Tennessee microblading and permanent makeup rules
Do you need a license to do microblading in Tennessee?
Yes. To tattoo, including permanent cosmetics, in Tennessee you must register with the state Department of Health as a tattoo artist; the statute sets an annual artist fee of $140 and lists tattoo, apprentice and temporary artist licenses. Below: the studio license, the agency that issues them, local rules and what Tennessee says about microblading itself, each answered from Tennessee's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026.
- Artist license
- License needed
- Studio license
- License needed
- Artist fee
- $140
- Local rules
- County or city too
Licensed by Tennessee Department of Health, Environmental Health Programs (Tattoo Artists and Establishments).The agency's page The state's own words
The artist
Do you need a license to do permanent makeup in Tennessee?
Yes. To tattoo, including permanent cosmetics, in Tennessee you must register with the state Department of Health as a tattoo artist; the statute sets an annual artist fee of $140 and lists tattoo, apprentice and temporary artist licenses.
- License needed
- License needed
- License name
- Tattoo artist license, Apprentice artist license, Temporary artist license
- Training hours
- Not stated
- State fee
- $140
The studio
Does a microblading studio need a license in Tennessee?
Yes. A tattoo studio must be registered with the state as an operator or artist and must hold a tattoo studio certificate issued by the local county health department after inspection; the statute sets a $280 studio permit fee.
- License needed
- License needed
- License name
- Tattoo studio certificate, Tattoo operator registration
- State fee
- $280
Microblading by name
Is microblading considered tattooing in Tennessee?
Yes, by name. Tennessee's Department of Commerce names microblading as a semi-permanent makeup procedure outside the practice of aesthetics and sends microblading complaints to the Department of Health.
Local rules
Do counties or cities license permanent makeup in Tennessee?
Yes. County health departments issue the tattoo studio certificate and inspect studios, while the state Department of Health registers the artists and operators.
Good to know
What else Tennessee asks of permanent makeup artists
- Tattoo artist licensing requires training in a certified shop for at least one year (a one-year apprenticeship, not a stated number of hours).
- Tattoo artists must wear disposable latex examination gloves at all times while tattooing.
- Tattooing a person under 18 is a Class A misdemeanor, except as the statute provides for covering an existing tattoo.
Sources
What Tennessee's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Tennessee's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026. Rules change, and counties can add their own: confirm with the Tennessee Department of Health before you start.
- The artist's license
“"Tattoo" means any method of placing designs, letters, figures, symbols, cosmetics”
tn.gov “person has registered as a tattoo artist with the department of health.”
tn.gov “licenses: tattoo artist, apprentice artist and temporary artist.”
tn.gov “artist and temporary artist shall pay an annual fee of $140.”
tn.gov - The studio's license
“No person shall operate a tattoo studio unless the person is registered with the state”
tn.gov “as an operator or as an artist and the studio has been issued a studio certificate by the local”
tn.gov “A tattoo studio shall pay a permit fee of $280.”
tn.gov - Who issues it
“For questions regarding microblading, you may contact the TN Department of Health, Environmental Health Programs, Tattoo Artists and Establishments at 615-741-7206 or”
support.commerce.tn.gov - Local rules
“local county health department, to a tattoo studio stating that the studio, after inspection,”
tn.gov “The local health department shall inspect each tattoo studio a minimum of four (4)”
tn.gov - Microblading by name
“As microneedling and microblading are not part of the practice of aesthetics”
support.commerce.tn.gov - Also good to know
“in a certified shop for at least one (1) year,”
tn.gov - Also good to know
“Disposable, latex examination gloves shall be worn by a tattoo artist at all times while”
tn.gov - Also good to know
“it is a Class A misdemeanor to tattoo a person”
tn.gov
Questions
Tennessee microblading licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do microblading in Tennessee?
Is microblading considered tattooing or permanent makeup in Tennessee?
Does a permanent makeup studio need a license in Tennessee?
Who licenses permanent makeup artists in Tennessee?
How much does a permanent makeup license cost in Tennessee?
Does a cosmetology or esthetician license cover microblading in Tennessee?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
- Lash extensions, brow lamination, waxing and threading in Tennessee: which license each needs
- Microneedling, peels, laser and Botox: what an esthetician may do in Tennessee
- What Tennessee requires to open a salon or studio
- What Tennessee inspectors check in a salon
- 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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