Restricts minors’ access to tanning facilities (n=26) No laws related to minors’ access (n=25)

CA

WY

UT

TX

ND MN

WI

MI

IN OH

AR

LA

GA

FL

NC

ME

NH

MA

CT

MD

MS

NY

NJ

DE

KY

TN

Source: National Cancer Institute: State Cancer Legislative Database Program, Bethesda, MD, 2010

Building 31, Room 10A48 • 31 Center Drive, MSC 2580 • Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2580 • 301 496 5217 • 301 402 1225 fax • http://www.scld-nci.net

SCLD contains information synthesized from state-level laws and resolutions. It does not contain state-level regulations; executive orders; measures implemented by counties, cities, or other localities; opinions of Attorneys General; or data addressing the implementation of state laws—all of which may vary 

significantly from the laws reported herein. Although coverage of Medicaid and Medicare law is not comprehensive, some SCLD records include these data.

Long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays, either from tanning 

devices or from the sun, increases the risk of developing 

skin cancer. A recent study indicates that there is an 

increased risk for melanoma in people who first used 

tanning beds in their teens and twenties.1

Melanoma, the deadliest and most serious form of skin 

cancer, is expected to cause 8,420 of the almost 9,420 

predicted deaths attributed to skin cancer in 2009. 2,3

Despite these risks, 8.7 percent of youth ages 14 to 17 

use indoor tanning devices, and girls in this age group 

are seven times more likely than their male counterparts 

to use such devices.4 The World Health Organization 

recommends that access to tanning beds be restricted for 

those under age 18.5

Twenty-six states have enacted laws restricting minors’ 

access to tanning facilities. Of these states, six have enacted 

bans. California, Maine, New Jersey, and New York 

prohibit minors under age 14 from using tanning facilities, 

while Wisconsin prohibits use by minors under age 16 and

Texas prohibits use by minors under age 16.5.

Four states prohibit minors from accessing tanning 

facilities but allow some exceptions for medical treatment.

North Carolina law prohibits persons under age 13 from 

using tanning equipment at facilities without a written 

prescription from their physician that specifies the nature 

of the condition requiring treatment. Minors under age 

14 in Delaware, New Hampshire, and North Dakota are 

prohibited from using tanning facilities unless they provide 

a written medical order and are accompanied by a parent 

or guardian.

Twelve states have laws that restrict the use of tanning 

facilities by minors at specified ages unless the minor is 

accompanied by a parent or guardian. Twenty-four states 

have provisions authorizing the use of tanning facilities 

by minors in specified age ranges with written consent 

of a parent or guardian. Of these states, 17—Arkansas, 

California, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, 

Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, 

New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, 

Utah, and Wyoming—require that the consent statement 

be signed at the tanning facility and/or in the presence 

of the tanning facility operator. North Dakota and

Tennessee require either an in-person signature by a 

parent or guardian or, in lieu of parental accompaniment, 

a notarized consent statement.

Seventeen states require the posting of a warning sign 

in the facility. Nineteen states address the provision of 

a warning statement to minors and/or their parent or 

guardian before the use of a tanning device. Notably, 

New Hampshire law requires that the warning statement 

be read aloud to the user of the device. Virginia’s law does 

not restrict minors’ access to tanning facilities. However, the 

state does require the signature of a parent or guardian on 

a warning statement for youth under the age of 15. 

Twenty-one states have laws that address penalties to 

tanning facilities for violating the law. Of these states, 

11 have provisions addressing license penalties.

1. World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on 

Cancer. (2006). Exposure to artificial UV radiation and skin cancer.

Retrieved August12, 2008, from http://www.iarc.fr/en/content/

download/4497/39839/file/ArtificialUVRad&SkinCancer.pdf

2.National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Skin cancer. Retrieved May 1, 2010, 

from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/skin

3.National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Melanoma. Retrieved May 1, 2010, 

from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/melanoma

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Quickstats: Percentage of 

teens aged 14-17 years who used indoor tanning devices during the preceding 

12 months, by sex and age–United States, 2005. Morbidity and Mortality 

Weekly Report, 55(40), 1101

5. World Health Organization. (2003). Artificial tanning sunbeds: Risks and 

guidance. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from www.who.int/entity/uv/publications/

en/sunbeds.pdf

National Cancer Institute

U.S. DEPARTMENT 

OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes 

of Health

Skin Cancer 

State Cancer Legislative Database Fact Sheet June 2010

Office of Government and Congressional Relations

States with Laws Addressing Minors’ Access to Tanning Facilities 

(enacted as of March 31, 2010)
State Laws Addressing Minors’ Access to Tanning Facilities (enacted as of March 31, 2010)

