New 2023

It is the responsibility of the Sponsor of a temporary body art event (expo or show) to submit all the participating practitioners required registration documents as ONE PACKET to the County, at least 21 calendar days prior to the event. The County will quality control each individual registration and provide a final list of approved practitioners back to the Sponsor for billing and entrance to the event.  Failure to submit any event practitioner registrations 21 calendar days prior to the event will be subject to late penalties or be denied.

The sponsor is responsible for complying with Article 5 starting with Section 119317 of California’s Safe Body Art Law and San Mateo County Ordinance #04285. Temporary events consist of body art booths, that may contain one or more workstations.  Each practitioner workstation must have no less than 50 square feet of floor space. Each booth shall be 100 square feet of floor space.  Larger booths may be allowed but will be charged accordingly.

It is the responsibility of San Mateo County Environmental Health Services to inspect the sponsor’s infrastructure of the event as well as all booths and practitioners.  These inspections ensure the event, and all participants operate in a safe manner and in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. 

The Sponsor is responsible for ensuring the availability of all support facilities and supplies as outlined in their Operations Plan.

It is the Event Sponsor’s responsibility to also contact any other agencies, such as the Fire Department, City or County Planning Department, or Building Department to obtain permits and approval.

How to Apply 

Apply online (recommended)
Submit your Event Sponsor Application for Temporary Events Application and Event Operations Plan through the MyEHS Portal. You can also pay your application fee online through the portal. Submission is required a minimum of thirty days (30) prior to the date of the planned event.

If you’re unable to apply online with MyEHS, you can download and complete the Body Art Facility PDF application at smchealth.org/myehs (see Resources & PDF Applications).

Resources for Event Sponsors

Sponsor Operations Plan Checklist – NEW
Body Art Program Fee Schedule
Approved Blood Borne Pathogen Exposure Training Courses
San Mateo County Body Art Ordinance 04285
California Safe Body Art Law: Article 5, Temporary Body Art Facilities

Enforcement

You may be subject to the following penalties for violations of the California Safe Body Art Act:
Administrative fines up to $1,000.00 dollars per violation.
Permit and practitioner registration violations are subject to misdemeanor, suspension, modification, revocation and administrative fines up to 3x the cost of the permit or registration fee.
​Closure of the body art facility and temporary event.