Do you need a license to open a tanning salon? State permits, registration and operator training

The short answer: a state license, not a federal one

No federal agency licenses tanning salons. FDA regulates the equipment: tanning beds and booths are medical devices and electronic products, and 21 CFR 1040.20 is the performance standard for sunlamp products and the UV lamps that go in them. It covers timers, the emergency stop control, the protective eyewear that ships with each unit and the label with its exposure schedule. FDA says manufacturers are responsible for complying with it. Our guide to FDA tanning bed regulations covers what that means for the beds you buy.

FDA did propose federal duties for salon operators in December 2015, including a ban on anyone under 18. It withdrew that proposal on March 16, 2026, saying it no longer intended to finalize it. See FDA's withdrawn under-18 rule. So your permission to open comes from your state, and occasionally a local health department acting for it.

What nine states require, checked September 29, 2026

We read each state's own statute or administrative rule. Fees change, so confirm the current amount with the agency before you apply. Every other state is on our tanning laws by state hub.

One license per location, and none that transfers

Opening a second salon or buying an existing one means a new application. Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island say so in plain words: a separate application or permit for each facility. Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island also say the permit cannot move to another owner or another facility.

In Illinois, a new owner must apply before taking possession. The Act lets the department issue a provisional license until it can inspect, and the department says a new owner of a location with a current permit may operate for 90 days while the application is processed.

Rhode Island also wants written notice before any change that makes your application inaccurate. Replacing lamps with FDA-certified equivalents is the exception, as long as you keep the manufacturer's literature showing the equivalency. Our lamp replacement guide covers what counts as an equivalent lamp.

The license is not only for tanning salons. Iowa's definition of a tanning facility names health clubs, apartments and condominiums. Pennsylvania's covers any place a tanning device is used for a fee, membership dues or any other compensation. A gym that includes a bed in its membership should check its state's rules before switching it on.

Operator training and certification

Whether your staff need a training certificate depends on the state.

• Ohio requires a certified operator on duty at all times, which means passing a board-approved course of at least four hours with a score of at least 75%. The certificate is valid for four years, and the salon must keep one for each certified operator and produce it on request.
• North Carolina lets the equipment run only by, and in the presence of, people who completed a formal training course covering the six subjects the rule lists. The first registration application must include a copy of each operator's training certificate, and the remote timer must be set by a certified operator.
• Illinois requires training before an employee works as an operator, and a list of trained operators with the date, hours and materials of their training, kept at the salon for inspectors.
• Pennsylvania lists 10 subjects operators must know, including 21 CFR 1040.20, the six skin types and emergency procedures, and requires a signed affidavit or attestation on file.
• Rhode Island requires a written training manual for the facility and a record of each training session's date, time and subjects.
• Florida requires an operator present during operating hours who is trained under Department of Health rules.
• New York's statute and its Subpart 72-1 rules set no operator-training requirement.

The practical rule: in a state with an operator-present requirement, never leave an untrained employee alone on a shift. The penalty lands on the license, not only the employee. Illinois can refuse to renew a permit for violations, and Pennsylvania can suspend or revoke a certificate when a salon fails to fix a cited violation.

What the front desk does to keep the license

Inspectors check the salon, not just your application. These are the habits the laws above require.

• Post the license. Seven of the eight licensing states we checked require it to be displayed where customers can see it: Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. North Carolina requires current copies of the registration to be available to all employees.
• Keep visit records. Florida requires a record of each customer's use of a tanning device, kept at least 4 years. Pennsylvania requires each customer's total visits with the date, time and duration of each, kept 3 years, with computer records backed up to other media at least monthly and printable. New York requires the date, length and device for each visit, kept 2 years. Our recordkeeping guide goes state by state.
• Check ID. New York requires a government or school photo ID showing the client is 18 or older. Ohio has the certified operator ask for a valid driver's license or government photo ID with a birth date, and North Carolina requires legal ID showing the client is at least 18.
• Get the signed statement first. Florida requires a signed warning statement each time a person uses the facility or signs or renews a contract, and New York requires one on file before the first session. See our tanning consent form guide.
• Test timers on schedule. Ohio requires checks on mechanical timers whenever bulbs are changed and at least once a year. North Carolina requires a written timer test on each unit every year, and New York requires annual tests on all timers with the results kept 2 years.
• Report injuries. Florida requires the salon to report any injury or complaint of injury to the Department of Health on its forms and give the customer a copy.

Our inspection checklist turns these into a walk-through you can run before the inspector arrives.

Texas: no license, but the rules still apply

Texas stopped licensing tanning salons. Senate Bill 202 of 2015 amended Health and Safety Code chapter 145 and removed the licensing requirement. The state then repealed the health department's licensing rules, 25 TAC §§ 229.341 to 229.357, effective November 10, 2025. The department said it no longer had authority to license tanning facilities.

Chapter 145 still binds Texas salons. It requires a record of each customer's tanning, kept at the salon until at least the third anniversary of the client's last session. The record covers the date, time and length of each session, any injury or illness, the signed informed consent statement, the client's self-reported Fitzpatrick skin type and their personal and family history of skin cancer. It also requires an incident log of alleged injuries, sessions without protective eyewear, equipment problems and complaints, kept three years. A health authority can ask to copy or verify those records.

Other registrations that come with opening

The state tanning license is not the only registration. The IRS says businesses offering indoor tanning services generally collect a 10% federal excise tax when the customer pays, and report it quarterly on Form 720. You need an Employer Identification Number before you file your first Form 720. Spray tans are not taxed. Our tanning excise tax guide covers the filing.

Some states hand the work to local health departments. Illinois may use city and county health departments as its agents, Iowa may sign agreements with local boards of public health to run its program, and in New York a city or county health officer the state has authorized can issue permits. Ask your city or county what it needs, and see how to start a tanning salon for the rest of the opening checklist.

1. Open your state's page on our tanning laws hub and read the statute or rule it cites.
2. Contact the licensing agency before the beds arrive. Ohio inspects before it issues a permit, and Illinois law gives its inspectors 90 days after an application to complete the first inspection.
3. Budget the fee for every location. Some states also charge by the bed: Florida's statute caps its fee at $250 per device, and North Carolina adds $30 for each unit after the first.
4. Where your state requires it, book operator training for everyone who will run beds, and keep the certificates at the salon.
5. Set up your visit records and consent forms before the first client walks in.

How TanVision helps

Only your state can issue the license. What software can do is help you keep some of the records an inspector asks to see. In TanVision, each session is started from the client's record with the room and minutes chosen at check-in, and the visit stays on that record. Clients sign the consent form on their own phone, and the signed copy keeps the exact wording they agreed to. A UV session cannot start without a signed statement and a date of birth on file.

See client records and consent forms, or book a demo.