How to Start a Tattoo or Piercing Studio in Kansas: Board of Cosmetology License and Apprenticeship Hours

If you are searching for a Kansas tattoo license, the answer comes from the Kansas Board of Cosmetology, not from a general business license. Kansas does not issue a general business license, so no single state permit lets you open a studio. Instead, the Board licenses three things: the individual artist, the apprentice learning under an approved trainer, and the establishment where the work happens. This guide walks through each step, from choosing a training path to passing the studio inspection, with the apprenticeship hours, fees, and filings you need to plan around.

This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Fees, processing times, and rules change. Confirm current requirements with the Kansas Board of Cosmetology, the Kansas Secretary of State, and the Kansas Department of Revenue, and talk with a qualified attorney or CPA before you sign a lease or form an entity.

Kansas Tattoo License Requirements at a Glance

The Board's authority comes from K.S.A. 65-1940 through 65-1954. It covers tattoo artists, cosmetic tattoo artists, body piercers, and the establishments where they work. Physicians and dentists are exempt. Practicing without a license is a class A nonperson misdemeanor under K.S.A. 65-1941, so the license is not optional for anyone who tattoos or pierces for hire.

Piercers fall under the same statutes. Confirm with the Board whether piercing training counts toward hours and procedures the same way tattoo training does.

To qualify as a practitioner, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Complete a board-approved training program with 50 completed procedures. Under the Kansas Administrative Regulations (K.A.R.), that means 600 hours in an approved school or 1,200 hours under an approved trainer.
• Complete 8 hours of infection control and bloodborne pathogen training.
• Pass the board exam (K.S.A. 65-1943).

The fees below come from the Board's fee list. Check with the Board for current amounts before you budget.

License	Who needs it	Fee
Practitioner (tattoo, cosmetic tattoo, or piercing)	Each artist who performs the work	$100 initial, $50 renewal
Apprentice	A trainee working under an approved trainer	$15
Establishment	The studio, issued after a board inspection	$50 initial, $50 renewal

Practitioner and establishment licenses run two years (K.S.A. 65-1945 and 65-1950), so you will renew on a two-year cycle.

Materials and Paperwork You Need Before You Start

Gather these before you enroll or apply. A missing document is the most common reason an application stalls.

• Government-issued photo ID that shows you are 18 or older.
• A high school diploma or a recognized equivalent.
• A training log showing completed procedures and hours, signed and dated by your trainer or school.
• Your certificate for the 8-hour infection control and bloodborne pathogen course.
• Board exam registration and study materials.
• Sanitation supplies and equipment for practice, such as sterilization equipment, single-use needles and tubes, sharps containers, barrier protection, a hand-washing station, and approved disinfectants. Confirm the exact list with the Board and KDHE, since KDHE sets the sanitation standards.
• If you form an LLC: Articles of Organization (Form DL), a name that meets Kansas rules, and a resident agent with a Kansas street address.
• Your Kansas Department of Revenue registration and, if you sell products at retail, a sales tax permit.
• A lease or purchase agreement, plus written confirmation from the city or county that the site is zoned for your use.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your Kansas Tattoo License

Step 1: Choose your training path

You have two routes to the 50 required procedures. You can train in a board-approved school, which counts as 600 hours, or you can apprentice under an approved trainer, which counts as 1,200 hours. The apprenticeship route takes longer on paper and depends on finding an approved trainer whose studio fits your goals. Ask the Board which trainers and schools are approved before you commit money to either one.

Step 2: Complete the required health and safety training

Finish the 8-hour infection control and bloodborne pathogen course before you touch a client. Keep the certificate in your application file. This training is required under K.S.A. 65-1943, and the same sanitation habits will carry into your studio inspection.

Step 3: Get an apprentice license and log your hours

If you train as an apprentice, the apprentice license costs $15. Ask the Board whether the apprentice license must issue before your first logged procedure, and whether tattoo and piercing hours count separately. Every procedure needs a dated entry with your trainer's signature, and you should ask the Board which log format it accepts. At 40 hours a week, 600 hours is about 15 weeks of full-time training and 1,200 hours is about 30 weeks. Plan your income and schedule around the longer path if you choose it.

