South Carolina H 3099: Tattoo Facilities

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3099 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3099

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH 
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 44-34-20, RELATING TO THE OPERATION 
OF TATTOO FACILITIES, SO AS TO ELIMINATE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 44-34-100, RELATING TO UNLAWFUL TATTOOING, SO AS TO ELIMINATE CERTAIN 
PROHIBITIONS; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 44-34-110, RELATING TO THE PROHIBITION OF 
LICENSING TATTOO FACILITIES WITHIN A CERTAIN PROXIMITY TO CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, OR 
PLAYGROUNDS, SO AS TO ALLOW ISSUANCE OF A LICENSE WITH THE EXPRESS APPROVAL OF 
ANY SUCH CHURCH, SCHOOL, OR PLAYGROUND.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 44-34-20(C) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (C) A tattoo facility may only provide tattooing and may not 
engage in any other retail business including, but not limited to, the sale of 
goods or performing any form of body piercing other than tattooing.

SECTION 2. Section 44-34-100 (E), (F), and (G) of the S.C. Code is 
amended to read:

 (E) It is unlawful for a 
tattoo artist to tattoo any part of the head, face, or neck of another person.

 (F)(E) A person who violates a provision of this chapter is 
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined up to two thousand 
five hundred dollars or imprisoned up to one year, or both.

 (G)(F) All licensing fees and monetary penalties collected 
must be remitted to the Department of Public Health and Environmental Control in a separate and distinct 
account to be used solely to carry out and enforce the provisions of this 
chapter.

SECTION 3. Section 44-34-110 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 (D)(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of 
subsection (A), the department may issue a license so long as any church, 
school, or playground located within the parameters affirmatively states that 
it does not object to the issuance of a license.

 (2)(a) Any applicant seeking to utilize 
the provisions of this subsection must provide a statement declaring the 
church, playground, or school does not object to the issuance of the specific 
license sought, as follows:

 (i) 
if a church, from the decision-making body of the local church;

 (ii) if a playground, from the 
decision-making body of the owner of the playground;

 (iii) if a school, from the local 
school district board of trustees of the local public school, governing board 
of the charter school, or governing authority of the private school.

 (b) 
If more than one church, school, or playground is located within the parameters 
set forth in subsection (A), the applicant must provide the statement from all 
churches, schools, or playgrounds.

 (c) 
At the time of any renewal period for the specific license, a school, from the 
local school district board of trustees of the local public school, governing 
board of the charter school, or governing authority of the private school, may 
withdraw its statement declaring it does not object to the issuance of the 
specific license sought by notifying the department of its withdrawal.

 (3) 
The department may promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions 
of this subsection.

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 06, 2024 at 10:05 AM