Tennessee tanning laws for salon owners

What Tennessee requires at the front desk

Tennessee's tanning law is the Tanning Facility Control Act of 1990, chapter 68-117 of the Tennessee Code. It creates no state license and sets no routine state inspection, so almost every rule is something your staff does at the counter. The minors rules were last rewritten by Public Chapter 608, which took effect on April 2, 2018.

1. Check the age of every new UV client. Under 16, the answer is no, even with a parent standing there (68-117-104(b)(4)).
2. For a 16- or 17-year-old, the parent or legal guardian comes in for the first visit, shows photo ID, brings proof of guardianship if they are not the parent, and signs the Department of Health's form. After that the minor may tan at your facility alone while the form stays on file.
3. Have every customer sign the written warning statement each time they tan, and each time they sign or renew a contract (68-117-104(b)(1)). The statement must carry the nine warnings in 68-117-106, including the line to allow at least 24 hours between uses.
4. Hand out protective eyewear and do not start a session for anyone who will not wear it.
5. Show each customer the handrails or floor markings that keep the right distance from the lamps, and never allow more than the manufacturer's maximum recommended exposure time.
6. Keep a trained attendant on duty whenever you are open.
7. Keep the inside of the facility at or below 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
8. Post the warning sign required by 68-117-107, no smaller than 24 by 36 inches, where the public can always see it.

Breaking any of these is a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500, and each day counts as a separate offense (68-117-105). The statute also says a violation may lead to civil claims against the owner or operator.

The parent form for 16- and 17-year-olds

Public Chapter 608 replaced the older notarized-consent route with one rule: the parent or guardian is there in person the first time and signs a warning statement on a form issued by the Department of Health. The law tells the department to publish that form on its website, so use the department's form rather than one you write yourself, and ask the department if you cannot find it.

Keep each signed form for at least two years and be ready to show it on request. The law allows later visits without a parent only at the facility that holds the signed form, so a 17-year-old who has tanned elsewhere still needs a parent present for the first visit at yours.

What Tennessee law does not cover

• Licensing: chapter 68-117 has no state license or registration, and the Department of Health's environmental health rules have no tanning chapter. Local rules can still apply.
• Injury reports and lamp replacement: the chapter says nothing about either. Federal rules for the equipment still apply; see FDA tanning bed regulations and tanning bed lamp replacement.
• Spray tans: the age rules are written for devices that emit radiation, so they do not set an age for a spray booth.
• Unattended tanning: a 2024 bill (HB 2007) would have let a self-serve kiosk stand in for the attendant and allowed 24-hour opening. It was taken off notice in committee, and the General Assembly's bill search shows no tanning bill in the 2025-2026 session.

How TanVision helps with Tennessee's paperwork

TanVision's consent forms let clients sign on their own phone or a tablet, and each signed record keeps the exact wording they agreed to. At check-in a session cannot start without a signed statement and a date of birth on file, and a client under the salon's minimum age cannot start without guardian consent on file.

Two limits matter in Tennessee. TanVision's minimum age is 18 by default, and with Minors and UV rooms at Yes, the default at Settings > Tanning rules, guardian consent on file lets a younger client tan, so it will not refuse a 15-year-old whose parent signed. Refusing under-16s is your desk's job; at No, check-in refuses UV rooms to every client under the minimum age, 16- and 17-year-olds included. TanVision also does not ask for a new signature at each visit. Tennessee expects one each time a customer tans, so make it a check-in step; a client can sign again through the same link, and each record is kept.

Exposure safety refuses a typed time above the maximum you set for each room, and the gap between UV sessions is your own setting. Client records show each client's consent status and recent visits. For other states, see tanning laws by state.