Tattoo regulations in California
California's Safe Body Art Act requires every practitioner to register each year with the county, complete yearly bloodborne pathogens training, and work in a facility with a health permit. Sterilizers need a spore test at least monthly, with cycle and spore test logs kept for three years. Client records and consent are kept on file; counties advise three years.
Last checked September 25, 2026
Minimum age
Who you can tattoo, and with whose permission.
Minimum age
18 and over
Younger clients
Parental consent is not an exception
California law makes it a misdemeanor to tattoo anyone under 18, and parental consent is not an exception. Check government-issued photo ID for every client.
Consent
What the customer signs before each tattoo.
Client records
What to record and how long to keep it.
Keep for 3 years
From official guidance
What to record
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Phone number
- Type of ID checked
- Date of the procedure
- Placement on the body
- Description of the tattoo
- Artist
- Health questionnaire answers
- Client signature
Ink
What can go into the skin and what you must record.
Sterilization and waste
Cleaning, sterilizing and getting rid of sharps.
Licensing
What you need to open a studio and work in it.
Guest artists
Hosting artists from somewhere else.
Guest artists must register with the county where they will tattoo, and conventions need a temporary event permit. Registration in one county does not cover another.