State

Age at 

which use 

of tanning 

devices is 

prohibited

Age at which tanning is 

allowed under specified conditions Posting of 

warning 

sign 

required

Written 

warning 

statement 

addressed

Penalty to tanning facility 

for violation

License 

penalty

addressed

Promulgation of 

regulations for 

enforcement/

implementation 

addressed

Parental 

accompaniment

Physician 

authorizationParental 

consent

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas – – – Under 18* N Y

California Under 14 – – Between

14 and 18* Y Y

Infraction for first violation; 

misdemeanor for subsequent violations; 

civil penalty of up to $2,500 per day

N N

Colorado

Connecticut – – – Under 16 N N Fine of up to $100 N N

Delaware – Under 14 Under 14 Between

14 and 18* N Y

$250 fine for first offense; 

$500 fine for second offense; 

$1000 fine for all subsequent offenses

N Y

District of Columbia

Florida – Under 14 – Between

14 and 18 Y Y

Second degree misdemeanor; 

possible administrative fine of up to 

$1,000 per violation per day

Y Y

Georgia – – – Under 18* Y N

Misdemeanor; penalty fee of at least 

$1,000, punitive damages, court costs, 

and attorneys’ fees

N N

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana – Under 16 – Under 18* Y Y Class C misdemeanor; 

fine of up to $1,000 per day Y N

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky – Under 14 – 14 through 17 N Y Not specified N Y

Louisiana – Under 14 – Between

14 and 18* Y Y Injunctive relief Y Y

Maine Under 14 14 and 15 – 14 and Older*

Maryland – – – Under 18* N N

Civil penalty not to exceed $250; 

$500 for the second violation; 

$1,000 for each subsequent violation

N Y

Massachusetts – Under 14 – 14 to 17 Y Y Fine of $200 to $2,000 Y Y

Michigan – – – Under 18* Y Y Not specified N N

Minnesota – – – Under 16* Y Y Petty misdemeanor N N

Mississippi – Under 14 – Between 

14 and 17* N N

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire – Under 14▲ Under 14▲ Under 18* N Y Fine of up to $250 per day Y Y

New Jersey Under 14 – – 14 through 17 Y Y Fine of $100 for first offense; 

fine of $200 for subsequent offenses N Y

New Mexico

New York Under 14 – – 14 to 18* Y Y Civil penalty of up to $250 

(in lieu of license penalty) Y Y

North Carolina – – Under 13 – N Y Not specified N Y

North Dakota – Under 14 Under 14 Under 18* Y Y Class B misdemeanor Y Y

Ohio – – – Under 18 Y N

Fine of up to $100 for first violation; 

up to $500 for second violation; and up to 

$1,000 for subsequent violations

Y Y

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee – Under 14 – Between

14 and 18* Y Y Class B misdemeanor; fine of up to $500 per day N N

Texas Under 16.5 – – Under 18 Y Y

Class A misdemeanor; civil penalty of up 

to $25,000 per violation per day; 

injunctive relief

Y Y

Utah – – – Under 18* Y Y Class C misdemeanor Y N

Vermont

Virginia Y Y‡ Class 3 misdemeanor N

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin Under 16 – – – Y N Fine of $50 to $250 Y Y

Wyoming – Under 15 – Between 15 

and 18* N N Misdemeanor; fine of not more than $250 N N

Key:

* A parental consent form must be signed at the tanning facility and/or in the presence of the tanning facility operator. ND and TN laws allow a notarized statement signed by a parent or 

legal guardian in lieu of parental accompaniment.

‡ VA requires the signature of a parent or legal guardian on a warning statement for minors under age 15. 

Tanning Device: Equipment that emits electromagnetic radiation wavelengths in the air between 200-400 nanometers, including sunlamps, tanning beds, and tanning booths.

Phototherapy devices are explicitly excluded in CA, FL, LA, MA, MN, ND, NH, NY, TN, TX, and UT.

Protective eyewear is required in KY, MI, NY, ND, TN, TX, and UT.

Source: National Cancer Institute: State Cancer Legislative Database Program, Bethesda, MD, 2010.