Delaware tanning laws for salon owners

What Delaware's tanning law covers

Delaware's tanning law is Chapter 30D of Title 16 of the Delaware Code (§§ 3001D to 3008D), first enacted in 2009 (77 Del. Laws c. 195) and rewritten by Senate Bill 94, signed July 28, 2014 (79 Del. Laws c. 365). The Department of Health and Social Services, through the Division of Public Health, carries it out in regulation 4454, Tanning Facilities Regulations (16 DE Admin. Code 4454). It applies to any tanning facility: any location, place, area, structure or business that gives customers access to a tanning device (§ 3002D(8)).

For this page we searched the Delaware Code with the General Assembly's own search and read every chapter page of the Code for "tanning". Only two chapters use the word: Chapter 30D, and 6 Del. C. § 1204C, which bars operators of websites and apps directed to children from marketing tanning devices or tanning facilities to children. The Administrative Code search found regulation 4454 and no other tanning rule. City and county rules are outside this page.

At the front desk

1. Check the date of birth before every UV session. Nobody under 18 may use a tanning device, and a parent's permission does not change that (§ 3003D(a)). The owner carries the duty to confirm age (§ 3005D); the law names no type of ID, so decide which you accept and apply it every time.
2. Hand each customer the written warning statement before each use, not just the first visit (§ 3006D(b)). It must contain the five quoted statements on eye protection, burns, skin cancer and premature aging, reactions to foods, cosmetics and medications, and consulting a physician. Since 2025 the statute and regulation 4454 word one example differently ("birth control pills" in § 3006D(b)(4), "the use of oral contraception" in 4454 § 5.1.4); ask the Division of Public Health which wording it expects.
3. Post at least one warning sign where people entering can see it: at least 11 by 17 inches, lettering at least 1/4 inch, with "DANGER - ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION" in capitals at least 1/2 inch high and the other five statements in § 3006D(a).
4. Spray booths that emit no UV are not tanning devices (§ 3002D(7)), so the age ban does not reach them.

Penalties

A facility may ask for an administrative hearing within 30 days of the Department's notice of intent to assess a penalty (4454 § 6.2). Anyone who does not comply with an order of the Department faces a fine of $100 to $1,000 plus costs (4454 § 6.3).

What the law leaves to you

Delaware sets no license, inspection schedule, operator training, session gap, customer records, injury report, eyewear supply, lamp or timer rule. Federal requirements for the equipment are in our FDA tanning bed rules guide, and our recordkeeping guide covers what many salons keep anyway.

What changed recently

The statute has not changed since 79 Del. Laws c. 365 took effect on January 1, 2015. The General Assembly's legislation search found no bill mentioning tanning in the 152nd or 153rd General Assembly (2023 to 2026); the same search finds SB 94 in the 147th. Regulation 4454 was last amended effective September 11, 2025 (29 DE Reg. 219). The final order says the amendments included technical changes to bring the regulation into line with the Delaware Administrative Code Style Manual: a purpose section was added, the sections were renumbered, the definitions were written out, and one phrase in the required statement changed from "birth control pills" to "the use of oral contraception". The age ban, sign and penalty amounts did not change.

How TanVision helps

TanVision's minimum age is 18 by default, and a session cannot start without a date of birth on file. In Delaware, set Minors and UV rooms to No at Settings > Tanning rules: check-in then refuses UV rooms to anyone under 18, even with guardian consent on file, while a parent's consent still opens spray rooms. At Yes, the default, consent on file lets a younger client start a session in any room, UV included, with only a warning. With a USB 2D barcode scanner, Scan ID reads the date of birth from the barcode on a US or Canadian driver's license or ID card, warns when the card has expired or the client is under the minimum age, and records the day the ID was checked. It does not compare the photo with the person, so staff still do.

With consent forms, clients sign on their own phone or a tablet, and each signed record keeps the signature and the exact wording, which is a place to keep Delaware's five statements. A session cannot start without a signed statement on file, but TanVision asks for it once and has no re-sign interval, so the statement Delaware requires before each use still has to be handed over at the desk every visit. Exposure safety refuses any typed time above the room's own maximum, and each client record shows recent visits newest first. Compare other states on the tanning laws by state page.