Maryland: Permanent Makeup & Nano Brows Regulation

Verified against official sources, 2026-07-14.

How can you check Nano Brows providers in Maryland?

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

NO STATE LICENSING — official absence chain: MDH's own page ('Maryland Department of Health does not license tattoo and body piercing businesses'); Board of Cosmetologists FAQ ('We do not currently offer a license for microblading or permanent makeup. Cosmetic tattooing is prohibited in salons in Maryland'); DLS fiscal note quoting DLLR ('no jurisdiction over tattooing, except to prohibit licensees from performing cosmetic tattooing'); no body-art COMAR chapter exists (only general communicable-disease control, COMAR 10.06.01). Regulation is COUNTY-driven: Baltimore City, Calvert, Allegany, Worcester have ordinances (MDH's list, 'may not be complete')

Does it cover permanent makeup / nano brows?

Coverage: explicitly-covered

Explicit at BOTH levels but in opposite directions. State: the cosmetology board names microblading/PMU only to EXCLUDE and PROHIBIT it — COMAR 09.22.02.03.F bans cosmetic tattooing in all salons (no physician carve-out within F; the §.03.J medical exception covers only laser/microdermabrasion items), so PMU sits wholly outside cosmetology licensure and outside salons; statewide, only the COMAR 10.06.01 infection-control/consent duties apply. Counties: Calvert §15-3 / Allegany §487-3 define PERMANENT MAKEUP verbatim ('Adornment of the body (i.e., eyebrows, lining of eyelids, etc.) by placing ink or other pigment into or under the skin...') and fold it into 'tattoo'; Baltimore City's tool-neutral definition captures PMU in practice (its licensed-establishment roster includes PMU studios); Worcester requires ALL tattooing be performed under the direction and in the presence of a physician/osteopath — the only such requirement in this DB. Physician exemptions: Calvert/Allegany exempt physicians + directly-supervised technicians.

Artist requirements

License required	No individual artist license at this level
Training	no state credential (absence chain above). County artist credentials: Baltimore City tattooist registration (§13-202); Worcester individual license + physician supervision + (piercing) 21+ and 40-hr apprenticeship; Calvert/Allegany: no individual license — studio permit + CPR/BBP certs on file per artist
Exam	none anywhere identified
Bloodborne pathogen	county-level (Calvert/Allegany §§15-17/487-17 CPR+BBP on file); statewide COMAR 10.06.01.06.H infection-control duties apply to every performer regardless of licensure
Minimum age	no artist floor identified (Worcester: employees 18+ by definition); CLIENTS: NO state statute — the only statewide minors rule is the COMAR consent mechanic (parent/guardian consent, retained 3 yrs, NO penalty provision; consent-penalty bills failed 1997-2010: HB 45/2009, HB 262/2010 et al.). County split: Baltimore City ABSOLUTE BAN ('No person may tattoo any minor', §13-304, no consent exception); Calvert/Allegany: under-18 allowed with accompanying parent/guardian + written consent; Worcester: 18+ by definition ('patron' must be over 18) — B10-CLASS DISPLAY CARE: the map must show the county, not a single statewide rule
Fee	county-variable
Renewal	county-variable

Facility requirements

License required	Yes
Inspection regime	county permits where ordinances exist: Baltimore City establishment license (Commissioner of Health) + U&O permit, annual, ~30 licensed establishments; Calvert 'Body Art Studio' $200 initial/$160 renewal, Dec 31 expiry, mobile units BARRED; Allegany same model but mobile/event units permitted ≤14 days; Worcester facility permit + physician-supervision regime; Anne Arundel confirms NO local licensing (defers to COMAR conduct rule)
Fee	county-variable ($200/$160 Calvert)
Renewal	annual where permitted

Local variation

County-level variation: Yes

No statewide scheme to preempt; counties act under home rule or (Calvert, uniquely) an item-specific state grant. Verified: Baltimore City, Calvert, Allegany, Worcester ordinances; Anne Arundel confirmed none; Montgomery/Prince George's none found (UNRESOLVED-ABSENCE); Baltimore County minors misdemeanor reported in a 2010 official fiscal note but current code UNVERIFIED (JS platform) — queued.

Reciprocity

n/a — no state license to reciprocate (MD joined the Cosmetology Licensure Compact 2024, but PMU is excluded from MD cosmetology licensure, so the compact has no PMU effect); no county ordinance reviewed contains an endorsement clause.

Pending / recent changes

Active changes: None identified

No 2025/2026 tattoo/PMU/body-art bill found (mgaleg lookups + Board legislative page + sweeps; mgaleg full-text search is JS-gated — margins caveat). Historical pattern is consent-penalty bills, not licensure (HB 45/2009 passed House then died; HB 262/2010; seven 1997-98 bills) — watch for refile of that class.

What this means before you book

Maryland has no state license for PMU — in fact the state cosmetology board prohibits cosmetic tattooing (including microblading) in licensed salons entirely, so PMU operates outside the salon system under county rules that differ sharply: Baltimore City licenses studios and registers tattooists (and bans tattooing minors outright, with a public roster you can check); Calvert and Allegany counties permit 'Body Art Studios' and allow minors only with a parent present and written consent; Worcester County requires a physician's supervision for any tattooing; many other counties have no body-art program at all, leaving only the statewide consent-and-hygiene rule — which carries no penalty. Where you are in Maryland determines nearly everything.

Statutes & sources cited

COMAR 10.06.01.02.B(27) + .06.H (statewide 'skin-penetrating body adornment procedure' infection-control/consent duties on ANY performer — conduct rule, not licensure; NO penalty provision, per official fiscal notes)
COMAR 09.22.02.03.F (cosmetology: 'Cosmetic tattooing' PROHIBITED in any salon; chapter revised eff. 2026-03-02 — current text verified; Board's own gloss: 'Microblading and other forms of permanent, semi-permanent, or long-lasting make-up are all cosmetic tattooing')
Md. Code, Local Gov't §13-406 (state enabling statute authorizing CALVERT COUNTY specifically to regulate tattoo/body-piercing services, enforced by its health dept — fetched verbatim; other counties act under home-rule/charter power)
County codes: Baltimore City Health Code tit. 13 (§13-201 establishment license, §13-202 tattooist registration, §13-304 'No person may tattoo any minor'); Calvert Code ch. 15 / Allegany ch. 487 (identical 'Body Art Studio' model, PERMANENT MAKEUP defined verbatim); Worcester PLL §§PH1-103, PH1-107 (physician-supervision requirement)