ARTICLE 4. Permanent Body Art Facilities [119312. - 119315.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 4.
in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 119312. Section 119312.

(a) A body art facility shall not conduct business without a valid health permit. (b) No body art facility shall allow a practitioner who does not possess a valid practitioner registration to perform body art procedures at the facility. (c) An owner of a body art facility shall notify the local enforcement agency in writing within 30 days of the resignation, termination, or new hire of a body art practitioner at the body art facility. (d) The application for a health permit for a body art facility shall include all of the following: (1) A copy of the facility’s infection prevention control plan, as required by Section 119313. (2) A fee, as set by the local enforcement agency at an amount not to exceed the amount necessary but that is sufficient to cover the actual costs of administration of the program. Fees established by this section shall be used exclusively in support of activities pursuant to this chapter. (e) The local enforcement agency shall issue a health permit after an investigation has determined that the proposed body art facility and its method of operation meets the specifications of the approved plans or conforms to the requirements of this article. (f) A health permit is valid only for the location of the facility and the time period indicated on the permit and may not be transferred to another owner or facility. (g) The health permit shall be posted in a conspicuous place at the body art facility. Certificates of registration for all practitioners performing body art in that facility shall also be prominently displayed either near the health permit or at the individual practitioner’s procedure area if each practitioner has a designated area. (h) A person proposing to construct a practice site or mobile practice site, other than a temporary body art event booth, shall submit plans to the Plan Review Unit of the local enforcement agency. The plans shall be approved in advance of the issuance of a building, plumbing, or electrical permit. All required corrections must be made and the body art facility approved to open before body art can be performed in the facility. (i) Health permits shall be renewed annually through a process to be determined by the local enforcement agency. (j) The county may suspend or revoke the permit of a body art facility if a person who does not possess a valid practitioner registration is allowed to perform body art. (k) An owner who operates a body art facility shall obtain all necessary permits to conduct business, including, but not limited to, a permit issued by a local enforcement agency. In addition to the penalties available pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 119320), an owner who violates this subdivision shall be subject to the closure of the facility and a penalty not to exceed three times the cost of the permit.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 119313. Section 119313.

(a) A body art facility shall maintain and follow a written Infection Prevention and Control Plan, provided by the owner or established by the practitioners, specifying the procedures to achieve compliance with each applicable requirement of this chapter. (b) The Infection Prevention and Control Plan shall include all of the following: (1) Procedures for cleaning and decontaminating environmental surfaces. (2) Procedures for cleaning, decontaminating, packaging, sterilizing, and storing reusable instruments. (3) Procedures for protecting clean instruments and sterile instrument packs from exposure to dust and moisture during storage. (4) A setup and teardown procedure for any form of body art performed at the body art facility. (5) Techniques to prevent the contamination of instruments or the procedure site during the performance of body art. (6) Procedures for safe handling and disposal of sharps waste. (c) The Infection Prevention and Control Plan shall be revised when changes are made in infection prevention practices, procedures, or tasks. (d) Onsite training on the facility’s Infection Prevention and Control Plan shall take place when tasks where occupational exposure may occur are initially assigned, any time there are changes in the procedures or tasks, and when new technology is adopted for use in the facility, but not less than once each year. (e) Records of training required pursuant to this section shall be maintained for three years and shall be available for inspection upon request of the enforcement officer.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 119314. Section 119314.

