What is the minimum age to tan in Utah?

Utah sets no fixed minimum age. Anyone under 18 needs either a physician's written order or a parent or legal guardian who comes to the salon and signs a consent form at every visit (Utah Code § 26B-7-407(4)).

Does the parent have to stay at the salon while a minor tans in Utah?

No. The parent or guardian must appear in person and sign and date the consent form each time, but § 26B-7-407(4)(b)(i) says they need not stay for the session.

Do I need a permit to run a tanning salon in Utah?

Yes. Each tanning facility needs a permit from its local health department, renewed every year (§ 26B-7-407(2)(a)). The application and fee come from the local health department, and the permit is valid for one year unless revoked (R392-700-10).

How often can a client tan in Utah?

No more than once each calendar day, and never beyond the manufacturer's recommended exposure (R392-700-6(2)(i)). The required warning sign and notice also tell clients to wait at least 48 hours between sessions.

How often do adult clients sign a tanning warning in Utah?

At the first visit and once a year after. The operator gives a paper health risk warning notice, the client signs and dates it, and the client keeps a copy (R392-700-5(7)).

Tanning laws · UT

Utah tanning laws for salon owners

Last verified September 29, 2026

Researched and written by the TanVision team

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

The short answer

Utah lets a minor tan only with a physician's written order, or with a parent or guardian who comes in and signs a consent form at every visit. Salons need an annual local health department permit. Every client signs a paper health risk warning notice at the first visit and every year, and the state rule limits clients to one session per calendar day.

Utah at a glance

Minimum age for UV tanning: No fixed minimum age. A client under 18 may use a tanning device only with a physician's written order, or when a parent or legal guardian appears in person at each visit and signs the consent form (Utah Code § 26B-7-407(4)). Source 1
Parental consent: Required for every session by a client under 18 unless a physician has written an order. The parent or legal guardian appears in person each time but need not stay for the session (Utah Code § 26B-7-407(4)(b)(i)), and signs and dates the written consent each time. The consent covers the health risks and states that the parent read and understood the warnings, consents, and agrees the minor will use protective eyewear (§ 26B-7-407(5)). Source 1
Spray tan age rule: None. The minors rule in Utah Code § 26B-7-407(4) covers tanning devices, which § 26B-7-407(1)(c) defines as equipment emitting radiation between 200 and 400 nanometers, so spray equipment is outside it. Source 1
License or permit: An annual permit to do business as a tanning facility, from the local health department where the facility is located (Utah Code § 26B-7-407(2)(a)). The operator applies on the local health department's form and pays its fee, and the permit is valid for one year unless revoked (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-10). Source 1
Inspections: The local health officer checks the facility before issuing a permit and on later inspections (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-10(3) and (4)), and may review the signed consent forms on request (R392-700-5(9)). The rule sets no inspection frequency. Source 2
Operator training: The operator must show the local health officer, at the first inspection and later ones, enough knowledge to run each tanning device safely under the manufacturer's directions (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-10(4)). No course or certificate is named. The operator also assesses each client's skin type before assigning a device (R392-700-6(2)(k)). Source 2
Time between sessions: Once per calendar day at most. The operator tracks each client's use so no one tans more than once each calendar day or beyond the manufacturer's recommended exposure (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-6(2)(i)). The required sign and warning notice also advise waiting 48 hours (R392-700-4(2)(j)(iii) and R392-700-5(8)(d)(ix)). Source 2
Consent statement: At the first visit and every year after, the operator gives each client a written paper health risk warning notice, a chance to ask questions and a copy, and the client signs and dates it (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-5(7)). For a minor, the parent also signs the Department's Tanning Consent Form at every visit (R392-700-5(1) and (4)). Source 2
Client records: Keep each signed patron consent form at the facility, readily available to the local health officer (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-5(9)), and track each client's usage (R392-700-6(2)(i)). The rule sets no retention period. Source 2
Injury reporting: No statewide statute found as of 2026-09-29.
Protective eyewear: Offer protective eyewear compatible with the device before each session, show the client how to use it and warn of eye damage without it, and clean and disinfect reusable eyewear with an EPA-registered disinfectant after each use (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-7). Source 2
Replacement lamps: Replace defective or burned-out lamps and filters with ones clearly identified by the maker's brand and model, and keep the lamp maker's labeling and instructions on site to show the replacement is compatible and equivalent (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-6(2)(g) and (h)). Source 2
Timer checks: Timer controls must be installed centrally so a client cannot set or reset the exposure time, and no device may run with an ineffective, inoperable or missing timer (Utah Admin. Code R392-700-6(2)(b) and (3)(a)). The rule sets no timer test interval. Source 2

