Minnesota: Permanent Makeup & Nano Brows Licensing and Regulation

Verified against official sources, 2026-07-13.

How can you check Nano Brows providers in Minnesota?

Minnesota licenses the studio, not the artist — you can look up a shop or business here, but you can't check an individual person's license.

Official lookup for Minnesota

A lookup result reflects only the information shown by the issuing agency. Directory inclusion does not certify a provider's credentials or legal compliance.

Who regulates it

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Health Regulation Division — state-run licensing of body art TECHNICIANS and ESTABLISHMENTS under Minn. Stat. ch. 146B; certain cities/counties license establishments locally instead under the 146B.02 subd. 9 meet-or-exceed exemption

Does it cover permanent makeup / nano brows?

Coverage: explicitly-covered

REVIEWER RE-VERIFIED at revisor.mn.gov: §146B.01 subd. 18: "'Micropigmentation or cosmetic tattooing' means the use of tattoos for permanent makeup or to hide or neutralize skin discolorations." Subd. 30: "Tattooing... also includes micropigmentation and cosmetic tattooing." No distinct cosmetic-technician category — PMU artists hold the standard tattoo technician license (subd. 31). Exempt (§146B.03 subd. 3): licensed medical/dental professionals in-scope (MDs, nurses, chiropractors, acupuncturists, PAs, dental).

Artist requirements

License required	Yes
Training	200 hours supervised tattoo/PMU experience (dual license: + piercing track); bloodborne pathogen coursework 5 hrs within the prior year (§146B.03 subd. 4(b), subd. 12)
Exam	none identified (experience + coursework model)
Bloodborne pathogen	yes — 5-hr coursework
Minimum age	18+ (§146B.03 subd. 4(a)(1)); clients: tattooing/PMU under 18 = gross misdemeanor REGARDLESS of parental consent (§146B.07 subd. 2(b))
Fee	$420 initial / biennial renewal; temporary license $240 (1 yr, renewable 2x); guest artist $140 (<30 days/yr, §146B.04)
Renewal	2-year term

Facility requirements

License required	Yes
Inspection regime	inspected within 1 year of provisional license, then at least once per 2-year cycle; refusal = grounds for denial/revocation (§146B.02 subd. 3)
Fee	$1,500 provisional + $1,500 initial / 2-yr renewal (§146B.10)
Renewal	biennial

Local variation

County-level variation: Yes

State-run scheme with a LOCAL-EXEMPTION carve-out: establishments in jurisdictions whose ordinance provisions 'meet or exceed' ch. 146B are exempt from MDH establishment licensing (§146B.02 subd. 9) — MDH's exempt list: Minneapolis, Maplewood, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Brooklyn Park, Minnetonka, New Hope + Anoka, Hennepin, Steele counties. Technicians stay state-licensed everywhere.

What this jurisdiction requires you to be told

The wording is fixed by the jurisdiction. It does not merely require the topic to be covered — it sets the words. Scope: Statewide (Minnesota). Chapter 146B is the state body-art regime; the informed-consent duty sits at the practitioner level and applies to permanent cosmetics — MDH publishes a PMU-specific form.

a tattoo is considered permanent and may only be removed with a surgical procedure; and that any effective removal may leave scarring

The wording as the jurisdiction requires it.

Required wording can lag practice. Language of this kind generally predates modern removal methods, so it may describe removal in narrower terms than what is available today. It is reproduced here as the jurisdiction words it, not as a statement of current clinical practice.

Minn. Stat. §146B.07 subd. 3 (Professional Standards — Informed Consent). Implemented by the Minnesota Department of Health 'Body Art Consent and Health Disclosure Form for Permanent Cosmetics' (regulator-authored form). Mandate type: prescribed-text. Checked 2026-08-18. This describes what the jurisdiction requires. It is not a statement about any studio's compliance.

Reciprocity

YES — license by endorsement: commissioner "shall issue" a technician license to a holder of a current out-of-state license whose standards meet or exceed Minnesota's, plus a good-standing letter (§146B.03 subd. 8 — CORRECTED cite; subd. 7 is temporary licensure).

What this means before you book

Minnesota licenses both the PMU technician (state license: 18+, 200 supervised hours, bloodborne-pathogen coursework, $420/2 yrs) and the establishment — but several metro cities including Minneapolis license establishments locally instead, so check with the city if a studio isn't in MDH's lookup. Tattooing including PMU is barred outright for anyone under 18, regardless of parental consent.

Statutes & sources cited

Minn. Stat. ch. 146B (Body Art; 2010 c 317, amended through 2024 c 127)
Minn. Stat. §146B.01 subd. 18 & 30 (PMU definitions — REVIEWER RE-VERIFIED verbatim this session)
Minn. Stat. §146B.07 (minors: tattooing under 18 = gross misdemeanor regardless of consent)