California tattoo license laws

To register in Los Angeles County you must submit a Body Art Practitioner Annual Registration Form along with the following: Valid government issued photo identification indicating practitioner is 18 years of age or older i. Drivers License or State Identification Card. Is it illegal to tattoo at home in California?

This means that anyone working in the establishment must have a license and can perform tattoos only in that particular licensed tattoo parlor. It is illegal for a licensed tattoo artist to perform tattoos in unlicensed locations, such at his or her home. Will I get paid to be an apprentice? Most tattoo apprenticeships are unpaid. Permanent make-up application is not overseen or licensed by the California Board of Cosmetology.

Before you can register to offer this service, you must provide proof of training. Each state, and even individual public health departments, maintain their own requirements for tattoo artists. For example, on the registration application in Santa Clara County, you must self-certify that you either have acquired adequate knowledge, experience and training to perform body art, or that you are under the supervision of a locally registered and permitted practitioner in a body art facility.

In contrast, in Orange County, you must provide evidence that you have at least six months of related experience in the tattoo industry. The act also requires you to provide the addresses of all facilities where you will perform body art and pay a registration fee to your local enforcement agency. Along with your completed application, you must present a government-issued photo ID to prove you are over the age of 18, a certificate of completion for the bloodborne pathogen training course and proof of either a vaccination against hepatitis B, hepatitis B immunity or compliance with the declination requirements.

Check with your county for any additional required documentation. For example, in Los Angeles County, you must also provide a 2-inch by 2-inch passport-style photo of yourself for your body art photo ID card. Your tattoo license must be renewed every year before the expiration date. Your county health department will send you a renewal notice a month or two before it expires. When you get this notice, start making plans to take your training and update your Hepatitis B vaccine, if necessary.

The bloodborne pathogens exposure control training must be taken every year before you can renew your license. You'll complete the same form to renew your license as when you originally applied. Submit the form to the health department with your renewal fee, and a new body art photo ID card will be mailed to you.

There's no need to take a photo for renewals, although you can if you want. If not, the photo you originally submitted will be used. To get your tattoo license in California, you must be over 18 and vaccinated against Hepatitis B. You also must complete a county-approved training course in bloodborne pathogens exposure control.

Sally Brooks is a writer living in New York City with her chunky toddler and patient husband. Reviewed by: Karen Lac, J. Sterilization, sanitation and safety standards for tattooing, permanent cosmetics and body piercing. Maintain the industry standards and pass the Department of Health annual inspection to keep your tattoo license legal and current.