Restricts minors’ access to tanning facilities (n=21) No laws related to minors’ access (n=30)

Source: National Cancer Institute: State Cancer Legislative Database Program, Bethesda, MD, 2008

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

The SCLD contains information synthesized from state-level laws and resolutions. The SCLD does not contain state-level regulations; executive orders; measures 

implemented by counties, cities, or other localities; case law; Attorneys General opinions; or data addressing the implementation of state laws—all of which 

may vary significantly from the laws reported here.

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 (WHO) 

recommends that access to tanning beds be restricted for 

those under age 18.5

Twenty-one states have enacted laws restricting minors’ 

access to tanning facilities. Of these states, four have 

enacted bans. California, New Jersey, and New York

prohibit minors under age 14 from using tanning facilities, 

while Wisconsin prohibits use by minors under age 16. 

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 New Hampshire and North Dakota and under age 

13 in Texas are prohibited from using tanning facilities 

unless they provide a written medical order and are 

accompanied by a parent or guardian. 

Ten 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. Nineteen states have provisions 

authorizing the use of tanning facilities by minors in specified 

age ranges with a written statement of parental or guardian 

consent. Of these states, nine—California, Georgia, Indiana, 

Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, 

New York, and Utah—require that the consent statement 

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

tanning facility operator. New Hampshire and Utah laws 

also require a parent or guardian to be present during the 

minor’s first use. 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.

Sixteen states require the posting of a warning sign in the 

facility. Sixteen states address the provision of a warning 

statement to minors and/or their parent or guardian 

before the use of a tanning device. Of these 16 states, 12 

require explicit mention that exposure to ultraviolet light 

or radiation can result in skin cancer. 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. 

Nineteen states have laws that address penalties to 

tanning facilities for violating the law. Of these states, 10 

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 August 

12, 2008, from http://www.iarc.fr/en/content/download/4497/39839/file/

ArtificialUVRad&SkinCancer.pdf

2.National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Skin cancer. Retrieved August 12, 2008, from 

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

3.National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Melanoma. Retrieved August 12, 2008, 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. MMWR, 55(40), 1101. 

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

guidance. Retrieved August 12, 2008, 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 August 2008

Office of Government and Congressional Relations

States with Laws Addressing Minors’ Access to Tanning Facilities 

(enacted as of June 30, 2008)
State Laws Addressing Minors’ Access to Tanning Facilities (enacted as of June 30, 2008)

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

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

Colorado

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

Delaware

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, and court costs N

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

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

fine of up to $1,000 per day Y

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

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 14 – Under 18 N N Not specified N

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

Mississippi

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 – 14 through 

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

Texas – Under 16 Under 13▲ 16 or 17 Y Y

Class A misdemeanor; civil penalty of up 

to $25,000 per violation per day; 

injunctive relief

N Y

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

Vermont

Virginia Y Y‡ Class 3 misdemeanor N

Washington

West Virginia

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

Wyoming

Key:

* A parental consent form must be signed at the tanning facility and/or in the presence of the tanning facility operator. NH and UT laws also require a parent or legal guardian to be 

physically present at the time of initial use. 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.

Source: National Cancer Institute: State Cancer Legislative Database Program, Bethesda, MD, 2008.