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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Regulates Body Art Scarification Procedures and Establishes Misdemeanor Offense for Minor Scarification
Last action · March 19, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Ashlee Matthews and 2 others
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What This Bill Does
Utah law now requires body art facilities that perform to operate in dedicated enclosed rooms, verify client ages, and provide written aftercare instructions. The measure establishes the criminal offense of unlawful scarification of a minor as a with a mandatory fine of at least $1,000, and directs the Office of Professional Licensure Review to study the practice by November 1, 2026. These requirements take effect on May 6, 2026.
Body art practitioners must change facility operations and age-verification protocols or face criminal penalties, while minors are prohibited from receiving procedures even with parental permission. The legislation introduces new state safety rules and criminal liabilities for commercial skin modification practices.
- Scarification involves cutting marks into human skin tissue with the intent of leaving permanent patterns. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
body art facilities
Body art facilities must conduct scarification only in dedicated enclosed rooms, verify client ages, provide written aftercare instructions, and comply with new departmental sanitization and safety rules.
minors
Minors are prohibited from receiving commercial scarification procedures, regardless of parental consent.
Office of Professional Licensure Review
The office must review the practice and instruction of scarification and report its findings and recommendations to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee by November 1, 2026.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What safety rules must body art facilities follow for scarification?
What are the penalties for performing scarification on a minor?
Can a business avoid liability if a minor presents fake identification?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
58 actions- Mar 19, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 12, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 12, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 7, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 52 earlier actions
- Mar 7, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ concurs with Senate amendment
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House with amendments
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Mar 3, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0531S03
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Mar 2, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0531S03
- Mar 2, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0531S02
- Mar 1, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0531S03
- Mar 1, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0531S03
- Feb 28, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0531S02
- Feb 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0531S02
- Feb 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0531S02
- Feb 26, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 25, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 24, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 24, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 24, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 24, 2026HouseHouse/ substituted
- Feb 24, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 24, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0531S01
- Feb 24, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0531S01
- Feb 20, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0531S01
- Feb 20, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0531S01
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ amended
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Amendment Recommendation
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 13, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Feb 13, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0531
- Feb 12, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0531
- Feb 10, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 10, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0531
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0531
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
House/ passed 3rd reading
Total
75
- Yes
- 67
- No
- 1
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 7
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (1)
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Scarification Regulations and Criminal Penalties
Utah has introduced specific statutory safety requirements for body art facilities performing scarification and criminalized performing the procedure on minors.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance55How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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