What Utah's tanning law covers

Utah's tanning law has two layers. The statute, Utah Code § 26B-7-407, sets the minors rule, the annual permit, the warning sign and the penalties. It was first enacted in 2007 as § 26-15-13 (Laws of Utah 2007, chapter 25). Senate Bill 41 of 2012, Regulation of Tanning Facilities, rewrote it so a parent must come in at every visit instead of the first visit and once a year. It was renumbered into Title 26B in 2023 (Laws 2023, chapter 308, effective May 3, 2023). The Department of Health and Human Services rule, Utah Admin. Code R392-700, Indoor Tanning Facility Sanitation, fills in the details. It was last changed on August 17, 2023.

On September 29, 2026 we downloaded all 96 titles of the Utah Code and searched their text for "tanning". The only sections were § 26B-7-407 and § 26B-7-402(18), which lets the department set sanitation rules for commercial tanning facilities. The Office of Administrative Rules search returned six current rules. Three use the word for leather tanning. Besides R392-700, two mention indoor tanning in passing: R380-40-8 requires every local health department to keep a program, with an inventory of regulated entities or complaints, for indoor tanning beds under R392-700, and R392-702 excludes UV tanning and spray tanning units from the cosmetology sanitation rule. Local health departments issue the permits and may add warning requirements (R392-700-4(3)), so ask yours for its fee and forms.

At the front desk

Ask every client for proof of age before they tan (R392-700-5(5)). Lying about being 18 or older is an infraction by the client (§ 26B-7-407(7)(b)).
For a client under 18, either have a physician's written order for tanning as a medical treatment that states how often and how long they may tan, and never exceed it (R392-700-5(1)(a) and (3)), or have a parent or guardian come in at every visit and sign and date the Department's Tanning Consent Form. The parent does not have to stay for the session (§ 26B-7-407(4) and (5)).
At each client's first visit, and once a year after, hand over the paper health risk warning notice, answer questions, have the client sign and date it and give them a copy (R392-700-5(7)). For a minor, the rule counts the parent or guardian as the patron too (R392-700-3(8)).
Offer compatible eyewear before every session and disinfect reusable eyewear after each use (R392-700-7).
Limit each client to one session per calendar day and to the manufacturer's recommended exposure (R392-700-6(2)(i)), and assign the device after assessing their skin type (R392-700-6(2)(k)).
Clean and sanitize every body contact surface, including seats and doorknobs, before each use (R392-700-9).

The warning sign and equipment

Post the warning sign at the counter where clients check in or pay, no more than 10 feet away and in their line of sight. The rule fixes its size (11 by 17 inches), colors, fonts and four statements, including "Wait at least 48 hours before tanning again" (R392-700-4). Use only tanning devices certified under the federal performance standard, and keep each device's operating instructions, exposure recommendations and safety instructions on site (R392-700-6(1) and (2)(a)). The rule also bans advertising that calls tanning equipment "safe" or free of harmful rays (R392-700-6(3)(d)).

The statute and the rule disagree on the penalty. The statute makes a violation of § 26B-7-407 an infraction that can cost the facility its permit (§ 26B-7-407(7)(a)). R392-700-11 still says a breach of a rule requirement that is also in the statute may be a class C misdemeanor, which is what S.B. 41 of 2012 set, and makes other breaches subject to civil penalties under § 26B-1-224. We found nothing saying which one applies, so ask your local health department. The statute also overrides any city or county minors or sign ordinance that is not essentially identical to it (§ 26B-7-407(8)).

