reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 441 - Alejandro Ruiz Soler Sanatorium—Public institution

For the purposes of §§ 441 and 442 of this title the sanatorium established by the Department of Health in the vicinity of Río Piedras is hereby declared a public institution, which shall be known hereafter as the Alejandro Ruiz Soler Sanatorium.
History —May 6, 1938, No. 129, p. 270, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 442 - Alejandro Ruiz Soler Sanatorium—Under jurisdiction of Secretary of Health

The said sanatorium shall be under the jurisdiction, for all purposes of management, administration and development, of the Secretary of Health.
History —May 6, 1938, No. 129, p. 270, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 443 - Sanatorium trust fund—Source; use

From the date of the approval of this act, §§ 443—444 of this title, all moneys received from pay-patients under treatment in the Alejandro Ruiz Soler Sanatorium, in accordance with the regulations of said Institution prepared by the Secretary of Health, shall be deposited in the Treasury of Puerto Rico in a special trust fund to be known as “Pay-Patients’ Fees, Alejandro Ruiz Soler Sanatorium, Trust Fund”. Seventy-five percent (75%) of these sums shall be devoted to the construction of houses for the sick, dining rooms, kitchens, mortuary, administration building, sidewalks, paving of streets, lights and water, and the other twenty-five percent (25%) shall be available for food for patients.
History —May 12, 1920, No. 12, p. 96, § 1; July 14, 1926, No. 6, p. 14, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 444 - Sanatorium trust fund—Construction of sanatorium buildings

All the constructions chargeable to this fund shall be made by the Department of Transportation and Public Works upon request of the Secretary of Health and in accordance with the plans prepared for the purpose by the Department of Health.
History —May 12, 1960, No. 12, p. 96, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 445 - Shop for tuberculosis patients—Establishment

The establishment of a shop is hereby authorized for the preparation of articles made of cloth, leather, wood, fibre, etc., to be used in the tuberculosis hospitals of the Government of Puerto Rico.
History —May 15, 1938, No. 215, p. 419, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 446 - Shop for tuberculosis patients—Personnel from convalescing patients

The operatives of this shop shall be selected by the Secretary of Health, or his representatives whom he may delegate, from among patients who have been discharged from the tuberculosis hospitals, and those who are under treatment in antituberculosis centers; Provided, That such patients shall have a negative sputum and have been classified as arrested cases according to the classification established by the National Tuberculosis Association of the United States and universally accepted; and, Provided, further, That only such patients as are not hospitalized shall be able to work in this shop, and whenever there may be a position or office in the administration of said shop, which can be discharged by a convalescing patient, no other person shall be employed.
History —May 15, 1938, No. 215, p. 418, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 447 - Shop for tuberculosis patients—Management of shop

The organization and management of the shop shall be in charge of the Social Welfare Bureau of the Department of Health.
History —May 15, 1938, No. 215, p. 418, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 448 - Shop for tuberculosis patients—Use of money from sale of products

The moneys received from the sale of articles made in this shop shall be deposited in a trust fund in the Treasury of Puerto Rico and shall be at the disposal of the Secretary of Health for the purchase of materials and equipment and for the payment of the quarters in which the shop shall be established; it being understood, that after the above-mentioned expenses have been met, any money remaining shall be applied to the payment of wages of the operatives and other employees.
History —May 15, 1938, No. 215, p. 418, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 449 - Shop for tuberculosis patients—Exemption from labor laws

The shop hereby authorized, being a means for the rehabilitation of tuberculosis patients who have been discharged from antituberculosis hospitals, shall not be governed by the labor laws but by rules drafted for the purpose by the Secretary of Health.
History —May 15, 1938, No. 215, p. 418, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 450 - Hospital employment—For arrested tuberculosis patients

The Secretary of Health is hereby authorized to provide remunerated employment on a wage basis in the tuberculosis hospitals of the Government of Puerto Rico to those persons who have been hospitalized as tuberculosis patients therein and who have been discharged as arrested cases by the medical staff.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 451 - Hospital employment—Arrested case defined

