Tattoo License in Florida: Artist and Shop Requirements

Florida licenses tattooing at the state level under sections 381.00771 to 381.00791 of the Florida Statutes and Chapter 64E-28 of the Florida Administrative Code. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) issues two licenses: one for you as an artist, and one for the shop. You apply for both through a county health department, not a state portal.

Your artist license costs $60 a year and is good anywhere in Florida. To get it, be 18 or older, pass a DOH-approved bloodborne pathogens and communicable diseases course, and name the licensed shop where you’ll work. Without a shop on the form, you won’t get a license.

For renewal cycles and late fees in other states, use the state-by-state tattoo license renewal guide. This page is the Florida how-to.

Who issues what

Credential	Who needs it	State fee	Term	Source
Tattoo artist license	Anyone who tattoos a person in Florida, including cosmetic tattooing, permanent makeup, and microblading	$60	One year	F.S. 381.00775, Rule 64E-28.003
Guest tattoo artist registration	Artists licensed in another state or country	$35	Up to 14 consecutive days	F.S. 381.00775(3), Rule 64E-28.004
Tattoo establishment license	Every fixed shop, one per location	$200	One year	F.S. 381.00777, Rule 64E-28.005
Temporary establishment license	Conventions and similar events	$200	Up to 14 consecutive days	F.S. 381.00777(5), Rule 64E-28.005(2)

The fees come from Rule 64E-28.011. DOH’s FAQ says to ask your county health department whether it adds a local fee on top. Ask before you mail anything.

You don’t need an apprenticeship to apply. DOH’s FAQ says so directly. Students and apprentices who tattoo real people as part of their training still need their own artist license.

Step 1: Take an approved bloodborne pathogens course

Florida only accepts courses on the DOH-approved provider list. A generic OSHA bloodborne pathogens class from another industry won’t count. Rule 64E-28.006 requires the course to be tattoo-specific, at least three hours long, and followed by an exam of at least 50 questions. You need 70% to pass.

Prices on the DOH list run from $43 to $125 (the $125 is a walk-in rate for an in-person class). A few of the listed providers:

Provider	Fee on DOH list	Format
Body Art Training Group	$45	Online
Biologix Solutions	$49.50	Online
American Safety Council	$55	Online
Alliance of Professional Tattooists	$75	In person
Master Tattoo Institute (Miami Beach)	$100	In person

DOH marks those fees “may vary”, so check the provider’s own page before you pay. Two providers on the list, one in Miami and one in Brandon, teach in Spanish as well as English.

The certificate never expires. DOH’s FAQ says you don’t renew this training, and you only send it with your first application.

Step 2: Line up a licensed shop

Florida only lets you tattoo inside a licensed tattoo establishment or a licensed temporary event (F.S. 381.00779). The application asks for the name and address of each shop where you’ll work or plan to work, and DOH won’t process it without one.

So get the shop sorted first. Ask the owner for the exact registered business name and street address as they appear on the shop’s DOH license.

Step 3: Apply at the county health department where you live

Use the current Application for Tattoo Artist License (DH 4147). Send it to the county health department in the county where you live, even if your shop is in a different county. The form lists every county office.

Your packet:

The completed application, with “Initial” checked and no blank fields (write “NA” where something doesn’t apply)
The $60 state fee, plus any county fee
A copy of a government-issued photo ID showing you’re 18 or older
Your bloodborne pathogens course certificate showing a score of 70% or higher

DOH doesn’t take tattoo applications online. Its FAQ says to send them by email, fax, or mail. You can pay the fee online, but the license won’t be issued until the county has both the payment and the paperwork.

How long it takes depends on the county. Under Chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes, DOH has 30 days to call an application complete or incomplete and 90 days to process a complete one. The FAQ says tattoo applications usually move faster than that, so call your county if you’re on a deadline.

Once you have the license, display it where clients can see it whenever you’re tattooing. If you move, or start working at a different shop for more than 14 days, tell DOH within 30 days (F.S. 381.00775(2)(d)).

Guest artists and conventions

Out-of-state artists use the guest tattoo artist registration. Rule 64E-28.004 asks for the application at least 14 days before your first day, with:

The $35 fee (plus any county fee)
A government-issued photo ID showing you’re 18 or older
A copy of your active license, registration, or certification from the other jurisdiction
Proof you passed a Florida-approved bloodborne pathogens course, unless DOH decides your home state’s course meets Florida’s standard

The registration covers up to 14 consecutive days and names the shop or event where you’ll work. You can apply again before or after it runs out. If your home state doesn’t license tattoo artists at all, you can’t register as a guest: you need the full Florida license.

Conventions run on a temporary establishment license, and that application is due at least 30 days before the event (Rule 64E-28.005). Booths need rigid walls, floor, and ceiling, plus handsinks, and get inspected before the event opens. Portable sinks are allowed at temporary events only, never in a fixed shop. See DOH’s temporary event checklist.

Opening a shop: the tattoo establishment license

Every location needs its own establishment license from the county health department where the shop sits. DOH’s establishment page lists what goes in:

The Application for Tattoo Establishment License and the $200 state fee
Your business name registered with the Florida Department of State (Sunbiz), including any fictitious name you trade under
A Biomedical Waste Generator Permit
A passing inspection under Chapter 64E-28

The shop also has to meet local building, zoning, and occupational codes, and most cities and counties want a local business tax receipt. Florida’s tattoo law doesn’t stop a county or city from adding its own rules (F.S. 381.00791), so call both before you sign a lease.

The license doesn’t travel. A new address or a new owner means a new license before anyone tattoos there. Florida has no mobile tattoo license either: a tattoo truck can only work a convention on a temporary license, unless it’s fixed in place and can’t be moved.

