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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 104Pt. 15Ch. 7Art. 3§ 119308 Body Art Hygiene Requirements

§ 119308 Body Art Hygiene Requirements

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 119308 Body Art Hygiene Requirements

Key Takeaways

  • •Before doing a tattoo or piercing, the artist must wash their hands, wear clean clothes, and put on gloves.
  • •If the artist touches anything other than your skin or the tools, they must change their gloves.
  • •The artist must clean your skin with soap and a special solution before starting.
  • •After the procedure, the artist must clean everything, throw away sharp items safely, and tell you how to take care of the area.

Example

Getting a tattoo on your arm.

The tattoo artist must wash their hands, wear gloves, and clean your arm with soap and a special solution before starting. If they touch their phone or anything else, they have to change their gloves. After finishing, they must throw away needles safely, clean their tools, and tell you how to keep your new tattoo clean.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 119308 Body Art Hygiene Requirements

(a) Before performing body art, the practitioner shall do all of the following: (1) Wash and dry his or her hands consistent with sound hygienic practices. (2) Put on a clean apron, bib, or lap pad over clean, dry clothing. (3) Put on personal protective equipment that is appropriate for the task. (4) Don clean, previously unused, disposable examination gloves on both hands just prior to the procedure. Gloves shall be worn throughout the procedure. If gloves come into contact with an object or surface other than the client’s prepared skin or material to be used for the procedure, or if a glove is torn or punctured, both gloves shall be removed, hand hygiene performed, and new, clean, previously unused, disposable examination gloves shall be donned. If gloves are removed for any reason during a procedure, hand hygiene shall be performed prior to donning new, clean, previously unused, disposable examination gloves. (5) If the skin at the procedure site is to be shaved, the skin shall be first washed with soap and water. A single-use, disposable razor shall be used to shave the procedure site and then discarded into a sharps container. (6) Immediately prior to performing the body art, the client’s skin shall be prepared with an antiseptic solution, antimicrobial, or microbicide, according to manufacturer’s instructions. The item used for application shall be discarded after use. (b) At the completion of the procedure, the practitioner shall do all of the following: (1) Answer questions regarding the procedure site. (2) Provide postprocedure instructions. (3) When covering a procedure site, use a sterile dressing. (4) Place all used or discarded sharps waste in a sharps waste container. (5) Wash and disinfect reusable instruments as provided in subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 119309. (6) Package and sterilize reusable instruments that may have come in contact with nonintact skin or mucosal surfaces. (7) Clean and decontaminate the workstation and procedure area. (Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 555, Sec. 6. (AB 1168) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

wastelienexaminationequipmentsolutionapplicationcompletionworkstation

Related Statutes

  • § 119309 Body Art Sanitation Rules
  • § 13178 Fire Marshal Certification Process
  • § 114193 Equipment Liquid Waste Drainage
  • § 119301 Body Art Health Definitions
  • § 119317 Temporary Demonstration Booth Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 119308.
View Official Source