By arrested case shall be understood all cases of pulmonary tuberculosis which:
(a) During the last six (6) months of hospitalization have shown no adverse changes in their pulmonary lesions according to clinical and radiographic studies;
(b) during the last six (6) months of hospitalization, have shown a negative sputum for the tuberculosis bacillus, such sputum being examined by the concentration method;
(c) show no clinical symptoms of activity of tuberculosis for the last six months of hospitalization.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 452 - Hospital employment—Eligibility qualifications

The Secretary of Health is hereby authorized to determine the number of arrested cases who can take advantage of this plan of work in accordance with the needs and the resources of the institutions where the work can be offered to them; it being understood that there shall be eligible only those who:
(a) Have observed exemplary conduct during the term of hospitalization;
(b) have no financial means whatsoever, and
(c) their physical condition permits them to render several hours of work without injury to their health.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 453 - Hospital employment—Employment, hours, duration and type

The Secretary of Health shall determine the hours of employment and the duration of employment in accordance with the physical condition of the arrested case. He shall determine further, the type of work in which he may engage.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 454 - Hospital employment—Compensation for patient

The Secretary of Health is hereby authorized to fix the remuneration in accordance with the functions discharged by the employee, and in accordance with the number of hours he is able to work daily; It being understood That such remuneration shall be computed in accordance with the number of hours worked, and on the basis of the schedule of pay for full-time work applicable to the case. The lodgings and the meals furnished to the employee shall be deducted, as prescribed for the regular employees by the Office of Personnel of the Commonwealth Government.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 455 - Hospital employment—Regulations

The Secretary of Health is hereby authorized to establish regulations for these arrested cases employed by the institutions, so that all the activities of the individual will contribute to his physical improvement; Provided, That a periodic medical examination shall be made in order to determine if, and to what extent, they can continue to render service.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 456 - Hospital employment—Appropriation for wages; eligible for competitive service

The Secretary of Health shall use funds out of those appropriated for the functioning of said hospitals, out of the regular items for salaries, in order to pay the arrested employees on a wage basis; Provided, however, That those so employed shall not be considered regular employees for any purposes; Provided, That an arrested case shall cease to be covered by the provisions of §§ 450—456 of this title when he is deemed by the staff to be able to yield the full-time physical work, proper of a healthy person; and, Provided, further, That after he has arrived at this last stage, if his behavior and efficiency warrant, the arrested case shall be preferentially eligible, within the competitive service, to a position similar to that discharged as an employee on a wage basis, provided he meets all the requirements under the Personnel Act in force, to become a regular employee.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 19, p. 96, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 460 - Advance on lottery receipts

The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to place at the disposal of the Secretary of Health, at his request, regular funds in the nature of an advance of the tax levied by § 16 of Act No. 29 of 1935, as well as an advance of such of the receipts from the Lottery of Puerto Rico as are allocated to the antituberculosis hospitals and the district hospitals under § 3 of Act No. 212 of 1938.
History —Apr. 20, 1946, No. 371, p. 996, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 461 - Procedure for advance of funds

These funds in the nature of advances of taxes and receipts shall be transferred from the regular funds following such accounting procedure as may be deemed advisable by the Secretary of the Treasury, and shall be covered into the “T.B. Fund, S.O. Fd.” and the “Hospital Fund, S.O. Fd.,” in such amounts as the Secretary of Health may deem necessary, provided said amounts do not exceed the difference between the total amount estimated for the fiscal year involved, and the amounts collected and covered into the corresponding fund.
History —Apr. 20, 1946, No. 371, p. 996, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 27 - Tuberculosis (§§ 441 — 462) › § 462 - Reimbursement of advances

The amounts so advanced shall be reimbursed to the regular funds from succeeding collections for or receipts in the corresponding funds, in the manner the Secretary of the Treasury may deem advisable, provided it does not prejudice the functioning of the Institutions of the Department of Health.
History —Apr. 20, 1946, No. 371, p. 996, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 29 - Malaria (§ 491) › § 491 - Financial cooperation for Malaria Control Program

The Secretary of Health is hereby authorized to accept financial cooperation in aid of the Malaria Control Program from private individuals and likewise to accept financial cooperation from the federal government, the municipal governments, and the various public corporations of the Government of Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 5, 1951, No. 70, p. 158, §§ 1, 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 30 - Dengue (§§ 495 — 497) › § 495 - Commonwealth Plan—Creation

