November 2026 · 10 min read
Tattoo consent rules by state.
What 18 states' rules ask for on a tattoo consent record: a copy of the client's ID, statements the client makes on the day, the tattooer's own signature, and how long to keep it, each with the rule it comes from. We read these rules in October 2026 to build coil's consent forms. This is a summary, not legal advice: rules change, and counties and cities add their own, so check with your health department or licensing board.
Everywhere
What nearly every state's rules have in common.
No rule we read requires the client to sign days ahead, and none sets a waiting period (one Wisconsin village, Hales Corners, has a local 24-hour wait). Signing everything early does clash with several states, though, because some of what the client signs only means something on the day.
Statements that belong to the day: not under the influence of alcohol or drugs (Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Utah and the Las Vegas area, among others); when they last ate (Georgia, Utah, Oklahoma and the Las Vegas area); no blood thinners in the last 24 hours (Kentucky, Utah, Delaware and the Las Vegas area); and whether they're pregnant (Kentucky for tattoos, Utah, Georgia).
Your own part: a growing list of states wants the tattooer's signature on the record too, and several expect you to see the client's ID in person at the time of tattooing (Texas and Virginia say it in those words). Some places also want the session's facts written down on the day: the date, the ink's brand, color and batch, and the needle lot.
Aftercare: some places want it given before the client signs (Philadelphia), others after (California, Georgia, Ohio, New York City, Nevada), and New Jersey has the client sign for it after the session. Showing it before and handing it over after covers all of them. And it's one signing per session: Missouri, Montana and New Jersey say "each procedure".
Tennessee
Tenn. Code Ann. 62-38-207.
The record holds the date of the visit, the client's printed name, signature, address and age, the design and where it goes, and the tattooer's name. Keep it two years, on the premises (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-23-03-.04). The client states they are not under the influence. No copy of an adult's ID is required.
The statute says the record is "entered in ink". Electronic records are likely covered by Tennessee's electronic records law, but that's worth confirming with your county health department.
Kentucky
902 KAR 45:065 (tattoo) and 45:070 (piercing).
Keep a copy of a government photo ID with the record. The client states they are not intoxicated, have taken no blood thinners in the last 24 hours, and, for a tattoo, are not pregnant (the piercing rule doesn't ask about pregnancy). Keep it two years. A minor needs a notarized statement from a parent.
Virginia
18VAC41-50-410.
The client's ID is presented at the time of tattooing and a copy kept. The record is the board's own disclosure form, signed by the client and by the tattooer with their licence number. Virginia expects that form's wording as the board wrote it.
Georgia
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-8-.08.
Keep a copy of the client's ID. The client states they are not under the influence, the body artist signs, and every signature is dated. Digital records are allowed. Georgia's rules also ask when the client last ate and about pregnancy, several Georgia counties approve their own forms, and the state bans tooth gems outright (511-3-8-.05).
Oregon
OAR 331-915-0085.
Keep a copy of the client's government photo ID. It may be stored electronically.
Oklahoma
OAC 310:233-3-6.1.
Keep a photocopy of the client's ID, record when the client last ate, and sign the record yourself.
Mississippi
MSDH Rules 11.5.6 and 11.5.10.
Attach a photocopy of the client's ID. The client states they are not under the influence, and the tattooist signs. Mississippi's rules also set the wording of the warnings on the form.
Delaware
11 Del. C. §1114 and 16 DE Admin. Code 4451.
Attach a copy of the client's ID to the card completed at the visit. The client is asked about blood thinners in the last 24 hours.
Iowa
481 IAC 492.9.
Keep a copy of the client's identification.
Nevada
NAC 444.00803.
Keep a copy of the client's photo ID on the release form. In the Las Vegas area, the Southern Nevada Health District approves the form and sets its questions: not intoxicated, when they last ate, blood thinners, and an aftercare line, with the tattooer's signature.
South Carolina
S.C. Code Regs. 61-111.
Keep a copy of the client's ID. The client signs a statement that they are not intoxicated, and both the client and the artist sign. The form also carries a set notice about blood donation.
Rhode Island
216-RICR-40-10-15.
Keep a copy of the client's ID. Rhode Island also wants each client entered in a pre-numbered book, which no app replaces: keep the book as well.
Florida
Fla. Admin. Code 64E-28.009.
The customer and the artist both sign the consent record.
Illinois
77 Ill. Adm. Code 797.600.
The record is signed and dated by both the client and the tattooer. Illinois sets some of the form's wording itself (797.700) and keeps records at least one year.
Missouri
20 CSR 2267-5.020.
The client's written consent is taken "immediately preceding each procedure", in person, and the practitioner signs that they reviewed it with the client. Missouri is the clearest example of why the signature belongs on the day.
Alabama
Ala. Admin. Code 420-3-23.
Signed and dated by both the client and the tattooer.
Maryland
COMAR 10.06.01.06.
Disclose the risks, take written consent, and keep it three years. Maryland's rule doesn't list day-of statements.
New York
Public Health Law 467.
Besides the consent form, New York wants a separate needle form: the needles are shown and opened in front of the client, then the client and the tattooist both sign, the client gets a copy, and it's kept seven years.
Every other state
Not written up here yet.
We've only listed states whose rules we read ourselves. In many states tattoo rules come from the county or city rather than the state: the Las Vegas area, Boston and several Georgia counties approve their own forms. Your county health department or state licensing board has the current form and the current rules.
How long to keep records ranges from one year (Illinois, Arkansas) to seven (New York's needle form). Keeping every record about three years after the client's last session covers nearly every rule we read.
Minors: where a state allows them at all, most want a parent in the room, and Kentucky wants a notarized statement. Those stay on paper.
The short version
Fill it in early. Sign it on the day.
Every rule we read fits one pattern. The client fills in their details, health questions and ID any time after booking. On the day, at the chair, they answer the questions that only mean something that day, sign and date it after you've gone over it in person, and you check their ID and sign the record yourself. Then they leave with aftercare.
What coil does about it
coil's consent forms work that way.
The client fills in details, health questions and a photo of their ID from their phone after booking, and signs on the session's day. You see the ID on the session page and sign the record from your phone. For the states above, the form adds that state's statements, going by the shop's address; New York's needle form, Rhode Island's book and Virginia's board form stay on paper. You can set up your own forms for each service, and every signed record downloads as a spreadsheet for an inspector.