Tanning laws · MI
Michigan 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
Michigan sets no minimum tanning age and no state tanning license. Part 134 of the Public Health Code requires a written warning statement before first use, a signed acknowledgment at least once a year, a parent or guardian signing in person for anyone under 18, a DANGER poster, and keeping signed statements for at least one year.
Michigan at a glance
- Minimum age for UV tanning
- Michigan sets no minimum age. MCL 333.13405(2) lets a customer under 18 tan once a parent or legal guardian has also signed the written statement, in person at the facility and in front of the owner or operator. Bills to bar minors (HB 5276 of 2012, HB 4405 of 2013, HB 6287 and HB 6450 of 2018, HB 4205 of 2019) died in committee. Source 1
- Parental consent
- Required for anyone under 18 (MCL 333.13405(2)). The parent or legal guardian signs the same written statement the customer signs, while physically present at the tanning facility and in the presence of the owner or operator. Part 134 does not say the parent must stay during sessions. The statement is re-signed at least once in a 1-year period (13405(1)(a)). Source 1
- Spray tan age rule
- None. Part 134 defines a tanning device as equipment emitting radiation between 200 and 400 nanometers (MCL 333.13401(b)), so its rules reach UV equipment only. Separately, 2024 PA 160 (effective April 2, 2025) rewrote the list of skin care services an esthetician or cosmetologist may perform so that it excludes tanning equipment "except for spray tan equipment" (MCL 339.1210(2)(d)). It sets no age. Source 3
- License or registration
- Part 134 creates no license, registration or permit. A full-text search of the Michigan Compiled Laws for "tanning" on 2026-09-29 returned Part 134, the esthetician section and unrelated game-law sections. HB 4404 of 2013, which would have required tanning facilities to register, did not pass. Source 6
- Inspections
- Part 134 names no agency and sets no inspection program. The owner or operator must make the signed written statements available for inspection when a law enforcement officer asks (MCL 333.13405(1)(c)). Source 1
- Operator training
- Part 134 (MCL 333.13401 to 333.13409) requires no operator course, certificate or attendant. We found no Michigan administrative rule set for tanning among the rule-set titles of the licensing, health and environment departments on 2026-09-29. Source 5
- Time between sessions
- Part 134 sets no minimum time between sessions. The required poster tells customers to "Avoid too frequent or too lengthy exposure" (MCL 333.13403(2)). Source 2
- Warning statement
- Before first use, give each person a written statement with the seven warnings in MCL 333.13403(1). Before use, the customer signs a statement that they have read and understood it and agree to use protective eyewear (13405(1)). The customer re-signs at least once in a 1-year period (13405(1)(a)). Source 1
- Client records
- Keep each signed statement for at least 1 year (MCL 333.13405(1)(b)). Part 134 requires no visit log, skin-type record or session-time record. Source 1
- Injury reporting
- No report to the state. The warning statement and poster tell customers they must report an injury to the owner or operator (MCL 333.13403(1)(f) and (2)). A customer injured at a facility that failed the disclosure and consent rules may sue for actual damages plus up to $1,000 and attorney fees (13407a). Source 2
- Protective eyewear
- Protective eyewear must meet 21 CFR 1040.20 (MCL 333.13401(a)), and each customer signs an agreement to use it (13405(1)). Part 134 does not expressly require the facility to supply it; the warning statement refers to the customer's own eyewear or eyewear the facility makes available (13403(1)(a)). Source 3
- Replacement lamps
- Part 134 (MCL 333.13401 to 333.13409) has no lamp replacement or lamp equivalency rule, and the full-text search of the Michigan Compiled Laws for "tanning" on 2026-09-29 found no other tanning section that sets one. Source 6
- Timer checks
- Part 134 counts timers as part of a tanning device (MCL 333.13401(b)) but sets no timer accuracy standard or test interval. Source 3
What Michigan's tanning law covers
Michigan regulates tanning through Part 134 of the Public Health Code, MCL 333.13401 to 333.13409, added by 2008 PA 368 and in force since December 23, 2008. It covers any location that gives people access to a UV tanning device, other than a private home where only the owner or occupant uses it.
Part 134 is a disclosure and consent law. It names no agency, creates no license and sets no inspection schedule. We found no Michigan administrative rules for tanning. Federal rules for the equipment still apply; see FDA tanning bed regulations. Check with your city or county as well, because this page covers state law only.