(a) Within ninety (90) days after the date of effectiveness of this act, the Department of Health, with the advice and cooperation of the Environmental Quality Board, the Puerto Rico Mayors Association, the Puerto Rico Federation of Municipalities and the Department of Education shall develop, approve and publish a plan for Puerto Rico to prevent, face, control and attempt to eradicate the dengue virus in Puerto Rico, as well as any other mosquito-borne diseases and coordinate the efforts of the municipalities of Puerto Rico to control the propagation of mosquitoes.
As part of said Commonwealth plan, the Department of Health shall establish the minimum requirements which shall be contained in the plans to be created by the municipalities to control the dengue virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. Said minimum requirements shall include, without being limited to, plans to reduce propagation sources, water management, surveillance, public education, mosquito notice and integrated mosquito management, among others.
(b) The Department of Health may provide the municipalities with any human, technical, professional and budgetary resources available for them to develop and implement the municipal plans required by § 496 of this title, as well as training, acquisition of equipment, and other services required by the municipalities to implement the mosquito-control plan. The Secretary of Health shall establish through regulations the applicable procedures for the allocation of funds to the municipalities as well as the terms and conditions for receiving and administering said funds by the municipalities.
History —Nov. 9, 2007, No. 161, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 30 - Dengue (§§ 495 — 497) › § 496 - Municipal plans—Adoption

(a) Within one hundred and eighty (180) days after the date of effectiveness of this act, every municipality shall develop and formulate a plan to prevent, face, control and attempt to eradicate the dengue virus in said municipality, as well as any other mosquito-borne diseases. Said plan shall include a cost estimate of the plan implementation and a report stating the municipal funds that are being used to address said matter, as well as a report on any necessary supplementary funds, if required, for the implementation of the municipal plan. Said municipal plan shall provide a thorough description of all measures in effect in the municipality and any proposed control measures to be followed by the municipality, the identification of personnel, as well as the budgetary resources appropriated for pest management, the funds available, and any necessary additional funds, as well as the time needed for the implementation of the plan. The plan adopted by the municipality shall also include provisions for remitting to the Department of Health periodical reports regarding the monitoring of mosquito-control activities conducted by the municipality as well as any other information required by the Department of Health.
(b) The plan adopted by a municipality shall be submitted to the Department of Health for its approval. The Department of Health shall review the plan and approve or disapprove the same within a term not to exceed forty-five (45) days as of its submittal by the municipality.
If the Department of Health concludes that the plan adopted by the municipality meets the minimum requirements established by the Department of Health pursuant to § 495 of this title, the Department of Health shall approve the plan. If the Department of Health disapproves the plan adopted by the municipality, the Department shall return the same to the municipality, indicating the deficiencies found therein and suggesting any modifications necessary for the approval thereof by the Department. Provided, That any modification to the original plan submitted by a municipality shall be ratified by the Municipal Legislature of said municipality, before submitting the plan again to the Department of Health for approval.
History —Nov. 9, 2007, No. 161, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 30 - Dengue (§§ 495 — 497) › § 497 - The Commonwealth and Municipal Fund—Creation

A non-recurring fund is hereby established in the Department of Health to be administered by the Secretary and separate from any other funds or accounts of the Department of Health, which shall be known as the “Commonwealth and Municipal Fund for the Control of the Dengue Virus and other Mosquito-borne Diseases”. The moneys deposited in said Fund shall be used exclusively to develop and implement the Commonwealth Plan for the Management of the Dengue Virus and other Mosquito-borne Diseases established by this chapter, to review and approve Municipal Plans for the Management of the Dengue Virus and other Mosquito-borne Diseases, to provide supplementary funds to the municipalities for the development and implementation of said plans pursuant to § 496 of this title, for training, to acquire equipment and other necessary services so that the municipalities may be able to implement their corresponding plans, and to conduct research related to dengue and any other mosquito-borne diseases. The matching of Fund moneys with any other resources originating from the Commonwealth government, any municipality, federal agencies or private companies is hereby authorized.
History —Nov. 9, 2007, No. 161, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 531 - Definitions

