Iowa Code § 10A.531

This is the official text of Iowa Code § 10A.531, part of Iowa’s Code — part of the compiled statutory law of Iowa, published by the state as "Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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.

Tattooing permit requirement penalty.

Official statutory text

(1) A person shall not own, control and lease, act as an agent for, conduct, manage, or operate an establishment to practice the art of tattooing or engage in the practice of tattooing without first applying for and receiving a permit from the department.

(2) The department shall not require an applicant for a permit to perform tattooing to show proof of a high school diploma, high school equivalency diploma, or degree from an accredited college as a condition of issuing a permit to perform tattooing.

(3) A minor shall not obtain a tattoo and a person shall not provide a tattoo to a minor. For the purposes of this section, “minor” means an unmarried person who is under the age of eighteen years.

(4) A person who fails to meet the requirements of subsection 1 or a person providing a tattoo to a minor is guilty of a serious misdemeanor.

(5) The department shall:

(5) (a) Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A and establish and collect all fees necessary to administer this section. The provisions of chapter 17A, including licensing provisions, judicial review, and appeal, shall apply to this section.

(5) (b) Establish minimum safety and sanitation criteria for the operation of tattooing establishments.

(6) If the department determines that a provision of this section has been or is being violated, the department may order that a tattooing establishment not be operated until the necessary corrective action has been taken. If the establishment continues to be operated in violation of the order of the department, the department may request that the county attorney or the attorney general make an application in the name of the state to the district court of the county in which the violations have occurred for an order to enjoin the violations. This remedy is in addition to any other legal remedy available to the department.

(7) As necessary to avoid duplication and promote coordination of public health inspection and enforcement activities, the department may enter into agreements with local boards of health to provide for inspection of tattooing establishments and enforcement activities in accordance with the rules and criteria implemented under this section.

89 Acts, ch 154, §1CS89, §135.372008 Acts, ch 1058, §4; 2009 Acts, ch 133, §332023 Acts, ch 19, §1583, 1711; 2023 Acts, ch 102, §1C2024, §10A.531

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Iowa?

Find a Iowa lawyer
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.