Michigan

What the form asks in Michigan

Michigan’s rule names things the standard waiver form did not ask. A shop in Michigan gets them by default: the questions on its form, the rest on its record in the shop app.

• Aftercare instructions, acknowledged in the consent (on every form)“Aftercare instructions and when to seek medical treatment” ("Before starting a procedure, the body art facility shall provide each client with the following department-approved documents to be completed..." - Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2))
• The state's own disclosure statement and how to file a complaint, in the department's words, on the consent“Disclosure statement and notice for filing complaints. This statement must include both the following: (i) Risks and possible consequences of procedures. (ii) Information on how to lodge complaints about the body art facility related to compliance with the department’s rules for body art facilities.” (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)(a); R 333.13110(4))
• The aftercare suggestions for the client's tattoo, on the consent and the signed waiver, headed by the site they named“Aftercare instructions and when to seek medical treatment, if necessary.” (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)(b), (2)(c)(v))
• An allergies question: medicines, ointments, soaps, latex, anything put on the skin“Allergies or adverse reactions to latex, pigments, dyes, disinfectants, metals, soaps, adhesives, or other products related to body art procedures.” (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)(c)(ii), (4); the department's sample, MDHHS-6326 section 2)
• A bleeding-disorder question“History of hemophilia or excessive bleeding.” (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)(c)(ii), (4); the department's sample, MDHHS-6326 section 2)
• The medications and blood thinners question, always on“Treatment with anticoagulants or other medications that thin the blood and/or interfere with blood clotting.” (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)(c)(ii), (4); the department's sample, MDHHS-6326 section 2)

What the record must capture

• Client identification and contact information
• A completed health questionnaire on the client's medical condition
• The design, location and type of procedure
• Name of the body art technician who did the work
• A signed informed consent statement
• For a minor, the minor's ID and the guardian's ID
• For a minor, documentation verifying the guardian's relationship

The client record has to carry client identification and contact information; for a minor the file needs the minor's ID, the parent or guardian's ID, and paperwork proving the relationship.

Digital records. Michigan's rule names both formats: records may be kept in print or digital form, paper in a locked cabinet or room, electronic records password protected. The rule also asks that the first year stay on the business premises, and it does not say what that means for a record kept in the cloud. Asked directly on 2026-09-08, the Sanilac County health department read it as satisfied when the record can be retrieved while you are on the premises, and said MDHHS is working on the digital record language. Michigan's local health departments do the inspecting, so your own county has the last word. (Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13112(1))

"All client and body art personnel records must be retained on the business premises for 1 year. All records must be maintained for a minimum of 3 years." - Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13112(2)

A license on a phone in Michigan

Michigan does not issue a digital license. A license on a phone is not an ID a shop here can rely on.

What we read: Michigan Secretary of State 'License and ID information' page (michigan.gov/sos/license-id/license-and-id), 2026-09-11: no mobile or digital license offered or mentioned. Michigan Legislature bill pages for SB 617, 618, 619, 620 and 621 (2025): last action 'REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE' (10/22/2025), with a substitute analyzed in committee 3-2-26. Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and TSA lists (2026-09-11): Michigan absent.

On waivers.tattoo: a shop can let its clients choose a saved photo of their ID in Settings. It starts off, and in Michigan a saved photo is only ever a picture of a card: a copy for your file, never proof of age.

Minors

18+. Minors only with conditions. A minor is anyone under 18 who is not emancipated. You can tattoo one only if the parent or legal guardian signs written informed consent in the presence of you or your employee, and shows the minor's birth certificate or legal proof of guardianship to establish their authority. No floor age is set anywhere in the statute or the rules. The record keeps proof of the minor's identification, the parent's or guardian's identification, and a copy of the document that verifies the relationship (R 333.13110(2)(c)(i)).

"An individual shall not tattoo, brand, or perform body piercing on a minor unless the individual obtains the prior written informed consent of the minor's parent or legal guardian and proof of that individual's authority..." - MCL 333.13102

On waivers.tattoo: turn on Tattooing under 18 in Settings and a client under 18 gets a parent-or-guardian section — who they are, how they are related, their own signature, and a photo of their ID. The signed waiver prints what Michigan requires.

Piercing a minor

18+ to sign alone. Minors only with conditions. The parent or legal guardian signs prior written informed consent in the presence of you or your employee, and hands over the minor's birth certificate or legal proof of guardianship. The file keeps the minor's ID, the adult's ID, and the document proving the relationship.

