CROWN Act Becomes Law in Pennsylvania: New Protections Against Hair Discrimination

Quick Hits

• Governor Josh Shapiro signed the CROWN Act into law on November 25, 2025, making Pennsylvania the twenty-eighth state to prohibit race-based hair discrimination.
• The final version of the CROWN Act includes provisions to protect employers’ rights to maintain legitimate workplace safety standards.
• The law, effective January 24, 2026, broadens the definition of “race” under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include traits such as hair texture and protective hairstyles.

The milestone follows a previous setback, as an earlier version of the bill stalled in the Pennsylvania Senate at the end of 2024. The final version of the CROWN Act includes specific provisions to protect employers’ rights to maintain legitimate workplace safety standards.

Before the enactment of the CROWN Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission had already incorporated protections related to the act into its formal guidance. Governor Shapiro noted that in 2022, over 900 complaints of racial discrimination based on hair were filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The law goes into effect on January 24, 2026.

The CROWN Act broadens the definition of “race” under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include traits historically associated with an individual’s race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles. As a result, individuals are shielded from discrimination based on natural hairstyles or protective hairstyles commonly linked to their race. The law expressly safeguards a range of protective hairstyles, including locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, afros, and extensions.

Ogletree Deakins’ Philadelphia office will continue to monitor developments related to Philadelphia’s employment-related laws and will provide updates on the Pennsylvania blog as additional information becomes available.

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