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Tanning laws · LA

Louisiana 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

Louisiana bans anyone under 18 from UV tanning equipment, with no parental-consent exception, under R.S. 40:2707. Each facility needs a yearly Department of Health registration-permit, formally trained operators, a signed warning statement before the first session, a six-year visit log and a written injury report within five working days.

Louisiana at a glance

Minimum age for UV tanning
A tanning facility may not allow anyone under 18 to use any tanning equipment (R.S. 40:2707(B), added by Act 193 of 2014, effective August 1, 2014). LAC 51:XXXI.501(D) repeats the ban. Source 1
Parental consent for minors
None. Before Act 193 of 2014, a 14- to 17-year-old could tan with a statement signed at the facility by a parent or tutor, and a child under 14 if accompanied by a parent or tutor (former R.S. 40:2714(E)). Act 193 removed that route, so a parent's consent no longer lets anyone under 18 use tanning equipment. Source 3
Spray tan age rule
The under-18 ban covers "tanning equipment", which R.S. 40:2703(11) defines as lamps, and equipment containing them, meant to tan the skin with ultraviolet radiation, so it sets no spray-tan age. The Department of Health's operating manual (revised March 2016) says minors are not currently prohibited from spray tanning or red-light devices. Source 4
State license or registration
Each facility needs a certificate of registration-permit from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) before it opens, renewed every year and displayed in a public area (R.S. 40:2705 and 40:2718; LAC 51:XXXI.301 to 305). The fee is $150 to apply and $110 a year to renew (R.S. 40:2719). A permit cannot be transferred, and equipment at a second location is a separate facility. Source 6
Inspections
No fixed schedule. LDH inspects a facility before it issues the permanent registration-permit (LAC 51:XXXI.303(A)), and its agents may, after a reasonable request, inspect rooms, equipment and consumer records (LAC 51:XXXI.527). Refusing entry during normal business hours is grounds to deny, suspend or revoke the registration (R.S. 40:2708(A)(4)). Source 6
Operator training
An operator must be present whenever the facility is open (R.S. 40:2713(A)). Only people who have completed a formal training course approved by LDH may operate tanning equipment; the registrant certifies each operator's training in six listed subjects and keeps a training record for inspection (R.S. 40:2714(H) to (J)). LAC 51:XXXI.105 still defines formal training as classroom instruction; a July 2026 proposed rule would remove the classroom condition. Source 7
Time between sessions
Neither R.S. 40:2701 to 2719 nor LAC 51:XXXI sets a minimum gap between sessions. LDH's operating manual (revised March 2016) says the spacing between sessions and the number of sessions a week must not exceed the FDA product labeling, which is the manufacturer's exposure schedule. Source 5
Signed warning statement
Before a client's first exposure, give them the written warning statement set out in R.S. 40:2714(A). LAC 51:XXXI.519 requires the client to sign it, a copy to go to the client, and the signed statement to stay on file at the facility permanently. Neither sets a re-sign interval. LDH's UV Tanning page also asks salons to attach a copy of a state-issued photo ID; that step is not in the statute or the rule. Source 6
Records and retention
Keep a record of each client's total number of visits, with the date and length of each exposure, for six years (R.S. 40:2714(C)). Keep signed warning statements permanently (LAC 51:XXXI.519) and operator training records for inspection (R.S. 40:2714(J)). Source 7
Injury reporting
Send LDH a written report of any actual or alleged injury from registered tanning equipment within five working days after it happens or you are told of it (R.S. 40:2714(D)). The report names the person, the facility and its registration number, the equipment, the injury, and the date and length of the exposure; LAC 51:XXXI.521 adds the model, date of manufacture, lamp type and any doctor seen. Source 7
Protective eyewear
Provide protective eyewear to each client for every session, make concerted efforts to see that it is worn, and sanitize it before each use without relying on the bed's own UV (R.S. 40:2713(B) to (E)). The statute cites 21 CFR 1040.20(c)(5); in the current federal rule the eyewear standard is paragraph (c)(4). Source 8
Replacement lamps
Replace defective or burned-out lamps, bulbs or filters with a type intended for that equipment, as specified on the product label and with the same spectral distribution, and replace working lamps as often as the lamp maker recommends (R.S. 40:2714(F) and (G)). The chapter has no rule on reselling lamps. Source 7
Timers
Each unit needs a timer meeting 21 CFR 1040.20(c)(2). The longest timer setting may not exceed the manufacturer's maximum recommended exposure time, and no setting may be off by more than 10 percent either way (R.S. 40:2711(B)). The law sets no test interval; LDH's operating manual says to test timers periodically. Source 9

