Individuals do not need a license to perform tattoos in North Dakota, but tattoos may only be performed in licensed tattoo shops.
The city of Fargo is the only city with a tattoo license application, which you can find here or on page 22 here. The annual license fee is $200.
Requirements for North Dakota Tattoo Artists
While individuals do not require a tattoo artist license, all tattoo operators must be 18 years of age and are required to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B within 30 days of beginning work in a tattoo shop (unless they can prove they’ve been previously vaccinated, have antibody testing to prove immunity, or the vaccine is declined for medical reasons).
Tattoo operators also need to be certified in CPR.
If your county has additional regulations, you can find them here.Note:
It is highly recommended that all tattoo artists, permanent makeup artists, and body piercing professionals go through bloodborne pathogen training before offering any body art services.
Requirements for Licensed Body Art Establishments
Body art facilities are required to display their license in a prominent location.
The annual license fee is $110.
The license to run a body art establishment cannot be transferred from one person to another.
If you’re remodeling a body art establishment (or creating a new one), you have to submit a scale drawing and floor plan to the department. |
All walls, floors, ceilings, and procedure surfaces must be non-porous and kept clean. |
You must keep out pests, rodents, etc. (consider public health) |
Each artist needs a space that can be partitioned off from the rest of the shop for privacy for the client. |
All body art establishments must be well ventilated and well-lit. |
No animals except for service animals or fish tanks in the waiting room. |
Must have hand sinks with hot and cold water, as well as a toilet. |
Lidded trash cans have to be at every artist’s station and in the bathroom. They must be emptied daily and disposed of safely to protect environmental health. |
All instruments have to be kept in clean, dry, and covered containers |
Wash any reusable cloth items with bleach. |
- If you’re remodeling a body art establishment (or creating a new one), you have to submit a scale drawing and floor plan to the department.
- All walls, floors, ceilings, and procedure surfaces must be non-porous and kept clean.
- You must keep out pests, rodents, etc. (consider public health)
- Each artist needs a space that can be partitioned off from the rest of the shop for privacy for the client.
- All body art establishments must be well ventilated and well-lit.
- No animals except for service animals or fish tanks in the waiting room.
- Must have hand sinks with hot and cold water, as well as a toilet.
- Lidded trash cans have to be at every artist’s station and in the bathroom. They must be emptied daily and disposed of safely to protect environmental health.
- All instruments have to be kept in clean, dry, and covered containers
- Wash any reusable cloth items with bleach.
To see a full explanation of each requirement, visit page 4 of this document.
https://www.health.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Files/HR/FL/Main%20Page/Tattoo_Regs.pdf
Tattoo license application https://download.fargond.gov/0/2017_body_art_technician_license_application.pdf
https://www.casscountynd.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=4383
Infection control course by state: https://courseforbbp.com/states
Prepare for a Tattooing Career with the Artist Accelerator Program
Learning the steps you need to take to get licensed is an important step in your journey, but it can also be pretty eye-opening to how difficult tattooing can be. Without the right knowledge, it’s impossible to level up your skills and become a professional tattoo artist.
However, finding the straight-forward information you need to progress is difficult. And with so much out there online, it’s hard to avoid picking up bad habits from incorrect and outdated resources.
This is one of the biggest struggles new tattooers face, and too many talented artists have given up their goal of getting into tattooing because of the years it would take to unlearn their bad habits.
That’s why aspiring artists are learning to tattoo with the Artist Accelerator Program’s structured course. As a student, you learn every step of the tattooing process from professional artists with the experience and advice you need to build your skills and create incredible tattoos.
With the Artist Accelerator, you can stop wasting time searching through incorrect information. You just get the clear, easy-to-understand lessons you need to start improving fast… along with support and personalized feedback from professional artists in our online Mastermind group.
Over 2500 students have already gone through the course, with many of them opening up their own studios. If you want to join them and learn the skills you need to start tattooing full time faster…
Click here to learn more about the Artist Accelerator Program.
