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Tanning laws · DC

District of Columbia tanning laws for salon owners

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Researched and written by the TanVision team

General information, not legal advice. Check your state’s current rules.

The short answer

The District of Columbia bans ultraviolet tanning for anyone under 18, with no parental-consent exception, and proof of age is a photo ID. DC Health licenses each tanning facility for two years and inspects without notice every year. Its rules cover signed acknowledgements, yearly warning statements, records, five-day injury reports, eyewear, lamps and quarterly timer tests.

District of Columbia at a glance

Minimum age for UV tanning
18. A licensee must prohibit any customer under 18 from using ultraviolet tanning equipment or devices, and proof of age is a driver's license or other government- or school-issued ID showing the customer's photograph and date of birth (25-F DCMR § 300.2). Source 3
Parental consent
Not an option. The Youth Tanning Safety Regulation Amendment Act of 2014 (D.C. Law 20-227, effective March 11, 2015) replaced 25-F DCMR § 300.2 with the under-18 ban and repealed §§ 300.3 to 300.7, which had let 14- to 17-year-olds tan with a signed Parental/Legal Guardian Authorization Form. Older provisions that still mention that form, such as § 201.11, predate the change. Source 8
Spray tan age rule
None. The under-18 ban in 25-F DCMR § 300.2 covers ultraviolet tanning equipment or devices, and Subtitle F defines a tanning facility by access to equipment that tans skin through irradiation (§ 9901.1), so a UV-free spray booth is outside it. Source 2
License or permit
Required. No one may own, open or operate a tanning facility without a tanning facility license issued by the Mayor (25-F DCMR § 800.1) and a valid certificate of occupancy (§ 800.3). Licenses last two years (§ 801.2); the initial or renewal fee is $500 (§ 1500.1). Each manager also needs a DC Health Tanning Facility Manager Identification Card (§§ 200.6, 800.7), which costs $35 for two years (§ 1500.3). Source 7
Inspections
DC Health checks compliance through preoperational inspections, unannounced routine annual and follow-up inspections, and unannounced complaint inspections (25-F DCMR § 900.1). The licensee must give inspectors access (§ 900.2), and the current inspection report is posted in the reception area next to the license (§ 804.4). Source 2
Operator training
Required. Managers and operators must be trained on the topics listed in 25-F DCMR § 200.4, including FDA and District rules, the recommended exposure schedule, eyewear, Fitzpatrick skin typing, lamp equivalency and recognizing overexposure. New operators work under a trained operator's direct supervision until trained (§ 200.3), a manager or operator must be on duty during all hours (§ 200.2), and proof of training is posted next to the license (§ 200.5). The rules set topics, not a course length. Source 2
Time between sessions
No fixed gap in hours. Each customer's UV exposure is limited to the manufacturer's recommended maximum time (25-F DCMR § 201.8), and each customer file must show adherence to the manufacturer's recommended exposure schedule, including frequency and spacing of visits (§ 303.2(e)). The required warning sign tells customers not to sunbathe in the 24 hours before or after using tanning equipment (§ 302.4). Source 2
Consent statement
Every customer signs an acknowledgement that they received, read and understood the facility's Warning Statement and agreed to use protective eyewear that meets FDA requirements (25-F DCMR § 300.1), signed and dated before using the equipment (§ 201.10). A copy of the Warning Statement is given at the first visit and at least once a year after that (§ 201.9), and it is read aloud to customers who cannot read it (§ 201.12). Source 3
Client records
Keep a procedural manual and, for each customer, written tanning profiles, suitability records and records of exposure times, visit frequency and spacing, and maximum exposure times (25-F DCMR §§ 303.1, 303.2), plus equipment records of cleaning, lamp replacement and quarterly timer and emergency-switch tests (§ 303.4). Records are kept at least 3 years (§ 305.1). Electronic files must be backed up, copied at least monthly to media other than the computer's hard drive, and printable (§§ 303.5, 304.4, 304.5). Source 5
Injury reporting
Keep an incident log of actual or alleged injuries (25-F DCMR § 306.1) and send DC Health a written report within 5 business days of being told of an actual or alleged injury from your tanning equipment (§ 306.2). The report covers the items in § 306.3, and injury records stay at the facility until the Department authorizes their disposal (§ 306.4). Source 2
Protective eyewear
Eyewear must meet the FDA requirements in 21 C.F.R. § 1040.20(c)(4) (25-F DCMR § 401.3). If a customer brings none, the licensee must have compliant eyewear available (§ 401.1), and must not let anyone tan who refuses the eyewear offered or says they will not wear it (§ 401.2). Eyewear is kept sanitized and in optimal condition (§ 201.5). Source 2
Replacement lamps
Use only lamps the FDA certifies as equivalent and keep the manufacturer's equivalency documentation for every lamp in use (25-F DCMR §§ 406.1, 406.2). Replace defective lamps before further use, and never use lamps designated for medical use only (§§ 406.3, 406.4). Anyone who sells, installs, services or repairs tanning equipment, or supplies bulbs and filters, needs a DC tanning service provider registration, and licensees may use only registered providers (§§ 800.4 to 800.6). Source 2
Timer checks
Quarterly, in writing, for each unit: the timer must be accurate within 10 percent of the product's maximum timer interval, tested at the manufacturer's maximum exposure time, and the customer must be able to stop emissions manually (25-F DCMR §§ 402.3, 407.2 to 407.4). Each unit also needs a remote override timer outside the room that customers cannot set (§§ 402.5, 402.6). Source 2

