What is Florida’s definition of body piercing?

Section 381.0075, Florida Statutes defines body piercing as for commercial purposes, the act of penetrating the skin to make, generally permanent in nature, a hole, mark, or scar.

What is Florida’s definition of operator?

Section 381.0075, Florida Statutes defines an operator as an individual designated by a licensee to control the operation of an establishment (body piercing salon).

What is the state of Florida’s definition of “piercer”?

Rule 64E-19.002, Florida Administrative Code, defines a piercer as any person who performs body-piercing procedures in an establishment regulated under this chapter.

What are the requirements to practice body piercing in the state of Florida?
  • Body piercing is a regulated industry in Florida with the licensure required for the body piercing establishment.  Each body piercing establishment must meet all the requirements for licensure as stated in Section 381.0075, F.S., and Rule 64E-19.002, F.A.C.
  • Individual body piercers are not licensed or certified in Florida.  Prior to conducting body piercing and annually thereafter, body piercers and operators are required to attend a Department of Health-approved body piercing training course.  This course covers regulations and requirements for operating a body piercing establishment in Florida, sterilization procedures, aseptic technique, and infection control issues. It is also recommended that you contact the individual providers listed, as the Department may not yet be aware of any upcoming classes.
  • In addition to the body piercing establishment licensure, a  biomedical waste generator permit must also be obtained for the location of the business.
Where can I get body piercing training?

View scheduled training and contact information for body piercing training courses.

The Department may not be aware of all upcoming trainings, so it is recommended that you contact the providers individually to see if they have a training scheduled.

How do I apply for a body piercing salon permit?
How much does the body piercing salon permit cost?

The state fee is $150, but there may be additional county fees. Contact your local county health department in the county of the body piercing location to learn if there are any additional fees. 

What other forms do I need for my body piercing salon?
Where can I locate the requirements for a body piercing salon?
Are there requirements for the operator?

In Florida, operators and piercers are required to complete an initial formal training course prior to practicing body piercing.  Annually thereafter, operators and piercers may complete an initial formal course or a refresher course. Please note, an initial formal course must be completed prior to completing a refresher course in accordance with section 64E-19.007, F.A.C.

What is aseptic technique?

Aseptic techniques are methods used in piercing procedures to prevent contamination of a pierced area by pathogenic organisms.  This includes maintaining a sterile field, using sterile instruments and jewelry, and wearing sterile gloves.

What is a sterile field?

A specified area, free of microorganisms, which holds the sterile equipment and jewelry.

 Guidelines for Creating a Sterile Field – identifies different ways to create a sterile field.

I can use any gloves out of the box to pierce, correct?

Non-sterile gloves (gloves sold by the box) may be used when preparing the customer’s skin prior to piercing and setting up the sterile field.  

Sterile gloves (sterile individually packaged gloves) must be worn when performing the body piercing procedure.

photo of a package of sterile gloves
Why are my packages wet after sterilization?

If your packages are still wet after sterilization, either you did not allow the autoclave to complete its dry cycle or loaded the autoclave incorrectly (stacked packages on top of each other), or the autoclave is malfunctioning.

What type of autoclave or sterilizer should I use?

A body piercing salon shall have a steam autoclave for sterilizing instruments. Steam autoclaves only use water for sterilization.

What types of autoclaves or sterilizers are not accepted?

We do not allow Prestige or Chemiclave autoclaves. The Prestige autoclave is manufactured to sterilize unpackaged instruments. The Chemiclave is a sterlizer, not an autoclave, which uses a chemical for sterilization.