The statute excludes the whole ear, not just the lobe: body piercing is 'the perforation of human tissue other than an ear'.

Off limits for a minor even with consent: nipple or genital-area procedure on a minor regardless of written consent and the parent's presence (R 333.13109(6)).

Misdemeanor, up to 93 days or a $2,500 fine per violation, or both; plus a civil action for actual damages or $1,000, whichever is greater.

MCL 333.13102; Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13109(6) The text

On waivers.tattoo: turn on Piercing under 18 in Settings and a client under 18 gets a parent-or-guardian section — who they are, how they are related, their own signature, and a photo of their ID. The signed waiver prints what Michigan requires, and the form refuses nipple and genital piercings.

What the consent form must say

• A disclosure of the risks and possible consequences
• How to file a complaint about the shop
• Aftercare instructions and when to seek medical treatment
• Documentation of a completed health questionnaire
• Client identification and contact information
• The design, location, type of procedure and technician's name
• A signed informed consent statement
• For a minor, ID and proof of the guardian's relationship

"Before starting a procedure, the body art facility shall provide each client with the following department-approved documents to be completed..." - Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)

Health history and aftercare

The client record must document a completed health questionnaire covering the client's medical condition as it relates to receiving body art, plus a note to follow up with a physician if needed. Aftercare instructions, including when to seek medical treatment, go to the client before the procedure starts. Your own forms have to be at least as comprehensive as the state's samples to be approved.

"Documentation of completing a health questionnaire of the client's medical condition as it relates to receiving body art and notification to follow-up with a physician, if necessary." - Mich. Admin. Code R 333.13110(2)(c)(ii)

Texting your clients in Michigan

9am to 9pm, the client’s local time. Mich. Comp. Laws § 750.540e(1)(f) (calling hours); Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 445.111, 445.111a, 445.111c (Home Solicitation Sales Act / do-not-call), in force since 2002-11-01. It is written for phone calls and never names a text. Treat it as covering texts anyway: the shop carries the risk either way.

Consent. Michigan's telephone-solicitation act reaches only voice: MCL 445.111(m) defines "telephone solicitation" as "any voice communication over a telephone," and excludes a voice communication made with "that subscriber's express invitation or permission prior to the voice communication." Nothing in Michigan's code sets a consent standard for a marketing TEXT.

Your own clients. MCL 445.111(j): an "existing customer" is an individual who bought goods or services from the person and paid within the 12 months preceding the communication (or has not yet paid under a prior agreement); MCL 445.111(m)(ii) excludes voice communications to an existing customer from "telephone solicitation" unless that customer has asked not to be called. 12-month limit. Voice only.

It reaches your sender too. Its own words are “on behalf of a person, corporation, or other entity”, so a service that texts on your behalf is inside this rule with you. Hiring one does not move the duty off the shop.

Making an unsolicited commercial telephone call that is received between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. The text

MCL 750.540e(2): misdemeanor, up to 6 months' imprisonment and/or a $1,000 fine, no private right of action. Separately, MCL 445.111c(3) (do-not-call / telephone-solicitor violations, voice only): private action for actual damages or $250, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees.

Federal law is the floor under it: 8am to 9pm, the client’s local time, prior express written consent for a marketing text, and a STOP honored within 10 business days (47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1), (e)).

What to do

• Ask separately. A yes to marketing texts belongs on its own tick, not folded into the box a client has to accept to get tattooed. Keep it with the date and what it said.
• Text between 9am to 9pm, the client’s local time. An area code is not where somebody lives, so when you cannot tell, use the tighter window.
• Honor a STOP that day. Federal law gives you 10 business days. Same-day is the version nobody argues with, and it is what the carriers expect.
• Keep the count low. Michigan sets no cap and neither does federal law, but a shop that texts a client more than a couple of times a month is teaching them to reply STOP.

Who inspects you

MDHHS issues the annual facility license, which expires December 31 and is renewed by December 1. The local health department does the plan review before the license is issued and inspects the licensed shop at least once a year. Michigan has 45 local health departments; individual artists are not licensed by anyone. A local health department's governing entity may adopt and enforce local codes that are more stringent than the state minimum (MCL 333.13111(1)), so your county can ask for more than the state does, and some do.

