Pennsylvania

What the record must capture

No statewide ID rule. Philadelphia requires the operator to see photo ID of the parent or guardian before tattooing a minor; Erie County requires proper identification of the parent or guardian.

A license on a phone in Pennsylvania

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

What we read: PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services 'Licenses & Photo IDs' page (pa.gov/agencies/dmv), 2026-09-11: no mobile or digital license offered or mentioned. palegis.us, HB 1970 (2025): 'Last Action: Referred to Transportation, April 29, 2026' in the Senate. Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and TSA lists (2026-09-11): Pennsylvania absent.

On waivers.tattoo: a shop can let its clients choose a saved photo of their ID in Settings. It starts off, and in Pennsylvania 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. Statewide, a client under 18 can be tattooed only if the parent or guardian consents AND is present at the time, both, not either. Philadelphia adds a hard floor of 16 (below that, only on a physician's statement) and makes the operator check the adult's photo ID and confirm they really are the parent or guardian. Erie County requires the parent present, written consent, and proper ID.

"A person commits an offense if he tattoos any person under the age of 18 years without the parent or guardian of such person giving consent ... and being present at the time of the tattooing" - 18 Pa.C.S. § 6311(a)

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 Pennsylvania requires.

Piercing a minor

18+ to sign alone. Minors only with conditions. The parent or guardian consents AND is present at the time of the piercing. Both, not either. The statute does not say the consent must be written. It reaches a piercing done 'for compensation' with the intent to create a permanent hole for cosmetic purposes.

No ear carve-out in 18 Pa.C.S. s 6311. Philadelphia allows an ear-piercing gun only on the lobe and the upper ear perimeter.

Misdemeanor of the third degree; misdemeanor of the second degree for a repeat within one year

18 Pa.C.S. s 6311(b); Philadelphia body art regulations s 8(C)(1)-(2) 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 Pennsylvania requires.

Health history and aftercare

Nothing statewide requires a health questionnaire or aftercare. Both exist locally: Philadelphia makes the operator advise a client to see a physician first if they fall in named risk categories (skin disease, pigment allergies, anticoagulants, hemophilia, diabetes or immune deficiency, keloids), and requires written and verbal aftercare before the procedure starts, naming the shop and telling the client to see a doctor at the first sign of infection.

"Verbal and written instructions for the care of the tattoo/pierced site shall be provided to each customer by the operator prior to the initiation of the procedure." - Philadelphia DPH Body Art Regulations § 8.A(1)

Texting your clients in Pennsylvania

9am to 7pm, the rule does not say whose clock. Never on Sundays or legal holidays. Telemarketer Registration Act, 73 P.S. §§ 2241-2250, as amended by Act of July 20, 2026, P.L. 532, No. 47 (S.B. 992); hours at § 5(a)(1), 73 P.S. § 2245(a)(1), in force from 2026-10-18. It names text messages, so a text counts.

Consent. "Prior express written consent." A written agreement executed between a called party and a seller that authorizes the seller to initiate a telephone solicitation "including a robocall or text message", which must (1) identify the telephone number authorized, (2) contain a clear and conspicuous disclosure that executing it consents to telephone solicitations including robocalls and texts, (3) state that consent is not a condition of purchasing property or goods or services, and (4) be signed by the called party, electronic or digital signature acceptable.

Your own clients. "Telephone solicitation" does not include a call or message to a subscriber "[w]ith whom the seller or telemarketer has an established business relationship within the past 12 months preceding the call." A 12-month limit, one of the tightest in the country. A message under prior express written consent is likewise excluded.

It reaches your sender too. Its own words are “causing to be initiated”, so a service that texts on your behalf is inside this rule with you. Hiring one does not move the duty off the shop.

Initiating or causing to be initiated a telephone solicitation on a Sunday or after 7 p.m. or before 9 a.m. The text

Section 6(a) of the Act: "A violation of this act is also a violation of the act of December 17, 1968 (P.L.1224, No.387), known as the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law." That carries a private right of action at 73 P.S. § 201-9.2: a person who purchased or leased goods or services primarily for personal, family or household purposes and suffered an ascertainable loss may recover actual damages or $100, whichever is greater; the court may in its discretion award up to three times actual damages but not less than $100, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees. Note the standing gate, an ascertainable loss from a purchase, not the message itself.

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 7pm, the rule does not say whose clock, and never on Sundays or legal holidays. 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. Pennsylvania 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 Commonwealth has no tattoo studio licensing or inspection program, so in most of Pennsylvania nobody inspects a shop and no license exists to hold. Where a local health department has adopted body art rules, Philadelphia and Erie County are the two well-established ones, that department certifies the shop and the artist and does the inspecting. Everywhere else the only law that binds is the state's minors statute.

• Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Regulations Governing Operation and Conduct of Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishments · City of Philadelphia
• Erie County Department of Health, Body Art Establishment Regulations · Erie County

No state inspection program. Philadelphia and Erie County inspect the shops they certify; most of Pennsylvania has no inspector for tattoo shops at all. Where a local program exists the inspector asks for the establishment certificate or license, the operator certificates, the bloodborne pathogen training certificates, the autoclave spore-test records, and the client records.

Licensing

Your shop. No state license exists. In Philadelphia a shop needs an establishment certificate from the health department, renewed every year and expiring December 31. In Erie County a shop needs an annual body art establishment license. Most of the state requires neither.

Your artists. No state license exists. Philadelphia issues an operator certificate good for 3 years, which requires a 3-year tattoo apprenticeship and bloodborne pathogen training within the past 3 years. Erie County requires a current-year bloodborne pathogen certificate on file for every artist.

The licensing page

Pennsylvania in our state-by-state posts

• Texting your tattoo clients: the hours, the caps, and all 51 state rules
• OSHA wants your bloodborne pathogens training renewed every year. Your state may want it once, ever.
• 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