(a) With the exception of a temporary demonstration booth, as specified in Sections 119317 and 119318, a body art facility shall comply with all of the following: (1) Have floors, walls, and ceilings. (2) Have floors and walls that are smooth, nonabsorbent, free of open holes, and washable. (3) Be free of insect and rodent infestation. (4) Be separate from any residential areas used for sleeping, bathing, or meal preparation. A body art facility associated with a residential dwelling shall have a separate entrance and toilet facility, and shall not have a door allowing direct access between the body art facility and the residential dwelling. (5) Have adequate toilet facilities, in accordance with the specifications of the State Building Standards Code, local building standard codes, and any other local ordinance. The sink shall be supplied with hot and cold running water, containerized liquid soap, and single-use paper towels that are dispensed from a wall-mounted, touchless dispenser. (b) Procedure areas in a body art facility shall meet all of the following standards: (1) Be equipped with a light source that provides adequate light at the procedure area. (2) Be separated, by a wall or ceiling-to-floor partition, from nail and hair activities. (3) Be separated from all business not related to body art, at the discretion of the local enforcement agency. (4) Be equipped with a sink supplied with hot and cold running water, containerized liquid soap, and single-use paper towels that are dispensed from a wall-mounted, touchless dispenser that is accessible to the practitioner. (5) All sinks shall be permanently plumbed and meet local building and plumbing codes. Facilities that were issued a permit prior to January 1, 2014, shall have until July 1, 2014, to comply with this section. (6) All counter surfaces and service trays shall have a smooth, durable, and nonabsorbent finish. (c) Decontamination and sterilization areas within a body art facility shall meet all of the following requirements: (1) Be separated from procedure areas by a space of at least five feet or by a cleanable barrier. (2) Be equipped with a sink, hot and cold running water, containerized liquid soap, and single-use paper towels dispensed from a wall-mounted, touchless dispenser that is readily accessible to the practitioner. (d) Each procedure area shall have lined waste containers. (e) Each procedure area shall have a sharps waste container that meets the following requirements: (1) The sharps waste container shall be portable, if portability is necessary to ensure that the sharps waste container is within arm’s reach of the practitioner. (2) The sharps waste container shall be labeled with the words “sharps waste” or with the international biohazard symbol and the word “BIOHAZARD.” (3) All sharps waste produced during the process of tattooing, body piercing, or the application of permanent cosmetics shall be disposed by either of the following methods: (A) Removal and disposal by a licensed waste hauler. Materials shall be disposed of at a licensed treatment facility or removed and transported through a mail-back system authorized by the State Department of Public Health. (B) As solid waste, after being disinfected by a method approved by the department pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 118215. (4) Documentation of proper disposal of sharps waste shall be maintained for three years and shall be available for inspection at the request of the enforcement officer. (f) No animals shall be allowed in the procedure area or the decontamination and sterilization area except service animals, as defined by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 119315. Section 119315.

A body art facility shall conform to the following sterilization procedures: (a) Clean instruments to be sterilized shall first be sealed in sterilization packaging that contain either a sterilizer indicator or process indicator, unless instruments are being processed for immediate use. The outside of the pack shall be labeled with the name of the instrument if not immediately identifiable, the date sterilized, and the initials of the person operating the sterilizing equipment unless instruments are being sterilized for immediate use. (b) Sterilizers shall be loaded, operated, decontaminated, and maintained according to manufacturer’s directions, and shall meet all of the following standards: (1) Only equipment manufactured for the sterilization of medical instruments shall be used. (2) Sterilization equipment shall be tested using a commercial biological indicator monitoring system after the initial installation, after any major repair, and at least once per month. The expiration date of the monitor shall be checked prior to each use. (3) Each sterilization load shall be monitored with mechanical indicators for time, temperature, and pressure. Each sterilization load shall include, at a minimum, a Class V integrator. (4) Biological indicator monitoring test results shall be recorded in a log that shall be kept on site for three years after the date of the results. (5) A written log of each sterilization cycle shall be maintained for three years, shall be available for inspection by the enforcement officer, and shall include all of the following information: (A) The date of the load. (B) A list of the contents of the load. (C) The exposure time and temperature. (D) The results of the Class V integrator. (E) For cycles where the results of the biological indicator monitoring test are positive, how the items were cleaned, and proof of a negative test before reuse. (c) Clean instruments and sterilized instrument packs shall be placed in clean, dry, labeled containers, or stored in a labeled cabinet that is protected from dust and moisture. (d) Sterilized instruments shall be stored in the intact sterilization packaging or in the sterilization equipment cartridge until time of use. (e) Sterile instrument packs shall be evaluated at the time of storage and before use. If the integrity of a pack is compromised, including, but not limited to, cases where the pack is torn, punctured, wet, or displaying any evidence of moisture contamination, the pack shall be discarded or reprocessed before use. (f) A body art facility that does not afford access to a decontamination and sterilization area that meets the standards of subdivision (c) of Section 119314 or that does not have sterilization equipment shall use only purchased disposable, single-use, presterilized instruments. In place of the requirements for maintaining sterilization records, the following records shall be kept and maintained for a minimum of 90 days following the use of the instruments at the site of practice for the purpose of verifying the use of disposable, single-use, presterilized instruments: (1) A record of purchase and use of all single-use instruments. (2) A log of all procedures, including the names of the practitioner and client and the date of the procedure. (3) Written proof on company or laboratory letterhead showing that the presterilized instruments have undergone a sterilization process. Written proof shall clearly identify the instruments sterilized by name or item number and shall identify the lot or batch number of the sterilizer run.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

Starting a business in California? California LLC guide: costs and requirements