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Guidelines for hosting a body art event
Requirements for tattoo, body piercing, and permanent cosmetics at a special event such as a fair or festival.
Special events
Special events like fairs or festivals must be temporary. The event must be 7 days or less in a 90 day period.
Before the event, make sure to submit:
- A permit application at least 30 days before the event
- An exposure control plan including sterilization procedures
- Copies of each practitioner's:
- Body art license
- Bloodborne Pathogen Certificate
Each practitioner must have a license to practice body art. If body art practitioners do not have a license to practice body art in San Francisco, they can get a temporary license. Students can also get a registration card from their local enforcement agency.
Booths
Body art practitioners must be able to wash their hands at a demonstration booth.
The booth must:
- Be in a building where practitioners have access to
- Hand washing facilities
- Hot and cold running water
- Liquid soap pump
- Single-use paper towels
- Have a partition at least 3 feet high separating the procedure area from the public
- Have at least 50 square feet of floor space for each practitioner
- Be free of insect or rodent infestation
- Be only for performing body art
- Have enough light where the practitioner is performing body art
1 booth
If you have 1 body art booth at your event, make sure:
- It has hand washing equipment
- It has soap and paper towels
- It has a five-gallon container of potable water with a spigot
- It has a waste water collection tank of the corresponding size
- You refill potable water
- You empty the waste water tank so it doesn't interrupt use
2 or more booths
If you have 2 or more body art booths at your event, make sure:
- There are hand wash areas for practitioners throughout the event
- The hand wash areas are within a booth with partitions at least 3 feet high separating the hand wash area from the public
Venue
The venue must have:
- A commercial, self-contained hand wash station with at least 5 gallons of portable water
- A trash receptacle
- 1 wash area for every 2 demonstration booths at the event
- Smooth, cleanable flooring
- No food, drink, or smoking or tobacco products at the demonstration booth
- No animals