Iowa: Permanent Makeup & Nano Brows Regulation
Verified against official sources, 2026-07-14.
How can you check Nano Brows providers in Iowa?
Online lookup available: You may search the issuing agency's public lookup for the provider or establishment.
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
Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) — dedicated tattoo permits for artists AND establishments; PMU is Iowa's named 'permanent color technology' inside the tattooing definition. RECODIFICATION NOTE: former Iowa Code §135.37 (IDPH/HHS) TRANSFERRED to §10A.531 (2023 Acts ch. 19 §1711); former rule 641 IAC ch. 22 TRANSFERRED to 481 IAC ch. 492 (IAC Supp. 4/2/25) — old cites are STALE and still appear in DIAL's own PDFs and county pages
Does it cover permanent makeup / nano brows?
Coverage: explicitly-covered
481—492.2(10A), verbatim: "'Tattooing' includes permanent color technology that is the process by which the skin is marked or colored by insertion of nontoxic dyes or pigments into the dermis portion of the skin so as to form indelible marks for cosmetic purposes"; "'Tattoo artist' means any person, including a permanent color technologist, engaged in the practice of tattooing." DIAL's own Medical Aesthetic Services guidance: "Tattooing includes the following: General tattooing / Microblading / Permanent Makeup." Narrow medical exemption: tattooing in the practice of medicine by physicians or their properly delegated personnel (481—492.3(3), via 653 IAC ch. 13); DIAL guidance separately states tattooing is NOT a 'medical aesthetic service' — exact boundary for delegated cosmetic PMU UNRESOLVED.
Artist requirements
| License required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Training | NONE — no training-hour, apprenticeship, or curriculum requirement (confirmed absence: full statute + full rule chapter silent; DIAL's 'Tattoo Artist Training' guidance lists only BBP + first-aid certs); §10A.531(2) affirmatively BARS requiring a diploma/GED/degree |
| Exam | none (confirmed absence, same convergence) |
| Bloodborne pathogen | yes — current BBP certification (Red Cross or equivalent) + current first-aid certificate (CPR/AED-only NOT accepted) |
| Minimum age | 18+ artist (481—492.10(3)); CLIENTS: FLAT BAN under 18 — "A minor shall not obtain a tattoo and a person shall not provide a tattoo to a minor... 'minor' means an unmarried person who is under the age of eighteen years" (§10A.531(3), reviewer-verified verbatim) — NO parental-consent exception; violation = serious misdemeanor (§10A.531(4)); note the legacy 'unmarried' qualifier (1989 text) remains current law |
| Fee | $75/yr ($150 if applying Oct–Dec for current+following year); $25/month late fee from Dec 1; >90 days lapsed = deactivation, $25 reinstatement |
| Renewal | annual — all permits expire December 31 regardless of issue date |
Facility requirements
| License required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Inspection regime | pre-opening on-site inspection + ANNUAL inspections (481—492.9, 492.13); $250 inspection fee (local inspection agencies may set own fees, 492.13(3)); commercial zoning required, no residential operation (pre-2010 grandfather only); min 300 sq ft; client records 3 yrs; no new mobile-unit permits (legacy only) |
| Fee | $100/yr establishment ($200 Oct–Dec two-year window); temporary events $100–$300 tiered |
| Renewal | annual (Dec 31) |
Local variation
County-level variation: Yes
Single statewide DIAL scheme — no independent local licensing layer identified. Local variation is administrative: DIAL delegates INSPECTION to city/county/district boards of health by agreement (§10A.531(7)); most of the 99 counties are covered by delegated county boards (DIAL publishes the full roster); Polk County (Des Moines) is inspected by DIAL directly.
Reciprocity
NONE — confirmed absence: statute + rule silent; Iowa's universal-recognition law (§272C.12) reaches only enumerated 'licensing boards' (§272C.1(6) list reviewed — tattoo program not included, though other DIAL programs were expressly added, showing deliberate omission). Practical burden is low anyway (no exam/hours to duplicate).
Pending / recent changes
Active changes: None identified
91st GA (2025-26) adjourned sine die; no tattoo/PMU bill found (legis.iowa.gov searches + NEHA Oct-2025 tracker: only HF 711 cosmetology-training and SF 87 acupuncture — neither PMU-scope; HF 711 enrolled-text read queued at low priority). Recent enacted context: 2023 SF 219 no-diploma bar; 2023 reorganization moved the program to DIAL.
What this means before you book
Iowa licenses both PMU artists and studios through the state inspections department (DIAL) — PMU is expressly regulated as 'permanent color technology' within tattooing, and a cosmetology or esthetics license alone does not authorize it. There is no state training-hour or exam requirement (the license attests age, ID, bloodborne-pathogen and first-aid training); studios are inspected annually. Iowa bans tattooing/PMU for anyone under 18 with no parental-consent exception. A state license search portal exists; its search capabilities are being re-verified.
Statutes & sources cited
- Iowa Code §10A.531 (Tattooing — permit requirement — penalty; C2024; REVIEWER RE-FETCHED official 2026 Code PDF 2026-07-14, text verified verbatim incl. subsection 3 minors ban and subsection 2 no-diploma bar)
- 481 IAC ch. 492 (Practice of Tattooing; DIAL; current text IAC 4/2/25, last substantive amendment ARC 7832C eff. 2024-05-22): 492.2 definitions incl. 'permanent color technology', 492.9 establishments, 492.10 artist permits, 492.13 inspections
- Iowa Code §157.3A (cosmetology cross-tie: licensed estheticians/cosmetologists applying 'permanent makeup or cosmetic micropigmentation' SHALL comply with §10A.531 — a cosmetology license alone does NOT authorize PMU)