Body Art Facility Licensure Program

• Oakland County Health Division, Environmental Health · Oakland County (Pontiac, Troy, Royal Oak)
  Stricter than the state. Body art is regulated under Article VII of the Oakland County Sanitary Code: the county licenses the shop itself, every practitioner needs an Oakland County Practitioner's Permit, and client records must be kept 5 years rather than the state's 3. The source
• Sanilac County Health Department, Environmental Health · Sanilac County (Sandusky, Croswell, Marlette)
  No body art rule of its own, confirmed in writing by the county's health officer on 2026-09-08: Sanilac follows the MDHHS regulations. The county's own body art page names only the state, and its Environmental Health Code covers administration, sewage and water supply. The source
• Detroit Health Department, Body Art Facility Licensure · City of Detroit
• Kent County Health Department · Kent County (Grand Rapids)
• Washtenaw County Health Department, Environmental Health · Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor)
• Macomb County Health Department, Environmental Health Services · Macomb County (Mount Clemens, Warren, Sterling Heights)
  Stricter than the state. Macomb's own Regulations Governing Body Art Establishments (effective February 2, 2009) require the Health Department's written approval to operate, a county permit, beside the state license. Client records are kept 3 years, the same as the state, and the regulation says nothing about keeping them electronically. The source
• Monroe County Health Department, Environmental Health Division · Monroe County (Monroe)
  Stricter than the state. Chapter VIII of the Monroe County Environmental Health Sanitary Code has the county license the shop itself and every tattoo artist hold a county certificate, renewed every 2 years, and client records must be kept 10 years rather than the state's 3. The source
• Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Environmental Health · Barry and Eaton Counties (Hastings, Charlotte)
  No body art rule of its own found. The district's Sanitary Code (effective April 3, 2000) regulates sewage disposal and water supply and never mentions body art, so a shop here answers to the MDHHS rules alone. Not yet confirmed in writing, as Sanilac's was. The source
• Berrien County Health Department, Environmental Health · Berrien County (Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, Niles)
  No body art rule of its own found. The department inspects body art facilities for a fee ($210 in 2026) and lists no county license for one, and the county's site has no body art page, regulation or form we could find. Not yet confirmed in writing, as Sanilac's was. The source

The local health department inspects before the license is issued and at least once a year after that; inspections may be announced or unannounced. The inspector gets access to the shop and all of its books and records during business hours and may examine, photograph or copy them. Refusing entry or refusing to produce records is itself a violation.

Licensing

Your shop. Yes, an annual body art facility license from MDHHS ($500 base fee), expiring at midnight December 31 and renewed by December 1; a temporary license covers up to 14 consecutive days.

Your artists. No, MDHHS does not license individual artists; the facility license covers everyone working in the shop.

The licensing page

Using a generic waiver app in Michigan

A generic waiver app is one form builder for every industry — rafting outfits, gyms, trampoline parks and tattoo shops all start from the same blank template. The tattoo part is yours: you write the questions, you keep them current when the rule changes, and you find out whether you got it right when an inspector reads your file.

In Michigan that is 5 things to set up and keep in step yourself:

• The state's own disclosure statement and how to file a complaint, in the department's words, on the consent
• The aftercare suggestions for the client's tattoo, on the consent and the signed waiver, headed by the site they named
• An allergies question: medicines, ointments, soaps, latex, anything put on the skin
• A bleeding-disorder question
• The medications and blood thinners question, always on

On waivers.tattoo, a shop in Michigan gets all of it the day it starts. Your page opens with Michigan’s questions already on the form, your client signs on their own phone, and the signed waiver prints what they answered.

Michigan in our state-by-state posts

• Texting your tattoo clients: the hours, the caps, and all 51 state rules
• Can a minor get a tattoo with parental consent? State by state
• Can a minor get a piercing with parental consent? 45 states say yes, each on its own terms
• Do you have to ask health questions before a tattoo? 20 states say yes. Here are the questions.
• Do you have to give tattoo aftercare instructions in writing? 38 states say yes.
• Is a tattoo consent form signed on a phone legal? Yes, since 2000. Here is what your state adds on top.
• What has to be on a tattoo consent form? 32 states say. Here is every line they name.
• 26 states make you check ID before a tattoo. The other 25 give you a reason to.
• How long do you have to keep tattoo consent forms? Every state, one table