Alabama: Permanent Makeup & Nano Brows Regulation
Verified against official sources, 2026-07-14.
How can you check Nano Brows providers in Alabama?
No online lookup located: As of 2026-07-14, we did not locate a public online lookup. You may ask the provider for the credential's name and issuing agency.
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
Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) — statewide body-art rules administered/inspected through county health departments; dual FACILITY permit + individual OPERATOR license
Does it cover permanent makeup / nano brows?
Coverage: explicitly-covered
§22-17A-1(2) defines body art to include "tattooing, branding, scarification, or body piercing"; ADPH's rule definition of tattooing (420-3-23-.02) is indelible-mark, tool-neutral — machine PMU/nano brows fall within tattooing (explicit 'cosmetic tattooing'/'permanent makeup' wording appears in ADPH's public body-art FAQ, which names permanent cosmetics as body art requiring licensure). Physician/medical exemption: practice of medicine excluded (§22-17A-7).
Artist requirements
| License required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Training | no state hour minimum in statute/rule — operator license requires bloodborne-pathogen training, current First Aid + CPR, hep-B vaccination or signed declination, and county health department application (420-3-23-.04) |
| Exam | none identified (no state exam in statute/rule) |
| Bloodborne pathogen | yes |
| Minimum age | operator 18+; CLIENTS: STATUTORY TENSION FLAGGED (publish-hold): §22-17A-2(a) contemplates minors with parental/guardian consent present during procedure, while §22-17A-3(a)(2) requires clients be "18 years of age or older" — both clauses current law; ADPH rule 420-3-23-.06 requires photo-ID age verification. DISPLAY LANGUAGE HELD for owner (B10 register) — conservative reading: 18+ for tattooing/PMU with a consent clause of uncertain scope |
| Fee | operator license fee set by county health department schedule — statewide figure UNRESOLVED (county-variable; §22-17A-6 authorizes fees) |
| Renewal | annual |
Facility requirements
| License required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Inspection regime | county health department pre-permit inspection + routine inspections; permit annual, non-transferable, posted (420-3-23-.03) |
| Fee | per county schedule |
| Renewal | annual |
Local variation
County-level variation: Yes
Statewide ADPH rules set the floor; administration, fees, and inspection cadence run through county health departments (e.g., Jefferson, Mobile) — practical requirements vary by county.
Reciprocity
None identified — no reciprocity/endorsement provision in §22-17A or ch. 420-3-23 (out-of-state operators apply as new applicants through the county).
Pending / recent changes
Active changes: None identified
No 2025-26 Alabama bill amending §22-17A located (UNRESOLVED margins — ALISON direct sweep queued).
What this means before you book
Alabama regulates PMU as body art through the state health department with two layers: the studio holds an annual county-issued facility permit and the artist holds an operator license (bloodborne-pathogen training, CPR/First Aid, hepatitis-B vaccination or declination). There's no public statewide license roster — verification runs through your county health department. Alabama's minor-client rules contain conflicting statutory language; the conservative reading is 18+.
Statutes & sources cited
- Ala. Code §22-17A-1 et seq. (Body Art Facilities and Operators; Act 2016-346): §2 practice restrictions/parental-consent clause, §3 client requirements incl. 18+ clause, §4 facility permits, §5 operator licenses, §6 fees, §8 penalties (Class C misdemeanor)
- Ala. Admin. Code ch. 420-3-23 (Body Art Practice; ADPH rules): -23-.03 facility permits (annual, non-transferable), -23-.04 operator licensing (BBP training, First Aid/CPR, hepatitis B vaccination or declination), -23-.06 client records incl. photo-ID age verification, -23-.09 enforcement