What Louisiana requires at the front desk

Louisiana's tanning law is the Tanning Facility Regulation Act, R.S. 40:2701 to 40:2719, enforced by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) through its Food and Drug Unit. The department's rules are in LAC 51:XXXI, where they were moved from LAC 49:I in May 2026. Most of the law is paperwork the desk handles every day.

  1. Turn away every client under 18 from UV equipment. A parent's signature does not change that (R.S. 40:2707(B)).
  2. Post the under-18 notice at the entrance, at least 8 by 10 inches, with the wording in R.S. 40:2714(E), and the danger sign from R.S. 40:2710 within three feet of each tanning station.
  3. Before a client's first session, have them read and sign the written warning statement, give them a copy, and keep the signed original on file for good.
  4. Have a formally trained operator set each exposure time within the unit's maximum, and keep an operator on site whenever you are open.
  5. Hand out protective eyewear for every session, and clean and sanitize beds, booths and eyewear before and after each client (LAC 51:XXXI.517(B)).
  6. Log each visit with its date and exposure time, and keep the log for six years.
  7. Report any actual or alleged injury to LDH in writing within five working days. LDH publishes an injury report form for this.
  8. Do not advertise tanning as safe or free from risk, and do not claim a health benefit unless the state health officer has approved it in advance (R.S. 40:2707(A); LAC 51:XXXI.501(C)).

Running a facility without a current registration, or after it has expired or been suspended or revoked, is a misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000 to $5,000, and each day is a separate offense (R.S. 40:2716). If LDH issues a compliance order and it is not met, the Sanitary Code's civil fines apply: non-compliant UV lamps or a non-compliant termination control switch are Class A at $100 a day, and missing operator training is Class B at $75 a day, up to $10,000 per violator per calendar year (LAC 51:I.113).

Minors: a flat ban since 2014

Until August 1, 2014, a 14- to 17-year-old could tan with a statement signed at the facility by a parent or tutor, and a child under 14 could tan if accompanied by a parent or tutor. Act 193 of 2014 (House Bill 746) replaced both with one rule: no one under 18 uses tanning equipment at a tanning facility. No consent form, doctor's note or parent in the room makes an exception.

The ban is written for tanning equipment, which the statute defines as lamps, and equipment holding them, meant to tan the skin with ultraviolet radiation. LDH's operating manual says minors are not currently prohibited from spray tanning or red-light devices, so the age rule is a UV rule. Check a new client's age before the first UV session. LDH's own page asks salons to keep a copy of a state-issued photo ID with the signed statement.

What changed from 2024 to 2026

  • May 2026: LDH moved the tanning rules from LAC 49:I.1301 to 1347 into LAC 51:XXXI as part of a reorganization, republishing (repromulgating) the sections in their new place (Louisiana Register, May 2026, LR 52:706 and 717).
  • July 2026: LDH proposed amendments (Louisiana Register, July 2026, LR 52:1251). They would drop the classroom condition from formal operator training, say that red-light, blue-light and spray equipment is not tanning equipment, and extend the physician exemption to facilities with a full-time board-certified physician on staff and present during opening hours. Comments closed August 19, 2026. The September 2026 Register lists only the notice, so the current rule applies until a final rule is published.
  • The Legislature: no House or Senate bill in the 2024, 2025 or 2026 regular session has tanning in its title in the Legislature's bill lists. The newest amendment to the chapter is still Act 193 of 2014.

