HOUSE BILL 373
By Shaw
SENATE BILL 497
By Walley
SB0497
000263
- 1 -
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62
and Title 68, relative to tattoo artist licensing.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 62-38-204, is amended by deleting
subsection (g) and substituting:
(g) To receive a tattoo artist license, a tattoo artist must be trained in the
profession of tattooing, including sterilization methods, in a certified shop for at least one
(1) year under a currently licensed tattoo artist who has been certified and operating in
compliance with applicable laws in this state for no fewer than three (3) years, or who
has been licensed in this state for fewer than three (3) years, but licensed in another
state for ten (10) years or more. The tattoo artist must provide the tattoo artist's
signature on this state's tattoo apprenticeship completion application signifying that the
apprentice tattoo artist has met the requirement of this section. Out-of-state tattoo artists
must show proof of at least two (2) years' experience as a professional tattoo artist in
another state in lieu of satisfying subsection (f), to receive a tattoo artist license in this
state. Business licenses, tax records, and other similar records may be used to show
proof of prior work. Tattoo artists in business in this state on October 1, 1996, are
exempt from this subsection (g).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect January 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.