What inspectors look for

DOH inspects every shop at least once a year. DOH’s Guide for Tattoo Establishment Operational Requirements explains what a shop needs to pass. These Rule 64E-28.007 items are easy to miss when you build out a space:

No door or opening into living or sleeping quarters. A solid floor-to-ceiling wall has to separate the shop from any home.
At least 100 foot candles of light where you tattoo and where you clean and sterilize.
A handsink with running water, liquid soap, and paper towels that every artist can reach without touching a doorknob.
A steam autoclave, spore-tested by an independent lab every 40 hours of use and at least once a quarter, with a log of run time and what you sterilized. If you only use individually packaged, pre-sterilized single-use instruments, you can skip the autoclave and the cleaning sink.
Disinfectant registered with the EPA as tuberculocidal, used on chairs, tables, and counters after every client.
No food prep in the shop, no eating, drinking, or smoking in tattoo or cleaning areas, and no animals except service animals (fish tanks in the waiting room are fine).

For a room-by-room walkthrough, use the tattoo studio health inspection checklist and the guide to passing tattoo studio inspections.

Client records, minors, and aftercare

Rule 64E-28.009 sets the minimum for every client record: the artist’s name, the client’s name, age, and birthdate, what the tattoo is and where it goes, both signatures, and the date of each session. You also have to give aftercare instructions out loud and in writing. Our tattoo aftercare guide is a starting point for the written part.

Keep client records, autoclave logs, and spore test results for two years, with the current licensing year on site for the inspector. Personnel records (each artist’s name, address, birthdate, and license number) stay for two years after the artist leaves.

Minors are where Florida differs from a lot of states. Under F.S. 381.00787:

Nobody under 16 can be tattooed, except for medical or dental reasons by a licensed physician or dentist.
A 16 or 17 year old can be tattooed only if a parent or legal guardian comes along, both show government photo ID, the parent proves they’re the parent or guardian, and the parent signs DOH’s notarized consent form (DH 4146).
If the minor’s ID doesn’t show a birthdate, you need a copy of their birth certificate too.

Keep the notarized consent with the client record. Losing it is its own ground for discipline. The tattoo consent form for minors post covers what else to collect, and the tattoo consent form guide covers adult clients.

Penalties

Tattooing without a license, running an unlicensed shop, or tattooing anywhere outside a licensed shop or event is a second-degree misdemeanor (F.S. 381.00785). That carries up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 (F.S. 775.082 and 775.083). Tattooing a minor outside the rules above is the same grade of offense.

DOH can also act on its own. Under F.S. 381.00783 it can refuse or revoke a license, issue a stop-use order on equipment, and fine up to $1,500 per violation. Charging nothing doesn’t get you out of it: DOH’s FAQ says free tattoos still need a licensed artist in a licensed shop.

Renewal

Artist and shop licenses both run one year from the date they’re issued. For your artist license, send the renewal application (the same DH 4147 form with “Renewal” checked) and $60 to the county health department where you live before the expiration date. Shop renewals go to the county where the shop is. If it falls on a weekend or holiday, you have until the next working day. You don’t resend your ID or training certificate.

Miss the date and the license goes inactive, which means you can’t tattoo until it’s reactivated. Reactivating an artist license costs $85 ($60 plus a $25 reactivation fee). An inactive shop license adds a $75 reactivation fee to the $200 renewal.

Put every artist’s expiry date on the shop calendar a month ahead, along with the shop’s own. For how Florida’s annual cycle compares with other states, see the license renewal requirements by state.

Keeping inspection records in one place

DOH and your county issue the licenses. Studio software doesn’t.

What helps on inspection day is having the client records Florida already expects in one place:

Digital intake, health questionnaires, consent acknowledgements, and signatures stored as PDFs you can pull from an archive (Tattoo Studio Pro forms)
A Health Official login that opens the forms archive and nothing else, so an inspector can view and download forms (team roles)
Text or email reminders before each appointment (messages and reminders)

If you want one system for booking, forms, and payments, look at Tattoo Studio Pro. The 30-day free trial needs a card to start, and you can cancel anytime.

To stock a new station, the directory lists tattoo supply sellers across Florida.

FAQs

How much does a tattoo license cost in Florida?

The state fee is $60 a year for an artist license and $200 a year for a shop. A guest registration is $35. Your county may add a local fee, so ask first. Budget roughly $43 to $125 for the one-time bloodborne pathogens course.

Do I need an apprenticeship to get a Florida tattoo license?

No. Florida doesn’t require one. You need to be 18, pass a DOH-approved bloodborne pathogens course, and name the licensed shop where you’ll work.

Can I tattoo in Florida with a license from another state?

Yes, for up to 14 consecutive days on a guest tattoo artist registration. Apply at least 14 days ahead. If your home state doesn’t license tattoo artists, you need a full Florida license instead.

Can a 16 or 17 year old get a tattoo in Florida?

Yes, with a parent or legal guardian present, government photo ID for both, proof of guardianship, and the parent’s notarized consent on DOH form DH 4146. Nobody under 16 can be tattooed except for medical or dental reasons.

Can I tattoo out of my house in Florida?

No. You can only tattoo in a licensed tattoo establishment or a licensed temporary event, and a shop can’t have a direct opening into living quarters. House calls aren’t allowed either.

Do I need a tattoo license for microblading in Florida?

Yes. DOH treats microblading and permanent makeup as tattooing, so you need a tattoo artist license even if you hold a cosmetology or esthetics license.

Does my bloodborne pathogens certificate expire in Florida?

No. DOH says the certificate doesn’t expire and you don’t have to retake the course to renew.

What happens if my Florida tattoo license expires?

It goes inactive and you can’t tattoo until you reactivate it. That costs $85 for an artist ($60 renewal plus $25) through the county health department where you live.