Indiana

What the record must capture

• Patron's name
• Address
• Age
• Date tattooed or body pierced
• Design of the tattoo
• Location of the tattoo or piercing on the patron's body
• Name of the tattoo artist or body piercer who did the work
• Jewelry or other decoration used

The state rule makes you record the patron's age but does not require you to check a photo ID; your county ordinance may.

"Records of each patron shall be maintained by the operator for two (2) years." — 410 IAC 1-5-28

A license on a phone in Indiana

Indiana does not issue a digital license. A license on a phone is not an ID a shop here can rely on.

What we read: Indiana BMV home and Licenses, Permits & IDs pages (in.gov/bmv), 2026-09-11: no mobile or digital credential offered. Indiana Code 2026, Title 9 (iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_9.pdf): IC 9-24-17.5-1 to -4 and IC 9-24-13-3 read in full; they authorize a mobile credential and govern how police handle the phone, and say nothing about businesses accepting one. TSA list (2026-09-11): Indiana absent.

On waivers.tattoo: a shop can let its clients choose a saved photo of their ID in Settings. It starts off, and in Indiana a saved photo is only ever a picture of a card: a copy for your file, never proof of age.

Minors

18+. Minors only with conditions. The parent or legal guardian has to be present at the time and give written permission, both, not either. Getting it wrong is a Class A misdemeanor. Your county can be stricter than the state, so check the local ordinance before you rely on this.

"A person may provide a tattoo to a person who is less than eighteen (18) years of age ... if a parent or legal guardian ... is present at the time the tattoo is provided; and provides written permission." — Ind. Code § 35-45-21-4(e)

On waivers.tattoo: turn on Tattooing under 18 in Settings and a client under 18 gets a parent-or-guardian section — who they are, how they are related, their own signature, and a photo of their ID. The signed waiver prints what Indiana requires.

Piercing a minor

18+ to sign alone. Minors only with conditions. A parent or legal guardian has to be present at the time the piercing is performed and provide written permission. Both, not either.

The statute defines body piercing as perforation of any human body part other than an earlobe, so a lobe is outside the section.

Class A misdemeanor.

Ind. Code § 35-45-21-4(d)-(e) The text

On waivers.tattoo: turn on Piercing under 18 in Settings and a client under 18 gets a parent-or-guardian section — who they are, how they are related, their own signature, and a photo of their ID. The signed waiver prints what Indiana requires.

Health history and aftercare

410 IAC 1-5 carries no health-history questionnaire and no written-aftercare requirement. What it does require is a posted notice: written materials from the department explaining universal precautions and patrons' rights, plus a description of how you comply.

"The operator shall display written materials prepared or approved by the department explaining universal precautions and patrons' rights under this rule." — 410 IAC 1-5-25(d)

Texting your clients in Indiana

9am to 8pm, the client’s local time. Ind. Code § 24-4.7-2-9(b)(3); Ind. Code § 24-4.7-4-1; Ind. Code § 24-4.7-1-1; Ind. Code § 24-5-14-8(b), in force since 2024-07-01. It names text messages, so a text counts.

Consent. There is no affirmative consent standard in the statute. Instead the whole article is switched off for 'A telephone call made in response to an express request of the person called' (Ind. Code 24-4.7-1-1(1)). Absent that express request, a telephone sales call, text messages included, to a number on the Indiana Attorney General's quarterly do-not-call listing is flatly prohibited.

It reaches your sender too. Its own words are “provide substantial assistance or support”, so a service that texts on your behalf is inside this rule with you. Hiring one does not move the duty off the shop.

The term includes ... Transmission of: (A) a text message ... to a telephone number through the use of short message service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), over-the-top (OTT) messaging or voice calling service The text

Attorney General only, there is no private right of action. Ind.

Federal law is the floor under it: 8am to 9pm, the client’s local time, prior express written consent for a marketing text, and a STOP honored within 10 business days (47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1), (e)).

What to do

• Ask separately. A yes to marketing texts belongs on its own tick, not folded into the box a client has to accept to get tattooed. Keep it with the date and what it said.
• Text between 9am to 8pm, the client’s local time. An area code is not where somebody lives, so when you cannot tell, use the tighter window.
• Honor a STOP that day. Federal law gives you 10 business days. Same-day is the version nobody argues with, and it is what the carriers expect.
• Keep the count low. Indiana sets no cap and neither does federal law, but a shop that texts a client more than a couple of times a month is teaching them to reply STOP.

Who inspects you

The state writes the rule and leaves the door work to the counties: the rule does not require you to register with the state and does not require the state to inspect you. County health departments license, inspect and investigate under their own ordinances, and the minors statute expressly lets a local unit be stricter than the state.

410 IAC 1-5, Sanitary Operation of Tattoo Parlors

• Allen County Department of Health, tattoo and body piercing establishments · Allen County (Fort Wayne)
• Lake County Health Department, Environmental Health Division · Lake County (Gary, Hammond, Merrillville)

The state does not inspect routinely. Some counties inspect on a schedule under their own ordinance; elsewhere an investigation follows a complaint. Expect the inspector to ask for the patron records, sterilization and single-use practice, and the posted PATRON RIGHTS and universal-precautions notice.

Licensing

Your shop. No state registration or license for a shop, whether you need a permit depends entirely on your county, and Allen and Lake counties both require one.

Your artists. No state artist license. The rule makes the operator run the OSHA bloodborne pathogen training program (29 CFR 1910.1030) for anyone at risk of blood contact, train them on handling infectious waste, and keep the training records, at 410 IAC 1-5-24 and the minimum training and certification section 410 IAC 1-5-27. Counties may add their own artist permit, as Allen County does.

The licensing page

Indiana in our state-by-state posts

• Texting your tattoo clients: the hours, the caps, and all 51 state rules
• Can a minor get a tattoo with parental consent? State by state
• Can a minor get a piercing with parental consent? 45 states say yes, each on its own terms
• Do you have to ask health questions before a tattoo? 20 states say yes. Here are the questions.
• Do you have to give tattoo aftercare instructions in writing? 38 states say yes.
• What has to be on a tattoo consent form? 32 states say. Here is every line they name.
• 26 states make you check ID before a tattoo. The other 25 give you a reason to.
• How long do you have to keep tattoo consent forms? Every state, one table