Who regulates tanning in the District

DC's tanning rules are municipal regulations, not a statute: the Tanning Facility Regulations in Title 25, Subtitle F of the DC Municipal Regulations (25-F DCMR). The Department of Health (DC Health) adopted them in 2013 under D.C. Official Code § 7-731(a)(8), and the Council amended them directly in 2015 to ban UV tanning under 18.

For this page we searched the full text of the D.C. Official Code (the Council's codified edition, updated May 19, 2026) for "tanning". The only provision about tanning businesses is the sales-tax definition of a tanning studio in § 47-2001(n)(1)(Y); the other hits concern vegetable tanning wastes in sewer rules. The DC regulations site's full-text search of the DCMR for "tanning" returned Subtitle F, the tanning infraction schedule in 16 DCMR § 3626 and the sales-tax rule in 9 DCMR § 429; its other matches are unrelated, such as leather tanning in zoning, sewer and nuisance rules. Local zoning and building rules are outside this page.

At the front desk

  1. Check a photo ID with a date of birth before any UV session. Nobody under 18 may use UV equipment, and a parent's permission does not change that (§ 300.2).
  2. Keep children out of the tanning area while a parent tans (§ 300.8).
  3. On a client's first visit, hand over the Warning Statement, advise that tanning indoors and outdoors on the same day or at several salons is hazardous, and remind them to ask a doctor about medications or skin sensitivity (§§ 201.9, 302.1, 302.2). Get the signed, dated acknowledgement before the first session (§ 201.10).
  4. Give each client the Warning Statement again at least once a year (§ 201.9). Read it aloud to anyone who cannot read it (§ 201.12).
  5. Have compliant eyewear ready for anyone without their own, and turn away anyone who refuses it or says they will not wear it (§§ 401.1, 401.2).
  6. Set the time from the remote timer yourself and never above the manufacturer's maximum (§§ 201.8, 402.6). One customer per room, with narrow exceptions (§ 201.2).
  7. Log every injury complaint and send DC Health a written report within 5 business days (§§ 306.1, 306.2).

At the reception area, post the age restriction sign ("INDIVIDUALS 17 YEARS OF AGE AND YOUNGER ARE PROHIBITED FROM USING ULTRAVIOLET TANNING EQUIPMENT OR DEVICES", § 301.1), the warning sign with the wording in § 302.4, your license, certificate of occupancy and current inspection report (§ 804.4), and proof of staff training (§ 200.5).

Licensing, advertising and penalties

  • Apply at least 30 days before opening or before your license expires, and give DC Health 30 days' notice before opening or closing (§§ 801.1, 804.1, 804.2).
  • A trained manager or operator must be on site during all opening hours, and nobody under 18 may be employed in any capacity (§§ 200.2, 1201.1).
  • Off-premises ads must show the facility's name, address, phone number and license number. Ads may not claim equipment is free of UV hazards or has health benefits, and may not promote unlimited packages or visit schedules beyond the manufacturer's recommended exposure schedule (§§ 1200.2 to 1200.6).
  • DC Health may impose civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation, with each day a separate offense (§ 1114.2). Knowing violations carry a fine of up to $2,500, up to one year in jail, or both (§ 1116.1). Violations are also civil infractions under 16 DCMR § 3626.
  • Tanning services, UV and spray alike, are subject to DC sales and use tax, including monthly membership fees and appointment fees (9 DCMR § 429; D.C. Official Code § 47-2001(n)(1)(Y)).

