North Dakota microblading and permanent makeup rules
Do you need a license to do microblading in North Dakota?
Not stated at the state level. North Dakota licenses the body art establishment; the official pages we read name no personal license for the artist, who must be at least 18. Ask the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services before you start. Below: the studio license, the agency that issues them, local rules and what North Dakota says about microblading itself, each answered from North Dakota's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026.
- Artist license
- Not stated
- Studio license
- License needed
- Artist fee
- Not stated
- Local rules
- County or city too
Licensed by North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Lodging (Tattoo and Body Art Establishments).The agency's page The state's own words
The artist
Do you need a license to do permanent makeup in North Dakota?
Not stated at the state level. North Dakota licenses the body art establishment; the official pages we read name no personal license for the artist, who must be at least 18. Ask the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services before you start.
- License needed
- Not stated
The studio
Does a microblading studio need a license in North Dakota?
Yes. A place where tattooing, including cosmetic tattooing, is done must have a body art establishment license from the state health department before it operates. The license expires annually.
- License needed
- License needed
- License name
- body art establishment license
- State fee
- Not stated
Microblading by name
Is microblading considered tattooing in North Dakota?
Yes, by name. North Dakota's proposed Body Art Code (notice of June 16, 2026) names microblading as cosmetic tattooing; the rules in force do not use the word.
Local rules
Do counties or cities license permanent makeup in North Dakota?
Yes. State rules say a fixed facility may be licensed by the state or by a local jurisdiction.
Good to know
What else North Dakota asks of permanent makeup artists
- The body art operator must be at least 18 years old (current chapter 33-41-01, section 33-41-01-03).
- No body art procedure may be done on a person under 18 without the presence, written consent, and proper identification of a parent or guardian.
- Proposed Body Art Code (not confirmed as adopted): everyone present during a tattooing or cosmetic tattooing procedure must wear protective eyewear, sterile gloves, and an N-95 or higher mask.
Sources
What North Dakota's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of North Dakota's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026. Rules change, and counties can add their own: confirm with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services before you start.
- The studio's license
“A person may not operate a facility providing tattooing, body piercing, branding, subdermal implant, or scarification services without a license issued by the department under this section.”
ndlegis.gov “"Cosmetic tattooing" is included in the definition of tattooing.”
ndlegis.gov “No person, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, business trust, corporation, or organized group of persons may operate a body art establishment except with a body art establishment license from the department.”
ndlegis.gov - Who issues it
“Statewide Licensed Tattoo and Body Art Establishments (Excel) - Updated July 2026”
hhs.nd.gov - Local rules
“which, where applicable, is licensed by the appropriate state or local jurisdiction”
ndlegis.gov - Microblading by name
“used to puncture the skin, including permanent or semi-permanent makeup, scalp micropigmentation, and microblading.”
ndlegis.gov - Also good to know
“The body art operator must be a minimum of eighteen years of age.”
ndlegis.gov - Also good to know
“No person shall perform any body art procedure upon a person under the age of eighteen years without the presence, written consent, and proper identification of a parent, legal custodial parent, or legal guardian.”
ndlegis.gov - Also good to know
“Any individual present during the procedure, including all personnel and the client, shall wear protective eyewear, sterile gloves, and a mask rated as N-95 or higher.”
ndlegis.gov
Questions
North Dakota microblading licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do microblading in North Dakota?
Is microblading considered tattooing or permanent makeup in North Dakota?
Does a permanent makeup studio need a license in North Dakota?
Who licenses permanent makeup artists in North Dakota?
Does a cosmetology or esthetician license cover microblading in North Dakota?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
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- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Microblading rules in other states
Ready when you are
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