Pennsylvania: Permanent Makeup & Nano Brows Regulation

Verified against official sources, 2026-07-12.

How can you check Nano Brows providers in Pennsylvania?

No online lookup located: As of 2026-07-12, 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

None identified at state level for licensure — no Department of Health tattoo/body-art program exists; local health departments regulate where they act (Philadelphia DPH, Erie County DH; Allegheny County only beginning to draft rules as of mid-2026)

Does it cover permanent makeup / nano brows?

Coverage: unaddressed

No state licensure addresses PMU or tattooing. ABSENCE ESTABLISHED AT OFFICIAL LEVEL (convergent): Rep. Major's official co-sponsorship memo (2024-12-11, re-verified on palegis.us this session) announces legislation 'to require licensure of tattoo artists and tattoo establishments in Pennsylvania' and states it 'will also address the growing trend of permanent makeup allowing for licensure'; HB1180's official title creates de-novo licensure with no statute references; Allegheny County's complete regulation list contains no body-art article; PALS lists no tattoo license type. Cosmetology angle: the State Board of Cosmetology has fined salons for hosting microblading (Jan 2019 disciplinary actions) — PMU is OUTSIDE cosmetology scope and cannot be done in a licensed salon (49 Pa. Code §7.77). §6311 (minors) applies to tattooing generally with no PMU definition. Caveat: no single agency webpage states the absence — display language is a B10 register item.

Artist requirements

License required	No individual artist license at this level
Training	none statewide
Exam	none statewide
Bloodborne pathogen	no — not required statewide (Philadelphia requires BBP certification for its certificate; see overlay)
Minimum age	no artist age rule statewide; clients under 18 require parental consent AND presence (18 Pa.C.S. §6311)
Fee	n/a
Renewal	n/a

Facility requirements

License required	No
Inspection regime	none statewide; local regimes only (Philadelphia, Erie County)
Fee	n/a
Renewal	n/a

Local variation

County-level variation: Yes

No state scheme to preempt — the landscape is a local patchwork: Philadelphia certifies establishments and artists; Erie County licenses/inspects body-art establishments (2016 regulations, published facility list); Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) had no body-art article and was holding first community meetings on draft rules in May 2026 (press-reported, secondary). Pending HB1180 §11 would preserve stricter local ordinances.

Local overlays

Philadelphia (city)

Real certification regime where the state has none: 'Regulations Governing Operation and Conduct of Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishments' (approved 2001-08-14 / 2002-01-23); definition of body art expressly includes 'cosmetic tattooing'. Establishment certificate $100/yr (expires Dec 31; $255 plan review for new businesses; pre-opening inspection required). Artist ('operator') certificate $40 / 3 years — qualification via prior certificate, 3-year tattoo apprenticeship, or documented full-time practice, plus Department-approved bloodborne-pathogens training; temporary artist certificate $10. Minors: under 16 prohibited (physician-prescribed exception); 16–17 written parental consent in person with photo ID — stricter than state §6311. Medical practitioners exempt for patient treatment. Commercial Activity License required as general business baseline.

Reciprocity

n/a — no state license exists; Philadelphia qualifies incoming artists via documented experience/apprenticeship rather than reciprocity.

Pending / recent changes

Active changes: Yes

HB 1180, 'Tattoo Practice Act' (Rep. Abby Major R-60 + Rep. Malagari D-53, bipartisan): DOH licensure of artists ($≤150/yr, BBP course + exam >70%), establishments ($≤250/yr, initial + 20% random annual inspections), 14-day temporary/guest registrations; expressly defines and accommodates 'permanent makeup' (single-room PMU establishments inside other businesses, §4(c)). Status: referred to House Professional Licensure 2025-04-09, no action since (verified on palegis.us 2026-07-12). History of failed attempts: HB 456 (2017-18) passed the House 173-17 and died in Senate; HB 1897 (2023-24) died in committee. Also watch: Allegheny County ACHD rule-drafting process (no draft yet as of May 2026).

What this means before you book

Pennsylvania currently has no statewide license for tattooing or permanent makeup, so there is no state registry where a PMU artist's credentials can be looked up; what applies depends on where the studio is located. In Philadelphia, body-art studios and artists must hold Health Department certificates that are required to be posted in the shop (no online lookup; the Health Department answers certificate questions directly). In most of the rest of the state — including Pittsburgh, where county rules were still being explored as of mid-2026 — oversight comes from local rules where they exist, so consumers often ask studios directly about local permits, bloodborne-pathogen training, and hygiene practices. [B10: display language for this no-statewide-requirement statement requires owner/attorney review before publication.]

Statutes & sources cited

18 Pa.C.S. §6311 (Tattooing and body piercing — minors; parental consent AND presence required; misdemeanor)
49 Pa. Code §7.77 (salon may not be used for purposes other than cosmetology — the Cosmetology Board's enforcement hook against in-salon microblading)