In the United States, there is no federal law regulating the practice of tattooing. However, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have legal laws that require a person who receives a tattoo to be at least 18 years old. This is partly due to the legal principle that a minor cannot enter into a legal contract or give informed consent to proceedings. Most states allow a person under the age of 18 to get tattooed with the permission of a parent or guardian, but some states prohibit tattooing before a certain age, regardless of permission, except for medical reasons (such as marks for radiation therapy). Some states require consent forms to be notarized to ensure that guardians are the ones actually filling out the paperwork. Minors may be tattooed with the consent of a parent or guardian to conceal an existing tattoo that contains offensive, gang-related or drug-related content or “other words, symbols or marks that the person`s parent or guardian believes is in the person`s best interests.”[99] Often, Stores ask for ID and verify your age. if you look under 18. It is illegal to tattoo minors even if they have parental consent. However, in Western Australia, it is legal to get a tattoo if you are 16 or older and have written parental consent. (1) The practitioner shall not tattoo, pierce or mark anyone without first receiving the following written information from the client immediately prior to each procedure he performs: Age restrictions and tattoo requirements are set for two main reasons: Before you start planning your tattoo, familiarize yourself with the regulations of the state where you want to get a tattoo. Oklahoma only legalized tattooing in 2006 and was the last state to do so. Almost every state has laws that deal with some aspect of body art. (Nevada has no laws dealing with body art; Maryland has very limited laws).
At least 45 states have laws prohibiting minors from getting tattoos. Thirty-eight states have laws that prohibit piercing and tattooing minors without parental permission. An exception is if a 14-year-old is married in the state of Iowa, they are legally allowed to get tattooed without their parents` consent. Legally, the youngest you can get tattooed in the United States is 18. At this age, you don`t need to get permission from your parents, sign additional consent forms, have your age verified, or worry about breaking state laws. In many states, it is a crime to tattoo a minor, even with parental consent. So, how old do you have to be to get a tattoo? For all states in the United States, the minimum age is 18. The legal age in the UK, Canada and Australia is also 18. In some cases, you may be able to get one under the age of 18 with parental consent, but that depends on the state. (5) The practitioner shall verify with appropriate photo identification that the client requesting the tattoo, piercing or trademark is at least eighteen (18) years of age.
Most tattoo artists reject anyone under the age of 15, regardless of their consent. (4) A tattoo, piercing or marking establishment shall post in a conspicuous place of the establishment a sign stating that no person under the age of eighteen (18) may be tattooed, pierced or marked. No practitioner may knowingly tattoo, mark or pierce a minor unless the written informed consent of the minor`s parents or guardians is obtained. The parent or guardian of the minor must complete the written consent form required under this subsection in the presence of the physician who performs the tattoo, marking or piercing of the minor or in the presence of an employee or representative of the physician. Technically, there is no limit to the youth a person can have to get tattooed. These restrictions are intended to protect the minor, his/her parents and the tattoo artist and the company from legal or medical consequences. (6) The practitioner shall not tattoo, pierce or mark a person who: Anyone under the age of 18 is considered a minor and tattooing minors is strictly regulated.