How TanVision helps with Louisiana's paperwork

Clients sign TanVision's consent forms on their own phone or a tablet before their first session, and each signed record keeps the signature and the exact wording they agreed to, so you can put Louisiana's required warnings into your form. A session cannot start without a signed statement and a date of birth on file.

The minimum age is 18 by default. In Louisiana, 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 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 driver's license or ID card and records the day the ID was checked. It keeps no copy of the ID, so staff still look at the photo and make the copy LDH asks for.

Each session is saved with its date, time and minutes, and the client record shows recent visits, newest first, with the room and bed level. Exposure safety refuses a typed time above the room's maximum, and the gap between UV sessions is your own setting. Compare other states on the tanning laws page, including neighboring Texas.

Common questions

What is the minimum age to use a tanning bed in Louisiana?
18. R.S. 40:2707(B) bars a tanning facility from letting anyone under 18 use tanning equipment, and since Act 193 of 2014 there is no parental-consent exception.
Can a 16- or 17-year-old get a spray tan in Louisiana?
The under-18 ban applies to tanning equipment, which the statute defines as lamps, and equipment holding them, meant to tan the skin with ultraviolet radiation. LDH's operating manual says minors are not currently prohibited from spray tanning, and a July 2026 proposed rule would say outright that spray equipment is not tanning equipment. See the spray tan guide.
Do Louisiana tanning salons need a license?
Yes. Each facility needs a certificate of registration-permit from the Louisiana Department of Health before it opens, renewed every year. The fee is $150 to apply and $110 to renew (R.S. 40:2719). Operating without one is a misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 for each day.
How long must a Louisiana tanning salon keep client records?
Six years for each client's visits, dates and exposure times (R.S. 40:2714(C)). Signed warning statements are kept permanently (LAC 51:XXXI.519). The recordkeeping guide compares other states.
How quickly must a tanning injury be reported in Louisiana?
Within five working days after it happens or after you are told of it, in writing to the Louisiana Department of Health (R.S. 40:2714(D)). The rule covers alleged injuries too, not only confirmed ones.

Sources

  1. La. R.S. 40:2707, prohibited acts; advertisement; minorsLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  2. Act No. 193 of the 2014 Regular Session (House Bill 746), enrolled textLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  3. Resume digest of HB 746 (Act 193 of 2014): prior law and new lawLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  4. La. R.S. 40:2703, definitionsLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  5. Tanning Facility Operating and Safety Procedures (revised March 2016)Louisiana Department of Health. Accessed .
  6. Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51 (Public Health, Sanitary Code): Part XXXI, UV Tanning Facilities and Equipment, and Part I, section 113Louisiana Office of the State Register. Accessed .
  7. La. R.S. 40:2714, information provided to consumerLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  8. La. R.S. 40:2713, operational requirementsLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  9. La. R.S. 40:2711, equipment standardsLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  10. La. R.S. 40:2718, permitsLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  11. La. R.S. 40:2719, feesLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  12. La. R.S. 40:2716, criminal penaltyLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  13. Louisiana Register, May 2026: Public Health, Regulation Reorganization rule (LR 52:706 and 717)Louisiana Office of the State Register. Accessed .
  14. Louisiana Register, July 2026: notice of intent on UV Tanning Facilities and Equipment (LR 52:1251)Louisiana Office of the State Register. Accessed .
  15. Louisiana Register, September 2026, cumulative indexLouisiana Office of the State Register. Accessed .
  16. UV Tanning (Bureau of Sanitarian Services)Louisiana Department of Health. Accessed .
  17. 2026 Regular Session: list of House bills with titlesLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  18. 2026 Regular Session: list of Senate bills with titlesLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  19. 21 CFR 1040.20, sunlamp products and ultraviolet lamps (eCFR versioner, as of 2026-09-25)National Archives, eCFR. Accessed .
  20. La. R.S. 40:2710, warning signsLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  21. La. R.S. 40:2705, registrationLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .
  22. La. R.S. 40:2708, denial, suspension, or revocation of a certificateLouisiana State Legislature. Accessed .

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