What changed recently

The last substantive change was the 2015 under-18 ban (D.C. Law 20-227), which also rewrote the record-retention rule in § 305.1 (at least 3 years for customers 18 and older). The DC Register's full-text search for "tanning" found no tanning rulemaking, Council act or hearing notice from 2024 through September 2026; its matches in that period were unrelated notices. The Council's Radiation Protection Act of 2024 covers ionizing radiation and nonionizing medical equipment, and its enrolled text does not mention tanning.

How TanVision helps

TanVision's minimum age is 18 by default, and a session cannot start without a date of birth on file. In DC, 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 and records the day the ID was checked. Staff still look at the photo, and check by eye an ID without that barcode, such as a school ID.

With consent forms, clients sign on their own phone or a tablet, and each signed record keeps the signature and the exact wording. A session cannot start without a signed statement on file. TanVision has no waiver expiry or re-sign interval, so track the yearly Warning Statement yourself. Exposure safety refuses any typed time above the room's own maximum, so set each room's maximum to the manufacturer's figure. Each client record shows recent visits newest first, not a complete exposure history, so keep the frequency and spacing records § 303.2 asks for. Per-item tax settings let you charge sales tax on sessions and packages. Compare neighbors on the Maryland and Virginia pages or the state list.

Common questions

What is the minimum age to use a tanning bed in Washington, DC?
18. Under 25-F DCMR § 300.2 a licensee must prohibit anyone under 18 from using ultraviolet tanning equipment, and proof of age is a photo ID showing the customer's date of birth.
Can a parent sign for a 16- or 17-year-old to tan in DC?
No. The parental authorization rules were repealed by the Youth Tanning Safety Regulation Amendment Act of 2014, effective March 11, 2015. Since then the ban covers everyone under 18.
Do I need a license to open a tanning salon in DC?
Yes. You need a tanning facility license (two years, $500 initial or renewal fee) and a certificate of occupancy, and each manager needs a DC Health Tanning Facility Manager Identification Card ($35). Equipment sellers and installers need their own tanning service provider registration.
How often must a DC tanning client sign the warning statement?
The signed, dated acknowledgement is required before the client first uses the equipment (§ 201.10). The facility must give the client a copy of the Warning Statement at the first visit and at least once a year after that (§ 201.9).
Is indoor tanning taxed in DC?
Yes. 9 DCMR § 429 makes tanning services, including spray tanning, subject to sales and use tax, and the charge includes monthly membership fees and appointment fees.

Sources

  1. 25 DCMR Subtitle F, Tanning Facility Regulations (chapter list)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  2. Notice of Final Rulemaking, Tanning Facility Regulations, 60 DCR 3582 (March 15, 2013), full text of 25-F DCMRDC Department of Health, DC Register. Accessed .
  3. 25-F DCMR § 300, Age restrictions and prohibition (as amended effective March 11, 2015)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  4. 25-F DCMR § 301, Age restriction sign and posting (as amended effective March 11, 2015)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  5. 25-F DCMR § 303, Recordkeeping manual and content (as amended effective March 11, 2015)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  6. 25-F DCMR § 305, Recordkeeping retention (as amended effective March 11, 2015)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  7. 25-F DCMR § 1500, Schedule of fees and services (61 DCR 5762, June 6, 2014)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  8. D.C. Act 20-549, Youth Tanning Safety Regulation Amendment Act of 2014 (62 DCR 259)Council of the District of Columbia, DC Register. Accessed .
  9. 16 DCMR § 3626, Tanning facility infractionsDC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  10. 9 DCMR § 429, Tanning services (sales and use tax)DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  11. D.C. Official Code § 47-2001, Definitions (sales tax; tanning studio at (n)(1)(Y))Council of the District of Columbia. Accessed .
  12. D.C. Official Code § 7-731, Department of Health functionsCouncil of the District of Columbia. Accessed .
  13. DCMR full-text search for "tanning"DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  14. DC Register full-text search for "tanning"DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances. Accessed .
  15. D.C. Code, codified XML edition (updated May 19, 2026), searched in full for "tanning"Council of the District of Columbia. Accessed .
  16. B25-0672, Radiation Protection Act of 2024, enrolled originalCouncil of the District of Columbia. Accessed .

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