What changed recently

The tanning rules themselves have not changed since 2023. The Legislature's full-text search, run on September 29, 2026, found no 2024, 2025 or 2026 bill that amends § 26B-7-407. It does find Senate Bill 41 of 2012. House Bill 531 of 2026, Scarification Amendments, reprinted the § 26B-7-402 list in its first version, but the third substitute, which passed and was signed on March 19, 2026, amends §§ 63I-2-226 and 76-9-2001 instead. Section 26B-7-402's current version dates from May 1, 2024. The rules search lists no proposed or emergency rule that mentions tanning.

How TanVision helps

TanVision's minimum age is 18 by default, and a session cannot start without a date of birth and a signed warning statement on file. Guardian consent is one record per client, and with Minors and UV rooms at Yes, the default at Settings > Tanning rules, once it is on file a minor can start any room, UV included, with only a warning. Utah needs a parent in person and a signed form at every visit, so the desk must check for both each time. For proof of age, Scan ID reads the date of birth from the barcode on a driver's license or ID card with a USB 2D scanner and records the day the ID was checked; staff still compare the photo with the person.

Utah's rule asks for a written paper notice and a copy for the client, so hand those over at the desk. TanVision's consent forms can also keep a signed record of your own form, signed on a phone or tablet, with the signature and exact wording. TanVision has no waiver expiry or re-sign interval, so track the yearly re-sign yourself. In exposure safety, setting the gap between UV sessions to 24 hours or more keeps each client to one UV session per calendar day; a gap of 0 only warns. Each client record shows recent visits, newest first. Compare other states on the tanning laws by state page.

Common questions

What is the minimum age to tan in Utah?: Utah sets no fixed minimum age. Anyone under 18 needs either a physician's written order or a parent or legal guardian who comes to the salon and signs a consent form at every visit (Utah Code § 26B-7-407(4)).
Does the parent have to stay at the salon while a minor tans in Utah?: No. The parent or guardian must appear in person and sign and date the consent form each time, but § 26B-7-407(4)(b)(i) says they need not stay for the session.
Do I need a permit to run a tanning salon in Utah?: Yes. Each tanning facility needs a permit from its local health department, renewed every year (§ 26B-7-407(2)(a)). The application and fee come from the local health department, and the permit is valid for one year unless revoked (R392-700-10).
How often can a client tan in Utah?: No more than once each calendar day, and never beyond the manufacturer's recommended exposure (R392-700-6(2)(i)). The required warning sign and notice also tell clients to wait at least 48 hours between sessions.
How often do adult clients sign a tanning warning in Utah?: At the first visit and once a year after. The operator gives a paper health risk warning notice, the client signs and dates it, and the client keeps a copy (R392-700-5(7)).

Sources

Utah Code § 26B-7-407, Regulation of tanning facilities (effective May 3, 2023)Utah State Legislature. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Utah Admin. Code R392-700, Indoor Tanning Facility Sanitation (last changed August 17, 2023)Utah Office of Administrative Rules. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Utah Code § 26B-7-402, Minimum rules of sanitation established by department (effective May 1, 2024)Utah State Legislature. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Utah Admin. Code R380-40, Local Health Department Minimum Performance StandardsUtah Office of Administrative Rules. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Utah Admin. Code R392-702, Cosmetology Facility SanitationUtah Office of Administrative Rules. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Utah Code, all titles (each title's full text downloaded and searched for "tanning")Utah State Legislature. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Legislature full-text search for "tanning", counts by sessionUtah State Legislature. Accessed September 29, 2026.
Current rules search for "tanning"Utah Office of Administrative Rules. Accessed September 29, 2026.
H.B. 531 (2026), Scarification AmendmentsUtah State Legislature. Accessed September 29, 2026.
S.B. 41 (2012), Regulation of Tanning Facilities (amends § 26-15-13, enacted by Laws of Utah 2007, chapter 25; Session Law chapter 409)Utah State Legislature. Accessed September 29, 2026.
S.B. 41 (2012), enrolled text showing the changes to § 26-15-13Utah State Legislature. Accessed September 30, 2026.

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