Laws for minor interventions
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There are several laws for minor interventions, compared to genital mutilation of minors, which show the double standards in many countries on behalf of protecting children.
Contents
Body piercing
In many countries, piercing of minors is not allowed by law. Here is a list of some countries (to be continued):
Germany
Minors from 7 to 17 years are allowed to do business and contracts in the appropriation of their pocket money without consent of their parents, as German Civil Code states in section 110 (so-called pocket money paragraph). This is also true for body piercings and tattoos.[1]
UK
There are basic standards that apply across Britain. The law prohibits piercing the genitals of anyone under 16, the age of sexual consent, or the nipples of a girl under 16. In England, there is no age limit for piercing tongues, boys’ nipples or less intimate body parts. In Scotland, any piercings, even of earlobes, require parental approval before age 16.[2]
| Area | Genitals | Nipples (female) | Tongue | Nipples (male) | Other body parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britain | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| England | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scotland | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Wales | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
USA
The USA have varying state regulations for piercing minors. The following list has been adapted from the website painfulpleasures.com[3].
| State | Age Limit | Approval | Offence | Penalty | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written, informed consent from parent / legal guardian | Presence of parent or guardian during piercing | Additional obligations | ||||
| Alabama | 18 | X | ?? | ?? | ||
| Alaska | 18 | X | X | The piercer must keep a copy of the written permission on file for a minimum of 3 years | Class B misdemeanor | ?? |
| Arizona | 18 | X | Class 6 felony | ?? | ||
| Arkansas | 18 | X | X | misdemeanor | fine between $20 and $200 | |
| California | 18 (except ear piercings) | X | OR parent or guardian providing notarized approval | ?? | ?? | |
| Colorado | 18 | X (express consent) | petty offense | $250 fine | ||
| Connecticut | 18 | X | ?? | ?? | ||
| Delaware | 18 | X | ?? | ?? | ||
| District of Columbia | free | - | - | - | none yet | ?? |
| Florida | 18 | X | X (optional) | ?? | ?? | |
| Georgia | 18 | X | misdemeanor | ?? | ||
| Hawaii | free (16+ for navel and ear piercings in many shops) | (present valid photo ID in many shops) (nipple and genital piercings excluded) | ?? | ?? | ||
| Idaho | 14 (except earlobe piercing) | X (in the presence of the person performing the piercing or an employee or agent of the piercer) | misdemeanor offense | fine of up to $500; 2nd offence within a year of the first one, they may be fined another $500 to $1,000 | ||
| Illinois | 18 (exception for emancipated or married minors) | X | Class C misdemeanor (Allowing a minor unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian to step foot into a tattoo and piercing shop is deemed a Class A misdemeanor.) | ?? | ||
| Indiana | 18 | X | X | ?? | ?? | |
| Iowa | free for piercings, 18 for tattoos | parental consent, some shops won't pierce or tattoo anyone under the age of 18 under any circumstances, even with parental consent | ?? | |||
| Kansas | 18 | X (notarized) | X | Piercers must keep copies of written permission to pierce minors on file for 5 years. | Class A misdemeanor | ?? |
| Kentucky | 18 | X (notarized) | ?? | ?? | ||
| Louisiana | 18 | X | X | ?? | fine between $100 and $500 and/or imprisoned for 30-100 days. | |
| Maine | 18 (some shops have different rules, e.g. 15+ for navels and noses, 16+ for eyebrows and tongues) | X | ?? | ?? | ||
| Maryland | 18 (free for ear piercing) | X (in the presence of the piercer or his or her employee) | from $300 for a first offense to $3,000 for multiple violations | |||
| Massachusetts | 18 (only for nipple and genital piercings) | X | (various guidelines in different shops) | ?? | ||
| Michigan | 18 | X (in the presence of the piercer or their employee) | ?? | |||
| Minnesota | 18 | X (witnessed) | X | misdemeanor | ?? | |
| Mississippi | 18 (except earlobe) | X | misdemeanor | ?? | ||
| Missouri | 18 | X (in the presence of a piercer or their agent) | X | misdemeanor | 1st offense: up to $500, repeated offenses: additional $500 to $1,000. | |
| Montana | 18 | X | X | fine up to $500 and/or imprisoned for up to 6 months. (A second offense may result in a fine of up to $1,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both.) | ||
