Tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence

Special treatments

If you are undertaking any of the following activities within the Epping Forest District Council area, you will need to register with us, the local authority:

• Tattooing
• Cosmetic Piercing
• Acupuncture
• Semi-Permanent Skin Colouring
• Electrolysis

This is a legal requirement under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, as amended by the Local Government Act 2003. The purpose of the law is to protect the public from diseases that could be passed on when providing these treatments.

Activities such as micro-blading and micro-pigmentation fall within the definition of ‘Semi-Permanent Skin Colouring’ and require registration.

Cosmetic piercing includes all legal forms of body piercing, including dermal anchoring/implants, but does not include body modification such as scarification or tongue splitting.

The legal framework that regulates special treatments in England differs depending upon where you are. Licences are issued by London boroughs and also by two local authorities in Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. All other local authorities in Essex issue registrations. The main difference between the two is that registrations should be applied for when a premises or person is new to the area, whereas licenses also have to be reapplied for every year thereafter.

Both the premises where the activity is taking place and the person undertaking the activity are required to register. A separate registration must be made for each premises and each person. For example, if you need to register yourself, a member of staff and your premises, you will need to use the form three times: once for each person registering and once for the premises. The registration fees are a one-off payment for each premises and each person. They are not renewed annually.

Once you have made your application you will receive a confirmation e-mail. An Environmental Health Officer (EHO) will then contact you to discuss the proposed activities and, where necessary, arrange to visit you and the premises to ensure that it complies with our local rules (also known as our byelaws, please see the links below).

The officer will be interested in the infection control procedures you have in place to protect the public from
transmissible diseases. To help with an application and to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible, links to a number
of documents are provided below. They will assist and prepare you for any subsequent visit and discussion with the EHO.

Once a practitioner has registered with Epping Forest District Council they can work at any other registered premises within the Epping Forest district, if the premises is also registered for that particular activity.

• Read the by-laws for Acupuncture, Tattooing, Semi-Permanent Skin-Colouring, Cosmetic Piercing and Electrolysis

Mobile Practitioners

It is not permissible to register practitioners who operate solely from other peoples premises without having their own treatment room somewhere. Practitioners must be registered at a registered premises. However, having registered, they can then visit individuals’ homes to provide treatment on request, providing they have suitable infection control procedures in place to protect themselves and their clients.

Special Treatments That Don’t Require Registration

All other special treatments that don’t fall in to the five types that require registration must still be carried out in a safe way. The law that governs this area of work — the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — will apply. The following cosmetic treatments do not require registration but which are still regulated by Epping Forest District Council for H&S at work and public health rules:

• Botox
• Cryogenics
• Cryolipolysis
• Dermabrasion
• LASER and IPL (Intense Pulse Laser)
• Micro-needling/Dermal rolling
• Nail enhancements
• PRP (Plasma Rich Platelet) Treatment
• Tanning using UV light
• Waxing

If you are planning or undertaking any of the above activities, contact us at:

• Email specialtreatments@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Special Treatments Undertaken By Medical Practitioners

Treatments that are undertaken by medical practitioners at a premises where the main use is medical (e.g. a clinic or a dental surgery) do not normally require registration. However, we still have an interest in ensuring the safety of some treatments, such as Botox and Laser/IPL, if they take place in premises where the main activity at the premises is for cosmetic services and not medical treatments.

If you are unsure or require further information contact us at

• Email specialtreatments@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Equipment Safety

Where specialised equipment is being used to perform the treatment, (e.g. a Laser/IPL) you must ensure it conforms to all current British and European standards and bears the correct CE mark. Please see the article below for further information on non-conforming products that bear a CE mark