State rankings
Tattoo Laws by State
California has the highest Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo (18), followed by Texas (18) and Florida (18). New Jersey has the lowest (16).
CultureLaw51 states · 4 metricsUpdated May 23, 2025Original page
8 sources
- State-By-State Definitive Guide to Tattoo Laws in the United States - Ink Different Tattoo School
- Legal status of tattooing in the United States - Wikipedia
- Tattoo Laws By State - Tattoo Laws By State
- 2023 Florida Statutes (including Special Session C) - Online Sunshine
- Tattoo Facilities - Baltimore City Health Department
- Section 7 — Patrons - Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD)
- Tattooing and body piercing - Pennsylvania General Assembly
- Alaska Statutes Title 8. Business and Professions § 08.13.217. Tattooing and permanent cosmetic coloring or body piercing on a minor - FindLaw
Minimum Age to Receive TattooBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
50 of 51 statesMinimum Age to Receive Tattoo
Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.
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All 50 ranked
Highest first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
18
Middle half 18 – 18
Average
17.96
50 states
Highest
18
California
Lowest
16
New Jersey
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
51 states · # = rank by Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  California | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Texas | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Consent of parent/guardian,, Must cover existing tattoo that has offensive, gang-related, or drug-related content | Class B misdemeanor (minor who misrespresents age),, Class A misdemeanor (tattooist) |
| 1 |  Florida | 18 | — | Ages 16-17: Written consent from legal guardian,, Under 16: Prohibited | Misdemeanor of the second degree |
| 1 |  New York | 18 | — | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Pennsylvania | 18 | — | Written consent from legal guardian,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | 3rd-Degree misdemeanor (1st offense),, 2nd-Degree misdemeanor (2nd offense) |
| 1 |  Illinois | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Class A misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Ohio | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must consent and attend tattooing session | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Georgia | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Written consent from parent/guardian | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  North Carolina | 18 | — | Prohibited | Class 2 misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Michigan | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Written consent from parent/guardian | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Virginia | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Class 1 misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Washington | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Arizona | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Class 6 felony |
| 1 |  Tennessee | 18 | — | Minors over the age of sixteen may be tattooed to cover up an existing tattoo, with parent/guardian consent | A fine of $50–$250 (minor who misrespresents age),, Class A misdemeanor (tattooist) |
| 1 |  Massachusetts | 18 | — | Prohibited | A fine up to $300 and/or prison up to one year |
| 1 |  Indiana | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Class A misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Missouri | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Written consent from parent/guardian | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Maryland | 18 | — | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Colorado | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Petty offense |
| 1 |  Wisconsin | 18 | — | Authorization of a physician | A fine up to $200 |
| 1 |  Minnesota | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Prohibited | Gross misdemeanor |
| 1 |  South Carolina | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo head, face, neck, or within an inch of eye socket | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Alabama | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Written consent from parent/guardian | Class C misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Kentucky | 18 | — | Ages 16-17: Written and notarized consent | — |
| 1 |  Louisiana | 18 | — | Written consent from legal guardian,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | A fine of $100-$500 and/or prison 30-365 days |
| 1 |  Oregon | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Authorization of a physician | Class B misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Oklahoma | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Connecticut | 18 | Tattooing may only be performed by physicians, or by registered nurses & technicians working under the supervision of a physician. | Written consent from parent/guardian | — |
| 1 |  Utah | 18 | — | Written consent from parent/guardian | Class B misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Iowa | 18 | — | Prohibited | Serious misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Arkansas | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Class A misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Kansas | 18 | — | Written and notarized consent,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | Class A misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Mississippi | 18 | — | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  New Mexico | 18 | — | Written and notarized consent,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Idaho | 18 | — | Ages 14-17: Consent from parent/guardian,, Under 14: Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Nebraska | 18 | — | Written consent from parent/guardian | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  West Virginia | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Ages 16-17: Consent from parent/guardian,, Under 14: Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Hawaii | 18 | — | Written consent from parent/guardian | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  New Hampshire | 18 | — | Prohibited | Class A misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Maine | 18 | — | Prohibited | Class E offense |
| 1 |  Montana | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Parent/guardian must consent and attend tattooing session | Unlawful transactions with children or misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Rhode Island | 18 | — | Prohibited | Misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Delaware | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Notarized written consent from parent/guardian | Class B misdemeanor Class A misdemeanor (2nd offense onward) |
| 1 |  South Dakota | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Written consent from parent/guardian | Class 2 misdemeanor |
| 1 |  North Dakota | 18 | Unlawful to tattoo within an inch of the eye socket | Written consent from legal guardian,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | Class B misdemeanor |
| 1 |  Alaska | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Class B misdemeanor |
| 1 |  District of Columbia | 18 | — | Written consent from parent/guardian | — |
| 1 |  Vermont | 18 | Patron may not be intoxicated or otherwise impaired | Written consent from legal guardian,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | A fine up to $5,000 or prison up to one year |
| 1 |  Wyoming | 18 | — | Parent/guardian must attend tattooing session | Misdemeanor criminal offense |
| 50 |  New Jersey | 16 | — | Written consent from legal guardian,, Consenter must attend tattooing session | A fine of $50-$1,000 |
| — |  Nevada | — | — | Regulated on local level | — |
What correlates with Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo?
Pearson r against 2,104 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo tend to score higher on these
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo tend to score lower on these
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo?
- California has the highest Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo, at 18, followed by Texas (18) and Florida (18).
- Which state has the lowest Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo?
- New Jersey has the lowest Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo, at 16.
- What is the median Minimum Age to Receive Tattoo across US states?
- The median is 18 across the 50 US states with data.
- Where does this tattoo laws by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: State-By-State Definitive Guide to Tattoo Laws in the United States - Ink Different Tattoo School; Legal status of tattooing in the United States - Wikipedia; Tattoo Laws By State - Tattoo Laws By State; 2023 Florida Statutes (including Special Session C) - Online Sunshine.