Minimum age for a tattoo in New York
New York law makes it a class B misdemeanor to mark the body of a child less than eighteen years old with indelible ink or pigments by tattooing. Source: N.Y. Penal Law 260.21.
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- Minimum age
- Under 18
- Parental consent
- The section states no exception for parental consent.
- Citation
- N.Y. Penal Law 260.21
- Penalty for the person who tattoos
- Class B misdemeanor
- Source
- New York State Department of Health, text of Penal Law 260.21, read November 5, 2026.
What this page does not cover
It states what the cited text says on the date it was read. It does not cover other rules that may apply, such as local ordinances, health department rules, a studio's own policy or a change in the law since that date. The text of the law prevails over this summary.
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