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New York sanitary code states that barbers must:

§10.24 Sanitation of equipment and implements
(a) Hair brushes, combs and all other implements used on a customer shall be kept clean and sanitary at all times and shall undergo thorough cleansing after serving each customer.
(b) After handling a customer affected with an eruption, or whose skin is broken out, or is inflamed, or contains pus, the instruments shall be effectively cleaned, washed with soap or a detergent and water, then rinsed with water having a temperature of at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit or allowed to remain for five minutes in alcohol (70 percent–80 percent) or some other equally efficient disinfectant.

Thus, the code does not specifically required that shears be disinfected between customers (unless the barber notices that the customer has an infection of some nature), but that the shears must be thoroughly cleansed between customers so that they are clean and sanitary.

Obviously, disinfecting the shears between customers will always satisfy the code requirement. Thoroughly cleansing the shears between customers is the minimum requirement.

Here's a link to a NYS publication that includes all the regulations regarding barbers in the state for your convenience:

http://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/lawbooks/barber.pdf

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