The following words shall have the meaning expressed below:
(a) Tattoo artist. — Means the person who fixes drawings, designs or markings on human skin by introducing coloring substances under the epidermis with needles or scalpels in previously made punctures.
(b) Department. — Means the Department of Health of Puerto Rico.
(c) Tattoo art. — Means the treatment of the skin by fixing words or designs thereon after lightly tracing them.
(d) Owner or administrator of a tattoo studio. — Means the person who operates and maintains an establishment devoted to tattooing.
(e) Contagious diseases. — Means any type of disease caused by an infectious agent that can be directly or indirectly transmitted by one persons to another.
(f) Tattoo studio. — Means any establishment possessing a license issued by the Department of Health for tattooing.
(g) Foreign person. — Means a person born outside of Puerto Rico or the United States.
(h) Register of Tattoo Artists. — Means the dependency of the Department of Health in charge of the Register of Tattoo Artists and the tattoo studios authorized by the provisions of this chapter.
(i) Secretary. — Means the Secretary of the Department of Health.
(j) Aseptic techniques. — Means the techniques used to prevent infection by inhibiting the development and growth of infectious agents and by destroying the microbes that cause infection.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 2, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 532 - Tattoo artists—License and register

No person may make tattoos nor call himself or herself a tattoo artist unless he or she possesses a license according to the provisions of this chapter and is registered in the Register of Tattoo Artists to be established by the Secretary of the Department of Health for that purpose.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 3, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 533 - Registering

The application for registering in the Register shall be filled out in the form provided by the Department and shall be accompanied by the following documents:
(a) A certified copy of the birth certificate of the person;
(b) if the person is a foreigner, he or she shall present his or her passport and the immigration visa authorizing him or her to work in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
(c) an identification of the applicant bearing a front view 2″ x 3″ color photograph;
(d) the social security or passport number, if a foreigner; and
(e) the hepatitis vaccination certificate.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 4, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 534 - Examination

Those persons applying for a tattoo artist license shall be given an examination administered by the Department so as to determine whether they have the necessary knowledge concerning the aseptic techniques that would allow them to make tattoos without jeopardizing the health of a client.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 5, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 535 - License—Term and renewal

Should the Secretary determine that the applicant meets the requirements, he or she shall issue a license to authorize the latter to practice tattoo art, in the form of a certificate which shall be fixed to a visible wall of the tattoo studio. The license shall be valid for two (2) years, after which term it must be renewed by filing a renewal application provided by the Department, accompanied by a one hundred and twenty-five-dollar ($125) fee.
The license renewal application must be presented ninety (90) days prior to the date of its expiration. Every application presented during the term of ninety (90) days shall be accompanied by an additional fee of fifty dollars ($50). Should the application be filed after the license has expired, the Department shall consider the same as if it were an original application.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 6, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 536 - Health standards

The licensed tattoo artist shall meet the following health standards:
(a) Wear a clean gown (medical type) or surgical robe during the tattooing process.
(b) Wash and scrub fingernails with antiseptic soap and hot water before beginning and after finishing working on a client.
(c) Wear disposable gloves, [and use] sterile gauze pads and sterilized syringes.
(d) Wash the area of the body to be tattooed with antiseptic soap. No tattoos may be made in areas of the body showing signs of drug use, injuries, wounds, lesions or dermatological disease.
(e) If the area to be tattooed must be shaved, use disposable razors during every procedure and again wash the skin with isopropyl alcohol at seventy percent (70%).
(f) Wash and rinse the stencil used to transfer the design to the skin with a germicidal solution before and after each application and then store the stencil in a sterile container.
(g) Use non-toxic and tattoo-specific pigments and dispose of the residue [from] the pigments used.
(h) Once the procedure is finished, dry the tattoo and apply a sterile lubricant available in plastic or metal tubes and then cover the area with sterile gauze.
(i) Immediately discard the needles and piercing or cutting instruments in labeled puncture-proof containers and dispose of these as hazardous biological material.
(j) Place equipment and all instruments in a germicidal solution or in an ultrasonic sterilizer.
(k) Discard the gloves after every use in bags labeled as biomedical waste to be handled by authorized personnel.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 7, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 537 - Information and statement

