New 2023

It is the responsibility of the Sponsor of a temporary body art event (expo or show) to submit all the participating practitioners required registration documents as ONE PACKET to the County, at least 21 calendar days prior to the event. The County will quality control each individual registration and provide a final list of approved practitioners back to the Sponsor for billing and entrance to the event.  Failure to submit any event practitioner registrations 21 calendar days prior to the event will be subject to late penalties or be denied.

The sponsor is responsible for complying with Article 5 starting with Section 119317 of California’s Safe Body Art Law and San Mateo County Ordinance #04285. Temporary events consist of body art booths, that may contain one or more workstations.  Each practitioner workstation must have no less than 50 square feet of floor space. Each booth shall be 100 square feet of floor space.  Larger booths may be allowed but will be charged accordingly.

It is the responsibility of San Mateo County Environmental Health Services to inspect the sponsor’s infrastructure of the event as well as all booths and practitioners.  These inspections ensure the event, and all participants operate in a safe manner and in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. 

The Sponsor is responsible for ensuring the availability of all support facilities and supplies as outlined in their Operations Plan.

It is the Event Sponsor’s responsibility to also contact any other agencies, such as the Fire Department, City or County Planning Department, or Building Department to obtain permits and approval.

Sponsor Application

To obtain a Temporary Body Art Event Permit you are required to submit a completed Event Sponsor Application for Temporary Events and an event Operations Plan.  This application package including the event operations plan is required to be submitted a minimum of thirty days (30) prior to the date of the planned event.

You can  download the application form below. You can submit the application materials to Environmental Health Services in one of three ways:

1. Scan and email to envhealth@smcgov.org
2. Fax to (650) 627-8244
3. Mail to: 
   Environmental Health Services
   Attn:  Body Art Program
   2000 Alameda de las Pulgas, Ste. 100
   San Mateo, CA  94403

Application Forms for Event Sponsors

Event Sponsor Application for Temporary Events
Sponsor Operations Plan Checklist – NEW
Body Art Program Fee Schedule

Other Resources

Approved Blood Borne Pathogen Exposure Training Courses
San Mateo County Body Art Ordinance 04285
California Safe Body Art Law: Article 5, Temporary Body Art Facilities