Maine tanning laws for salon owners

Maine at a glance

Minimum age for UV tanning

18. An owner, lessee or operator may not allow anyone under 18 to use a tanning device, and proof of age may be a driver's license or other government-issued ID showing a photo and date of birth (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(2); 10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(C)(6)). Source 1

Parental consent

Not an option. The under-18 ban in 22 M.R.S. § 689-A(2), enacted by Public Law 2019, chapter 275 (LD 1297), has no parental-consent exception, and Maine CDC wrote it into its tanning rule in 2024. The Radiation Control Program's web page still mentions consent forms for minors signed by a parent (checked 2026-09-29); the statute and the current rule govern. Source 1

Spray tan age rule

No separate spray-tan age rule. The age ban covers tanning devices, which 22 M.R.S. § 689-A(1)(C) defines as equipment emitting 200 to 400 nanometer radiation used to tan skin, and 32 M.R.S. § 14203(1-A)(D) says airbrush and spray tanning need no cosmetology license. Section 689-A(5)(A) words the owner's duty as keeping anyone under 18 from using the tanning facility, so ask the Radiation Control Program how that applies to spray services in a UV salon. Source 1

License or registration

A certificate of registration from the Maine CDC Radiation Control Program (Department of Health and Human Services), displayed where customers can see it and expiring each year (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(7); 10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 4). The fee is $50 a year per facility plus $20 per tanning device (ch. 223, § 8(A)). The statute says to register before operating, while the rule gives a new facility 30 days after opening to apply (§ 3(A)), so apply before you open. A registration cannot be transferred to a buyer (§ 4(E)). Source 2

Inspections

No inspection interval is set. Registered facilities are subject to inspection, and refusing inspectors is grounds to deny, suspend or revoke a registration (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 5(A)(6)). Routine inspections and the first follow-up after a notice of violation are free; a follow-up needed because a notice of violation went unanswered, or any extra inspection needed to ensure compliance, may cost $25 a visit (§ 8(B)-(D)). Source 2

Operator training

A trained operator must be present whenever the facility is open (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(5)(B)) and whenever equipment runs (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(C)(2)). At least one operator must pass a Department pre-approved formal course (classroom, correspondence or online, with a certificate); other operators may be trained by that person. Keep a list or log of trained operators at the facility (§ 6(D)). Source 2

Time between sessions

No more than once every 24 hours, and no longer than the manufacturer's maximum exposure time for the customer's skin type (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(5)(I)-(J); 10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(A)(12)-(13)). Source 1

Warning statement

Each customer signs a Department-developed statement before first use in a calendar year: it repeats the posted notice, acknowledges it and agrees to wear eyewear (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(4)). Section 689-A(4) ties the yearly signature to each device and § 689-A(6)(A) to each facility; the rule says before the first exposure in each calendar year and adds that the customer was shown how to use the device, handrails and floor markings (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(C)(3)). For a customer who cannot read it, the operator reads it aloud before a witness and both sign. Source 1

Client records

Keep copies of all signed consent forms, each customer's total number of uses, the dates and durations of use and any injury reports for 3 years (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(5)(L)). The rule says 3 years after the last visit and requires the customer to initial each visit's date and duration to validate the entry (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(C)(4)). Source 2

Injury reporting

A copy of any written tanning-injury report sent to the facility's insurer must be forwarded to the Department within five working days of the injury or of learning of it, with the person's name, the facility's name and location, the nature of the injury, any health care provider's name and address, and other relevant information (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(C)(5)). Source 2

Protective eyewear

Before each session the customer gets, at no cost, sanitized and securely fitting eyewear that blocks UV and lets them keep their balance, and no one tans without it (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(5)(D)-(E)). Under the rule a customer may decline and wear their own if it meets 21 CFR 1040.20(c)(4), and a trained operator sanitizes eyewear before each use with the product maker's recommended sanitizer (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(B)). Source 1

Replacement lamps

Replace defective or burned-out lamps or filters with the type named on the device's label or with ones that are equivalent under FDA regulations and policies (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(C)(7)). Switching to FDA-equivalent lamps needs no change report, but keep the maker's literature showing the equivalency (§ 4(D)(3)). Source 2

Timer checks

Each device needs a timer accurate within 10% of any selected interval, placed remotely so customers cannot set their own time, and a control that lets the customer turn it off (22 M.R.S. § 689-A(5)(G)-(H)). The rule adds that the timer meets 21 CFR 1040.20(c)(2), cannot exceed the manufacturer's maximum time and must not reset itself after an interruption (10-144 C.M.R. ch. 223, § 6(A)(4)). Neither text sets a test interval. Source 1