The tattoo artist as well as the owner or administrator of a tattoo studio shall inform the client, verbally and in writing, about how to care for the tattooed area and that the tattoo is permanent and irreversible. The client shall sign a statement indicating that he or she has read and understood the instructions given, a copy of which shall be kept at the tattoo studio for a term of six (6) months.
The written statement shall contain the following information:
(a) The name and license number of the tattoo artist and the address and telephone number of the tattoo studio;
(b) instructions indicating that the tattooed area must not [be] exposed to direct sunlight for at least two (2) weeks and that sterile gauze must be used to frequently clean the area, and
(c) instructions advising the client to consult a physician if any signs of infection should appear or if any allergic reaction [should occur].
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 8, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 538 - Prohibition

It is hereby prohibited to fix tattoos on any mentally disabled person or on minors under twenty-one (21) years of age. Violations of this provision shall entail the revocation of the license indefinitely, pursuant to the provisions of the effectiveness note under § 531 of this title.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 9, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 539 - Tattoo studio—Licenses

No person acting independently or jointly with another, and no firm, corporation or partnership shall operate a tattoo studio without a license issued by the Department of Health authorizing said operation.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 10, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 540 - Tattoo studio—License application and fee

(a) The application for a license to operate a tattoo studio shall be filled out [on] the form provided by the Department, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(b) The application shall include the location and address of the studio and the address of the owner or the administrator with the following information:
(1) Attesting evidence of the fact that the owner or administrator is of legal age;
(2) the criminal record certificate of the owner and the administrator of the establishment;
(3) a list of the names of all owners or persons holding fifty percent (50%) or more of the shares in the corporation that shall operate the studio;
(4) a three hundred dollar ($300) fee;
(5) a list of all the studio equipment and instruments, and
(6) a description of the procedures and the nature of the services to be rendered and the health and safety measures to be taken [for the] benefit of the clients and employees.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 11; Aug. 30, 2006, No. 168, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 541 - Tattoo studio—Term and renewal of license

The tattoo studio license shall be valid for a term of four (4) years and must be renewed before said term has expired by paying a fee of one hundred and fifty dollars ($150).
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 12, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 542 - Tattoo studio—Change of ownership or location

The owner or administrator of the studio shall notify the Department in writing about any change in ownership or location of the tattoo studio. The change in ownership of the studio shall entail the cancellation of the license which must be returned to the Department.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 13, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 543 - Tattoo studio—Inspections

Tattoo studios shall be inspected before the license is granted, while the same is in effect and when renewed. Authorized representatives of the Department may enter the studio premises during reasonable hours in order to inspect and investigate whether the requirements established in this chapter and [in] the regulations established by the Department of Health pursuant to the same, are [being] met.
To prevent the authorized representatives from entering the studio shall constitute enough grounds to deny or revoke the license. Should the representatives of the Department believe that the studio does not meet the standards required by this chapter and by the Department, the Secretary may deny or revoke the license. A new application for a license may not be filed before six (6) months as of the date of the denial or revocation.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 14, eff. 90 days after Oct 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 544 - Tattoo studio—Administration

The owner or administrator of a tattoo studio must meet the health standards established by the Department as well as the following additional standards:
(a) Equipment. — If the owner administrator of the studio is not [the] licensed tattoo artist, the former shall provide the latter with an individual set of sterilized syringes to be used on each particular client and shall ensure that the artist complies with the obligation of maintaining them sterile.
The tubes and set of syringes shall be cleansed and sterilized in an ultrasound sterilizer. The equipment shall be immersed in the [said] solution for ten (10) minutes. The solution shall be changed daily and the tank cleaned with isopropyl alcohol at seventy percent (70%) every time the solution is changed.
(b) Sterilization process. — The tattoo studio must be equipped with the necessary sterilization device to accommodate the syringes, tubes and any other instrument. The sterilization procedure shall be conducted scientifically, including the cleaning and [the] removal of tissue or blood before the equipment is sterilized.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 15, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 545 - License—Denial