| Nebraska | 18 | X | X | Piercers have to save written consent forms for at least 5 years. | unprofessional conduct | may jeopardize a piercer's license to practice |
| Nevada | 18 | X | X (in Clark County) | state- or school-issued picture identification must be provided both by the child and their guardian, and that a photocopy of the IDs must be kept on file with all related paperwork, which should include a signed release form | ?? | |
| New Hampshire | 18 | X | X | Shops must maintain records of piercing minors for 7 years. | ?? | |
| New Jersey | 18 | X | "disorderly persons offense" | ?? | ||
| New Mexico | 18 | X (e.g. Albuquerque City, hand-written and notarized; except ear piercing) | X if no written and notarized consent has been hand-delivered | unregulated | none | |
| New York | 18 | X | X | Shops must keep consent forms on file for a minimum of 12 months. | ?? | |
| North Carolina | 18 (except earlobes) | X | ?? | |||
| North Dakota | 18 | X | X | misdemeanor to sell tattoo or piercing equipment to a minor | ?? | |
| Ohio | 18 | X | X | ?? | ||
| Oklahoma | 18 | X | X | misdemeanor | up to 90 days of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both | |
| Oregon | 18 | X | X | If a facility fails to obtain a consent form prior to piercing a minor, though, they are violating state law and subject to disciplinary action. | ||
| Pennsylvania | 18 | X | X | 3rd degree misdemeanor | fine of $100, imprisonment for up to 3 years, or both. | |
| Rhode Island | 18 | X | ?? | |||
| South Carolina | 18 | not approvable | not approvable | ?? | ||
| South Dakota | 18 | X (required in many shops) | no state-wide regulations | ?? | ||
| Tennessee | 18 | X | X | They must also present proof of age, provide proof of guardianship or custody, and attest in writing that they are the minor's legal caretaker. | Class C misdemeanor | imprisonment for up to 30 days or a fine of up to $50. |
| Texas | X | The legal caretaker must provide evidence of their parental or guardian status and their consent must specify the part of the body to be pierced. | ?? | |||
| Utah | 18 | X | A piercer has to assign a personal ID number to a client and follow all proper protocol before piercing someone s/he did not know was a minor. | Class B misdemeanor | civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation | |
| Vermont | 18 | X (most shops) | X (most shops) | no state-wide regulations, seen as "unprofessional conduct" | ?? | |
| Virginia | 18 (except ear piercings and piercings under the supervision of a medical doctor, registered nurse, or other medical personnel) | X | Class 1 misdemeanor | ?? | ||
| Washington | 18 (for tattoos) | X (most shops) | X (most shops) | no rules | ?? | |
| West Virginia | 18 (for tattoos) | X (most shops) | ?? | |||
| Wisconsin | 16-17 | X | X | Piercing establishments are required to clearly post that it's illegal to pierce anyone under the age of 18 without a parent or guardian's informed written consent. Shops must maintain consent forms for 2 years after piercing anyone. | see: Wisconsin Administrative Code | ?? |
| Wyoming | 18 | X | X | Piercers must verify patrons' ages by examining proper identification. | misdemeanor | imprisonment for up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to $750 |
Tattoos
Europe
There is no special European law which defines age limits for tattoos on minors. Various European countries have different or even no regulations.
| Country | With parent's consent | Without parent's consent | Law since | Special remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 16 | 18 | ||
| Belgium | ?? | ?? | ||
| Bulgaria | ?? | ?? | ||
| Cyprus | 18 | 18 | ||
| Czech Republic | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Denmark | 18 | 18 | 1966-06-15 | Tattoos forbidden on head, neck, hands |
| Estland | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Finnland | 16 | 18 | ||
| France | 16 | 16 | ||
| Germany | 16 | 16 | ||
| Greece | 18 | 18 | does not apply for permanent make-up | |
| Hungary | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Ireland | 14-16 | 18 | (many shops) | |
| Italy | ?? | ?? | ||
| Kroatia | 16 | 18 | ||
| Latvia | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Lithuania | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Luxembourg | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Malta | 18 | 18 | ||
| Netherlands | <16 | 16 | Tattoo shop has to keep signed consent for 10 years. | |
| Poland | ?? | ?? | ||
| Portugal | ?? | 18 | ||
| Romania | 18 | 18 | ||
| Slowakia | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Slowenia | ?? | ?? | no regulation found | |
| Spain | 14-16 | 18 | ||
| Sweden | 18 | 18 | ||
| UK | 18 | 18 | 1969-05-16 |