An Act
ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3428 By: Archer, McEntire, and Deck
of the House
and
Kirt of the Senate
An Act relating to tattoo and body piercing; amending
21 O.S. 2021, Section 842.3, which relates to license
requirements, rules, regulati ons, and penalties;
modifying mandatory rules; removing license
requirements; prescribing notice requirements;
providing certain exception; adding enforcement
authority to the State Department of Health;
providing enforcement authority to Attorney General
and district attorneys; providing venue; and
providing an effective date.
SUBJECT: Tattoo and body piercing
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF T HE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 21 O.S. 2021, Section 842.3, is
amended to read as f ollows:
Section 842.3 A. All body piercing opera tors, tattoo operators
and artists shall be prohibited from performing body piercing or
tattooing unless licensed in the appropriate catego ry by the State
Department of Health. The State Board of Health s hall promulgate
rules regulating body piercing and tattooing which shall include,
but not be limited to:
1. Artist temporary and permanent licensure;
2. Facility operator temporary and permanent licensure;
3. Body piercing and tattoo facility requirements;
4. Equipment setup and requirements; ENR. H. B. NO. 3428 Page 2
5. Procedures for sanitary body pierc ing and tattooing;
6. Forms to be completed prior to performing body piercing and
tattooing including, but not limited to, applications and parental
consent forms;
7. Hand washing and general health;
8. Body piercing and tattoo site preparation and appl ication;
9. Procedure following body piercing and tattoo application;
10. Limits and prohibitions concerning body piercing and
tattooing;
11. Facility inspection documents including, but not limited
to, equipment inspection;
12. Administrative fines st ructure; and
13. Education and training ; and
14. A surety bond in the principal sum of On e Hundred Thousand
Dollars ($100,000.00) to be in a form approved by the Attorney
General and filed in the Office of the S ecretary of State for all
body piercing and tattoo operators.
B. A city or county may adopt any regulations that do not
conflict with, or are more comprehensive than, the provisions of
this section or with the rules promulgated by the Department. This
section does not limit the ability of a city or county to require an
applicant to obtain any further business licenses or permits that
the city or county deems appropriate.
C. 1. The State Department of Health shall not grant or issue
a license to a body piercing or tattoo operator if the place of
business of the body piercing or tattoo operator is within one
thousand (1,000) feet of a c hurch, school, or playground.
2. The provisions of this subsecti on shall not apply to the
renewal of licenses or to ne w applications for locations where body
piercing or tattoo operators are licensed at the time the
application is filed with the Departmen t.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3428 Page 3
3. As used in this subsection:
a. "church" means an establishment, other than a private
dwelling, where religious services are usually
conducted,
b. "school" means an establishment, other than a private
dwelling, where the usual processes of education are
usually conducted, and
c. "playground" means a place, other than grounds at a
private dwelling, that is provide d by the public or
members of a community for recr eation.
D. A body piercing or tattoo operator applying for license
renewal or for a new li cense to perform at an existing body piercing
or tattoo place of business shall pay a certification fee
established by the Department by rule to determine if the exe mptions
provided for in paragraph 2 of subsection C of this section apply .
E. A body piercing or tattoo operator applying for license
renewal or for a new license under subsection C of this section
shall publish notice of the license application or renewa l at least
once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of
general circulation nearest to the proposed location of the business
and most likely to give notice to interested citizens of the c ounty,
city, and community in which the applicant pr oposes to engage in
business. The publication shall identify the exact location at
which the proposed business is to be operated.
D. A body piercing or tattoo operator applying for a new
license shall publish notice of the license application one time in
a newspaper of general circulation nearest to the proposed location
of the body piercing or tattoo business most likely to give notice
to interested citizens of the county, city, and community in whi ch
the application proposes to engage in business. The publication
shall identify the exact location at which the proposed business is
to be operated. The required notice shall not apply to l icense
renewals unless the application for license renewal list s a
different location than the original or current license location.
F. E. The State Department of Health may notify has authority
to enforce the provisions of this section and re gulations
promulgated pursuant hereto. The Department may enforce by one or
both of the following means: ENR. H. B. NO. 3428 Page 4
1. Notifying the district attorney, of any relevant county, of
a violation of Section 842.1 of this title or rules promulgated
pursuant thereto and, in addition to any criminal penalty imposed,
the Department may impose an admini strative fine not to exceed Five
Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) per violation per day , and may suspend,
revoke, or deny the license of the establishment , or may impose both
such administrative fine and suspension, revocation, or denial for
any such violation;
2. Whenever it shall appear that any pers on is engaged or about
to engage in any acts o r practices which constitutes or will
constitute a violation of the provisions of Section 842.1 of this
title, or of any rule, or o rder thereunder, the Department, t he
Attorney General, or the district attorney of any relevant county
may bring an action in the relevant district court or in Oklahoma
County to enjoin such acts or practices and to enforce compliance
with this act or any rule, order , or temporary or permanent
injunction shall be gr anted without bond. The Department, the
Attorney General, and the district attorney shall transmit such
evidence as may be available concerning such acts o r practices or
concerning apparent violations of this act to the district attorney
for Oklahoma County, who, in their discretion, may institute
appropriate criminal proceedings .
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3428 Page 5
Passed the House of Representatives the 30th day of April, 2024.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the 24th day of April, 2024.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Gove rnor this ____________________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _____ ____
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'c lock _______ M.
______________________________ ___
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________