The Secretary may deny issuing a license, after notifying the interested party and giving the latter the opportunity to be heard, when said party:
(a) Has operated a tattoo studio or illegally practiced tattooing in Puerto Rico;
(b) has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor implying moral turpitude; Provided, That the Secretary may deny a license under this subsection when able to show that the offense committed is substantially related to the qualifications, functions and duties inherent to the practice regulated by this chapter;
(c) has incurred manifest incompetence in the exercise of tattooing, in prejudice to a third party;
(d) has been declared mentally disabled by a competent court or has had his or her disability established by medical experts;
(e) is a drug addict or alcoholic; Provided, That the license may be granted as soon as said person proves to be qualified if he or she meets the requirements established in this chapter.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 16, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 546 - License—Suspension or revocation

The Secretary may deny, revoke or suspend temporarily or permanently a license issued according to the provisions of this chapter, after notifying the interested party and giving the latter the opportunity to be heard, when said party:
(a) Has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor implying moral turpitude;
(b) has tried to obtain a license to practice tattooing or [has] operated a tattoo studio through fraud or deceit;
(c) has incurred in crass negligence while practicing his or her professional duties;
(d) has been declared mentally disabled by a competent court or has had his or her disability established by medical experts; Provided, That said license may be reinstated as soon as the person is again declared qualified if he or she meets all other requirements provided in this chapter, or
(e) is a drug addict or alcoholic; Provided, That said license may be reinstated as soon as the person is qualified if he or she meets all other requirements provided in this chapter.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 17, eff 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 547 - Client register

The owner or administrator of a tattoo studio shall keep a written record of each work performed on a client containing the following information:
(a) The full name, address, telephone number, age and birth date of the client;
(b) the pigments used;
(c) the date on which the tattoo was made;
(d) the name of the tattoo artist, and
(e) the signature of the client.
Said information shall be entered into the client register which shall be kept in duly bound volumes of not more than five hundred (500) successively-numbered pages and which shall be available for inspection at any time by the Secretary of the Department or his or her authorized representatives.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 18, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 548 - [Disposal] of biomedical waste

The [disposal] of biomedical waste shall be conducted according to the standards established by the Environmental Quality Board for such a purpose.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 19, eff. 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32 - Act to Regulate the Practice of Making Permanent Tattoos in Puerto Rico (§§ 531 — 549) › § 549 - Penalties

Any person who fails to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall incur a misdemeanor and if convicted shall be sanctioned with a fine of not more that five thousand dollars ($5,000) or a term of imprisonment not to exceed six (6) months or with both penalties at the discretion of the court and with the suspension or revocation of the corresponding license.
History —Oct. 18, 1999, No. 318, § 21, eff 90 days after Oct. 18, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550 - Definitions

The following words shall have the following meaning:
(a) Body piercer. — Means the person who performs body piercing, making perforations in human skin, except when such person is a certified surgeon.
(b) Body piercing. — Means the creation of an opening or body perforation on a person with the purpose of inserting jewelry or any other decoration. Body piercing shall not include perforation of an ear with a disposable needle which is inserted by means of the use of a mechanical artifact to force the needle through the ear.
(c) Department. — Shall mean the Puerto Rico Department of Health.
(d) Owner or manager of a body piercing studio. — Shall mean the person who operates or maintains an establishment dedicated to body piercing.
(e) Contagious diseases. — Shall mean any type of disease caused by an infectious agent that can be transmitted directly or indirectly from one person to another.
(f) Body piercing studio. — Means any establishment that has a license issued by the Department of Health to perform body piercing.
(g) Foreign person. — Means a person born outside of Puerto Rico or the United States.
(h) Body piercers registry. — Shall mean the agency of the Department of Health in charge of the Body Piercers Registry and of the body piercing studios authorized under the norms set forth in this chapter.
(i) Secretary. — Means the Secretary of the Department of Health.
(j) Asepsis techniques. — Shall mean those techniques used to prevent infection by inhibiting the development and growth of infectious agents, destroying the microbes that cause them.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 2, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550a - License and registration

No person may perform body piercing, or call himself a body piercer without having a license pursuant to with the provisions of this chapter, and without being registered in the Body Piercers Registry that shall be established by the Secretary of the Department of Health for this purpose.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 3, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550b - Registration

