Colorado Tattoo Laws

These are the state regulations for the practice of body art in Colorado currently. These rules are applied and interpreted in order to protect the public health. They are used voluntarily at the discretion of each county. El Paso county (our county) has regulated body art for the last 12 years. El Paso county is working on additions and/or revisions due out mid December. Purpose of these laws is to protect the health of the public and these laws establish some standards about prevention of diseases due to tattooing and branding.

Rules And Regulations For Body Art Establishments

Definitions And Purpose

1-101. These regulations are for safe practice of body art and sanitary physical environment in which body art is performed, as well as the safe conditions of instruments used in body art business.

1-102 Definitions

• Body Art Establishment - It means the location, whether the practices of body art are performed for temporary or permanent.

• Body Art - It means the practice of body adornment physically or artists utilizing, but not exactly limited to techniques of tattooing, branding, sculpting, body piercing, and scarification etc. This definition is not for the practices under the supervision of a physician licensed to practice medicine under Colorado law and not for the piercing of the outer ear using sterilized stud and clasp etc.

• Body Artist - It means a person, who performs body art procedures like tattooing and piercing.

• Invasive - It means entry into the body through the skin or mucosa using incision or insertion of body ornament, any instrument etc.

• Procedure Area It means surface of an inanimate object that contacts the skin during a body art practice like tattooing, where instruments are placed during a body art procedure.

• Sterilization It means process which, results in the destruction of all forms of microbial life totally, which includes highly resistant bacterial spores.

• Tattooing - It means inserting pigment under the surface of the skin or mucosa of human with use of needle or other means, to change the color or appearance of the skin permanently or to make indelible mark or picture visible through the human skin.

• Universal Precautions - It means a set of precautions declared in order to prevent transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and other blood borne pathogens which are defined by the Centers for Disease Control. As per the Universal Precautions, certain body fluids and blood of all individuals are considered as infectious.

Section 2 : Minimum Requirements : For Body Artists

2-201 All body artists shall comply with the following:

• A body artists shall possess and demonstrate knowledge of Universal Precautions, sterilization techniques, procedures for infection, disinfection and exposure control required in section 7-701(a), as well as should know abut the Infectious Waste Management Plan as required in Section 7-701(b)4.

• A body artists shall receive vaccination against the hepatitis B or ready to give written statement to the owner of the body art establishment, which states he or she declines the vaccination.