Safety notice

What Florida law requires

• Tattoo and piercing studios must obtain Biomedical Waste Permits from the County Health Department and maintain regular biomedical-waste disposal service.
• Studios must maintain regular spore testing of the autoclaves used to sterilize equipment — once every 90 days or after 40 hours of logged use. This detects faulty units and prevents them from being used. We test monthly — 3× more often than required.
• Artists must be licensed, take state-sanctioned Blood Borne Pathogens courses and exams, and renew their license yearly.
• Studios must be licensed by the County Health Department and are subject to unannounced inspections.
• Studios must also pay their local business licenses — supporting the community they operate in.

Be wary of shops that don't meet these requirements or post their receipts. These rules exist for your safety. If you come across an artist or shop that doesn't comply, stay away. If your gut tells you something isn't right — trust it and leave.