The application for registration in the Registry shall be made as provided by the Department, and the following documents shall be filed:
(a) Certified copy of the person’s birth certificate;
(b) if the person were a foreigner, he will file his passport and a certificate showing his status as an immigrant authorized to work in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
(c) identification of the applicant with a 2′′ X 3′′ color photograph, taken from the front;
(d) social security number, or passport number if he is a foreigner;
(e) certificate of Hepatitis vaccination;
(f) annual health certificate issued by a government agency or an entity authorized by the Department;
(g) documentary evidence of a physical exam performed by a physician duly authorized to practice medicine in Puerto Rico that includes negative certification of contagious diseases, and
(h) any other pertinent document requested by the Department by means of regulation.
In cases of renewal, the applicant shall file evidence of having participated and satisfactorily completed, within a term of two (2) years prior to the date of the renewal application, a course on control of contagious diseases offered by a provider of continuing education registered with the Department.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 4, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550c - Licence—Examination

People requesting a body piercer license shall submit to an examination, administered by the Department, to determine if they have the necessary knowledge of asepsis techniques that allows them to perform body piercing without placing the client’s health at risk.
(a) Each person applying for a license and for its renewal shall be required to have passed a course in each of the following areas:
(1) Care, storage and use of a body piercer’s equipment and instruments. This shall include sterilization, storage of sterilized equipment, resterilization, and the disposal of used needles and other equipment.
(2) Body piercing practices and procedures.
(3) Asepsis techniques and infection control.
(4) Center for Disease Control guidelines on universal precautions to prevent disease contagion or infections during, or related to, body piercing procedures.
(5) Any other course required by the Department by means of regulation.
(b) The examination to be administered by the Department shall include the areas or matters enumerated in subsection (a) of this section, with emphasis on the area of prevention and control of infection, and asepsis measures.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 5, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550d - License—Term and renewal

If the Secretary determines that the applicant complies with the requirements, a license, in the form of a certificate, shall be issued authorizing him to perform body piercing, which shall be placed on a visible wall of the body piercing studio. The license shall be valid for three (3) years, at the end of which term, it must be renewed by filling in the renewal request form provided by the Department, accompanied by a payment of seventy-five dollars ($75).
The license renewal application must be filed ninety (90) days before the same expires. Any application filed within the term of ninety (90) days shall require an additional payment of fifty dollars ($50). If the application is filed after the license has expired, the Department shall consider it an original application.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 6, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550e - Sanitary rules

The licensed body piercer shall comply with the following sanitary rules:
(a) A clean (medical type) or surgical garment, or disposable coat shall be used during the perforation procedure.
(b) Hands and nails shall be washed and scrubbed with antiseptic, and soaked in hot water before beginning and after ending work with each client.
(c) Disposable gloves, sterile gauze and sterilized instruments shall be used, as well as, mouth and nose masks and eye protectors.
(d) The body area to be perforated shall be cleaned with an antiseptic soap. Perforations shall not be made in areas of the body where there are signs of drug use, lesions, or dermatological diseases.
(e) If the area to be perforated must be shaved, disposable blades shall be used for each service and the skin shall be cleaned again with isopropyl alcohol at seventy percent (70%).
(f) All jewelry or objects used in the perforation shall be cleaned in a germicide solution.
(g) The needles and sharp or cutting objects used shall be immediately discarded in perforation-proof labeled containers, disposing of them as high risk biological material.
(h) The equipment and all the instruments shall be placed in a germicide solution or in an ultrasonic cleaner.
(i) The gloves shall be discarded after each use, in bags identified as biomedical waste, which shall be handled by authorized personnel.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 7, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 32A - Body Piercing (§§ 550 — 550r) › § 550f - Information and declaration

The body piercer, as well as the owner or manager of the body piercing studio, shall inform the client, verbally and in writing, how to care for the perforated area. The client shall sign a statement of having read and understood the instructions, a copy of which shall be kept by the body piercing studio for a term of two (2) years.
The written statement shall include the following information:
(a) The body piercer’s name, his license number, the establishment’s address and telephone number;
(b) the instructions to be followed regarding the care of the perforated area after the perforation has been performed, and
(c) a warning to the client that a physician must be consulted if signs of infection develop, or if there is an allergic reaction.
History —Feb. 8, 2003, No. 73, § 8, eff. 90 days after Feb. 8, 2003.