9-34-17. Tattooing, saline tattoo removal, and body piercing.

Any municipality may regulate the practice of tattooing, saline tattoo removal, and body piercing by licensing practitioners of tattooing, saline tattoo removal, or body piercing; inspecting tattoo, saline tattoo removal, and body piercing establishments; and establishing standards for sanitation that are at least as stringent as those adopted by the Department of Health under § 34-1-17.

Terms used in this section mean:

(1)    "Tattooing," to make marks or designs into the skin by puncturing it and inserting indelible colors. The term includes microblading and similar techniques used to partially or fully simulate natural hair;

(2)    "Saline tattoo removal," inserting a saline solution in skin to lighten or remove an existing tattoo. The term does not include the use of other acids or of lasers as described in § 36-4-8.2;

(3)    "Body piercing," to place a permanent or temporary foreign object in a person's body for a decorative or other nonmedical purpose by a person not directly under the supervision of a licensed physician as defined by § 36-4-11.

Source: SL 1985, ch 216, §§ 1, 2; SL 1992, ch 239, § 13; SL 1995, ch 189, § 1; SL 2018, ch 54, § 1; SL 2019, ch 55, § 1.