles Are Protected
The amendment names locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, afros, and extensions, and the list is not exhaustive. Any hairstyle tied to racial identity or heritage is covered on the same terms. In practice, an employer, landlord, school, or business that requires you to straighten your hair, cut your locs, or abandon a protective style is engaging in racial discrimination under Pennsylvania law.
Hair and head coverings worn for religious reasons sit under a separate protection. The law also amends the PHRA’s definition of religious creed, so a head wrap, turban, or other faith-based covering is protected as religious expression in its own right, not only as a matter of racial identity.
Where the Law Applies
The CROWN Act didn’t create a new category of protected conduct. It clarified that hair-based discrimination is racial discrimination inside the categories the PHRA already covered, which means the full PHRA enforcement machinery applies from day one.
- Employment. Private employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies cannot use grooming policies that penalize protected hairstyles in hiring, promotion, discipline, or termination.
- Housing. Landlords and property managers cannot deny housing, impose different terms, or harass tenants because of hair texture or protective styles.
- Education. Public and private schools cannot enforce dress codes or grooming rules that single out protected hairstyles, and cannot bar a student from class, extracurriculars, or graduation on that basis.
- Public accommodations. Restaurants, stores, and other businesses open to the public cannot refuse service or treat customers differently because of their hairstyle.
Every employer subject to the PHRA has to post a notice of these protections somewhere visible and well-lit where employees and applicants regularly see it.
The Health and Safety Exception
Grooming rules aren’t gone. An employer can still enforce a hair-related requirement when a genuine health or safety concern exists, but only if it meets all four of these conditions:
- Without the rule, it is reasonably certain that the health or safety of an employee or another directly connected person would be impaired.
- The rule was adopted for nondiscriminatory reasons.
- It applies equally to everyone and does not disproportionately burden people based on traits associated with race.
- It is specifically tailored to the position and activity involved.
The burden of proof sits on the employer. A blanket “no long hair” policy across an entire company will not survive scrutiny when only certain jobs actually involve machinery or contamination risks. The rule has to be drawn narrowly to the role where the danger exists.
The 180-Day Deadline to File
If hair discrimination happens to you in Pennsylvania, you have 180 days from the date of the discriminatory act to file with the PHRC. That deadline is firm, and missing it can cost you the right to pursue the claim through the commission at all.
For federal employment discrimination charges filed with the EEOC, the deadline is normally 180 days, but because Pennsylvania has its own anti-discrimination agency, it extends to 300 days when you file through the EEOC. Weekends and holidays count toward both deadlines, though if the final day lands on a weekend or holiday, you have until the next business day. The PHRC will automatically cross-file an employment complaint with the EEOC when your allegations are also covered under federal law, so you don’t have to file separately with both. File as soon as you can rather than calculating how close you can cut it.
How to File a Complaint
You can file by visiting any PHRC regional office during business hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), emailing the commission, or calling your regional office. A staff member will help you decide whether to file a formal complaint and can draft it in the proper legal format for your verified signature. Different intake forms cover employment, housing, education, and public accommodations, and staff will point you to the right one.
Before you make contact, gather:
- The full legal name and contact information of the person or organization that discriminated against you
- Exact dates when the discrimination occurred
- A clear factual description of what happened, including any specific policies the employer, school, or landlord cited
- Names and contact details of any witnesses
- Copies of written communications, policy documents, or disciplinary notices related to the incident
What Happens After You File
Your complaint gets a docket number, and the PHRC serves it on the respondent within 30 days. The respondent then has 60 days to file an answer and must provide you with a copy.
- Fact-finding conference. Held as early as possible. Both sides present their positions, and many cases settle here.
- Continued investigation. If the conference doesn’t resolve it, an investigator interviews you, the respondent, and witnesses, and reviews records. The PHRC has subpoena power over documents and testimony.
- Finding. The investigation ends in either no probable cause, which can lead to dismissal, or probable cause, which triggers conciliation.
- Conciliation. After a probable cause finding, the PHRC works to negotiate a settlement, asking the respondent to stop the discriminatory practice and provide compensation or corrective action.
- Public hearing. If conciliation fails, the PHRC can hold a formal hearing with testimony under oath. A PHRC attorney represents your complaint, though you can retain a private attorney as well. The resulting order is legally enforceable and can be appealed to Commonwealth Court.
You can also take the matter to a Court of Common Pleas if your complaint remains unresolved a year after filing or if the PHRC dismisses it.
What You Can Recover
When the PHRC finds discrimination, it can order the respondent to stop the practice and take corrective action. In employment cases, that includes hiring, reinstating, or promoting the affected employee, with or without back pay, plus reimbursement of travel expenses connected to the complaint, compensation for lost work time, and other verifiable out-of-pocket costs caused by the discrimination.
Housing cases carry broader damages. The PHRC can award actual damages, including compensation for humiliation and embarrassment, and can impose civil penalties:
- First offense: up to $10,000
- One prior violation within five years: up to $25,000
- Two or more prior violations within seven years: up to $50,000
If you pursue a federal claim through the EEOC instead of or alongside the PHRC, federal compensatory and punitive damage caps apply based on employer size, from $50,000 for employers with 15 to 100 employees up to $300,000 for employers with more than 500.
Federal Law Has Not Caught Up
There is no federal law that specifically prohibits hair discrimination. A federal CROWN Act has been reintroduced in the 119th Congress as both a Senate and House bill, but neither has been enacted. At the national level, protection depends on how courts read Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and federal courts have been inconsistent on whether hair texture and protective hairstyles are covered by Title VII’s existing race protections. The EEOC has taken the position that grooming policies can constitute racial bias and lists “Appearance and Grooming Standards” in its enforcement guidance.
Inside Pennsylvania, your protections are clear and enforceable through the PHRC. If you work for a multistate employer or travel for work, your coverage will depend on the state you’re in: twenty-eight states now have CROWN Act legislation, and the rest offer no explicit protection against hair-based discrimination.