Cal. PEN § 652
This is the official text of Cal. PEN § 652, part of California’s Penal Code — defines crimes and sets criminal procedure in California.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) It shall be an infraction for any person to perform or offer to perform body piercing upon a person under the age of 18 years, unless the body piercing is performed in the presence of, or as directed by a notarized writing by, the person’s parent or guardian.
(b) This section does not apply to the body piercing of an emancipated minor.
(c) As used in this section, “body piercing” means the creation of an opening in the body of a human being for the purpose of inserting jewelry or other decoration, including, but not limited to, the piercing of a lip, tongue, nose, or eyebrow. “Body piercing” does not include the piercing of an ear.
(d) Neither the minor upon whom the body piercing was performed, nor the parent or guardian of that minor, nor any other minor is liable for punishment under this section.
(b) This section does not apply to the body piercing of an emancipated minor.
(c) As used in this section, “body piercing” means the creation of an opening in the body of a human being for the purpose of inserting jewelry or other decoration, including, but not limited to, the piercing of a lip, tongue, nose, or eyebrow. “Body piercing” does not include the piercing of an ear.
(d) Neither the minor upon whom the body piercing was performed, nor the parent or guardian of that minor, nor any other minor is liable for punishment under this section.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a criminal defense matter in California?
See all California Criminal Defense lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.