Washington: Permanent Makeup & Nano Brows Regulation
Verified against official sources, 2026-07-13.
How can you check Nano Brows providers in Washington?
Online lookup available: You may search the issuing agency's public lookup for the provider or establishment.
Official lookup for Washington
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
Washington Department of Licensing (DOL), Business & Professions — statewide artist and shop licensing under ch. 18.300 RCW; DOH sets sterilization rules (ch. 246-145 WAC)
Does it cover permanent makeup / nano brows?
Coverage: explicitly-covered
RCW 18.300.010 defines tattooing instrument-neutrally ("to pierce or puncture the human skin with a needle or other instrument for the purpose of implanting an indelible mark, or pigment, into the skin"); DOL operates a DEDICATED license type and states expressly: "If you apply permanent eyeliner, eyebrows, lip liner, lip color, or re-pigmentation by implanting pigment under the skin, you need a permanent cosmetic artist license." Machine nano brows = permanent cosmetic artist license. (Judgment call logged: license_required kept 'body-art' for cross-state consistency though WA's PMU license type is nominally distinct.)
Artist requirements
| License required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Training | no training-hour or exam requirement; requirements are 18+ and a current bloodborne pathogens certificate (WAC 308-22-040) |
| Exam | none |
| Bloodborne pathogen | yes — current/active BBP certificate |
| Minimum age | 18 (artist); clients must be 18+ (RCW 26.28.085, no consent exception) |
| Fee | $275 new/renewal ($385 late) |
| Renewal | annual |
Facility requirements
| License required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Inspection regime | location license per shop/mobile unit/event (RCW 18.300.070 inspections): separate outside entrance, customer toilets, no residential dual-use, zoning/fire compliance, ≥$100,000 public liability insurance |
| Fee | $330 per location ($440 late) |
| Renewal | annual (lapses if insurance lapses) |
Local variation
County-level variation: No
Statewide DOL scheme; no Seattle/King County body-art-specific licensing identified (UNRESOLVED-ABSENCE — no official preemption or absence statement located).
Local overlays
Seattle (King County) (city)
UNRESOLVED-ABSENCE: Seattle requires only its general business license tax certificate (body art not among regulatory endorsements identified); King County lists no body-art business license. Not officially confirmed as absent — do not publish as 'no local rules'. DOL aggregate data: 269 active Permanent Cosmetics licenses in King County (2026-05) — market-scale datum.
Reciprocity
No general reciprocity in ch. 18.300; military members/spouses may obtain a temporary license with an out-of-state license (RCW 18.300.160).
Pending / recent changes
Active changes: Yes
DOL rulemaking in progress: 'Professional industry licensing fees' touching WAC 308-22-050 (covers tattoo/piercing/body art) — preproposal WSR 26-14-106, 'Intent to change a rule' step 2026-07-01. No 2025-26 bills amending ch. 18.300 found (UNRESOLVED-ABSENCE).
What this means before you book
Washington licenses both the individual PMU artist (a dedicated 'permanent cosmetic artist' license — 18+, bloodborne-pathogen certified, renewed annually) and the shop location (which must carry $100,000 liability insurance); both are checkable in DOL's public license lookup. Tattooing anyone under 18 is a crime with no parental-consent exception.
Statutes & sources cited
- RCW ch. 18.300 (Body Art, Body Piercing, and Tattooing; 2009 c 412)
- WAC ch. 308-22 (licensing/fees/sanitation rules)
- RCW 26.28.085 (applying a tattoo — 'any permanent marking or coloring of the skin with any pigment' — to a minor under 18 is a misdemeanor; no parental-consent exception; physician procedures exempt)
Sources
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=18.300
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=308-22
- https://dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/tattoos-body-piercing-body-art-and-permanent-cosmetics/get-your-license-tattoos-body-piercing-body-art-and-permanent-cosmetics
- https://dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/tattoos-body-piercing-body-art-and-permanent-cosmetics/fees-tattoos-body-piercing-body-art-and-permanent-cosmetics
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=26.28.085
- https://professions.dol.wa.gov/s/license-lookup