Before a client's first UV session
- Hand the client the written statement with all seven warnings from MCL 333.13403(1): eye damage without eyewear, burns from overexposure, premature aging and skin cancer from repeated exposure, sensitivity from certain foods, cosmetics and medications, consulting a physician when taking medication, reporting any injury to the owner or operator, and sensitivity after microdermabrasion, facials, waxing or peels.
- Have the client sign that they have read and understood it and agree to use protective eyewear.
- Record the client's date of birth. For anyone under 18, the parent or legal guardian signs the same statement at your facility, in front of the owner or operator. A form signed at home does not meet that rule.
- Keep the signed statement where you can produce it for a law enforcement officer who asks.
Every year and every visit
- Get a fresh signature at least once in each 1-year period, and keep each signed statement for at least 1 year.
- Post the DANGER: ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION poster, in at least 32-point bold type, with the eight statements in MCL 333.13403(2), where customers will see it.
- Do not claim, or hand out printed promotional materials claiming, that using a tanning device is safe, nonburning or free from risk (13403(3)). See tanning salon advertising claims.
- Michigan sets no session gap, timer test or lamp rule. Follow each unit's label and see the 24-hour tanning rule, tanning bed timer rules and tanning bed lamp replacement.
The paperwork carries legal weight. Under MCL 333.13407a, a customer hurt at a facility that skipped the disclosure and consent steps can sue for actual damages, up to $1,000 more, and attorney fees.
What changed recently
Part 134 has not changed since 2008. A search of 2025-2026 House and Senate bills for "tanning" on 2026-09-29 returned no results. Earlier bills to bar minors (2012, 2013, 2018 and 2019) and to require registration (2013) died in committee.
One related change: 2024 PA 160, effective April 2, 2025, lets licensed estheticians and cosmetologists apply spray tans as a skin care service. The act sets no spray-tan age. If staff spray clients, ask the licensing department (LARA) whether a cosmetology license applies. See spray tan DHA safety.
How TanVision helps
With TanVision's consent forms, the salon edits the wording, so the form can carry Michigan's seven warnings and the eyewear agreement. Each signed record keeps the signature and the exact wording. A session cannot start without a signed statement and a date of birth on file, and when the form shows a client is under the salon's minimum age, it asks a parent or guardian to sign too.
TanVision does not record whether the parent signed in person, so have minors sign on the desk tablet with the parent standing there. It has no waiver expiry or re-sign interval, so the yearly signature is a desk check. Client records show consent status and recent visits. Compare other states on the tanning laws by state page.
Common questions
- What is the minimum age to tan in Michigan?
- Michigan sets none. A customer under 18 may tan once a parent or legal guardian has signed the written statement in person at the facility, in front of the owner or operator (MCL 333.13405(2)).
- Do tanning salons need a license in Michigan?
- Not under state law. Part 134 of the Public Health Code creates no license, registration or permit for tanning facilities. Local business rules can still apply.
- How often must Michigan tanning clients sign the warning statement?
- At least once in each 1-year period (MCL 333.13405(1)(a)). The facility keeps each signed statement for at least 1 year and shows it to a law enforcement officer on request.
- Can a parent sign a Michigan tanning consent form online?
- Not on its own. For a customer under 18, the parent or legal guardian must sign while physically present at the tanning facility and in the presence of the owner or operator.
Sources
- MCL 333.13405, Acknowledgment that customer has read statement; parent or guardian of customer under 18
- MCL 333.13403, Statement; contents; display of poster; promotional materials
- MCL 333.13401, Definitions (Part 134, Tanning Facilities)
- MCL 333.13407a, Action by individual suffering injury
- Public Health Code, Part 134, Tanning Facilities (section list, MCL complete through PA 103 of 2026)
- Michigan Compiled Laws full-text search for "tanning" (8 results)
- 2025-2026 House and Senate bills search for "tanning" (0 results)
- MCL 339.1210, Esthetician; qualifications; permitted services
- Public Act 160 of 2024 (HB 5684), skin care services
- House Bill 4205 of 2019, prohibit use of tanning devices by minors (bill history)
- House Bill 4404 of 2013, registration of tanning facilities (bill history)
- Michigan Administrative Code, rule-set titles by department and bureau
- House Bill 5276 of 2012, prohibit use of tanning devices by minors (bill history)
- House Bill 4405 of 2013, prohibit use of tanning devices by minors (bill history)
- House Bill 6287 of 2018, prohibit use of tanning devices by minors (bill history)
- House Bill 6450 of 2018, prohibit use of tanning devices by minors (bill history)