District of Columbia Code Division VIII. General Laws. § 47-2853.76b. Regulation of body artists and body art establishments.

(1) Body artists to protect public health, safety, and welfare and to ensure that persons engaged in the occupation have the specialized skills, education, and training required to perform the services offered by establishing and imposing occupational licensing, registration requirements, and associated fee schedules; and

(2) Body art establishments to ensure that such establishments have adequate health, sanitization, sterilization and safety methods, procedures, equipment, and supplies by establishing minimum sterilization, sanitation, health, and safety standards for the operation of the establishments as may be necessary to prevent infection and contamination of equipment, supplies, or work surfaces with pathogenic organisms and by establishing and imposing operational licensing, registration requirements, and associated fee schedules.

(b)(1) All body art establishments offering tattooing procedures shall conspicuously post a written disclosure that states the following:

(2) All body art establishments offering tattooing procedures shall maintain documentation on the premises containing the following information and shall disclose to customers upon request:

(3) All body art establishments shall maintain and use regularly calibrated autoclave equipment for the sterilization of any non-disposable body art equipment at a frequency to be established by the Department of Health.

(4) Only single-use disposable sharps, pigments, gloves, and cleansing products shall be used in connection with body art procedures in body art establishments, in accordance with rules established by the Department of Health.

(5) A body art establishment that is in violation of this subsection shall be subject to license suspension or revocation and a maximum fine of $2,500.

(c)(1) No person shall operate a body art establishment or perform body art procedures in a body art establishment unless that establishment has obtained a valid body art establishment license issued by the Mayor.

(2) No body art establishment shall employ or permit body artists to perform body art procedures in the body art establishment unless the body artist holds a valid body art license issued by the Mayor.

(3) Any person violating paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection shall, upon conviction, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and may be punished by a fine not exceeding $2,500, imprisonment for not more than 3 months, or both.