Step 4: Pass the board exam

The exam is required under K.S.A. 65-1943. This guide does not state the exam format, scheduling, or any exam fee, so check those details with the Board. Treat the infection control material as core study, since sanitation matters for both the exam and the inspection later.

Step 5: Apply for your practitioner license

After you finish your training hours, complete the 50 procedures, finish the health course, and pass the exam, submit your practitioner application with the $100 fee. Renewal costs $50 every two years. Ask the Board for current processing times so you can plan your opening date around them. Do not sign a studio lease that depends on your license date until you have that timing in writing.

Step 6: Form your business entity (optional, but common)

Kansas does not require an LLC for a tattoo studio, but many owners form one to separate personal and business liability. The formation filing is Articles of Organization, Domestic Limited Liability Company (Form DL). The filing fee is $85 through the Kansas Secretary of State's online portal at Kansas Secretary of State Business Services online filing, and online filings process within minutes.

Keep these Kansas rules in mind:

• Name: the LLC name must include L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, or LIMITED COMPANY (K.S.A. 17-7920). Search existing entities on the Secretary of State business search first. If a similar name is in use, you need a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN).
• Name reservation: if you need time before filing, a reservation costs $35 and lasts 120 days.
• Resident agent: Kansas calls this the resident agent. It can be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the entity itself, and the registered office must be a Kansas street address. A PO box will not work.
• Recurring filing: the biennial Information Report costs $90 and is due April 15. An LLC formed in an even year files in even years, and one formed in an odd year files in odd years.
• No state DBA: Kansas does not register assumed or trade names at the state level. If your studio name differs from your LLC name, check city and county rules, and consider a trademark registration through the Secretary of State.

Step 7: Register for Kansas business taxes

Because Kansas has no general business license, tax registration with the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) is the main state registration you will complete. Registration is free. If you sell aftercare products, jewelry, or other goods, apply for a sales tax permit at the KDOR business registration page. The state sales tax rate is 6.5 percent. Ask KDOR whether the specific services you plan to offer are taxable. Kansas has no LLC franchise tax, and an LLC is a pass-through entity for state income tax, so members report their share on individual returns.

Step 8: Confirm local zoning and city or county permits

Kansas has 105 counties and 624 cities, and every incorporated place is legally a city. Your studio falls under one city's or county's rules, which can cover zoning, occupancy, signage, and any local permit for body art businesses. A Kansas tattoo license does not replace those local requirements. Call the planning and zoning office before you sign a lease, and get the answer in writing.

If your location is in the Kansas City area, confirm which Kansas City you mean. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different cities in different states, and only Kansas City, Missouri has a city earnings tax.

Step 9: Set up the studio and pass the board inspection

The Board inspects each studio before the establishment license issues (K.S.A. 65-1949). Sanitation standards come from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) under K.S.A. 65-1,148. Build your setup around those standards before inspection day. Plan for sterilization equipment with a written sterilization record, sharps and waste disposal, hand-washing facilities, and surfaces that can be cleaned and disinfected. Ask the Board for its inspection checklist so you can walk through it yourself first. The establishment license costs $50, with a $50 renewal every two years. Do not book client appointments until the establishment license has issued.

Step 10: Calendar every deadline

Set reminders for the practitioner and establishment renewals, which come every two years, and for the April 15 Information Report. Kansas gives a three-month delinquency window after the due date before forfeiture, but treat April 15 as a hard deadline and do not count on the window.

What to Expect: Timeline and Results

Expect the apprenticeship hours to take the longest. The state filings, including an online LLC formation, can be completed in an afternoon. Board processing, exam scheduling, and inspection scheduling vary, so ask the Board for current timing before you set an opening date. This guide does not promise a specific timeline.

A license gives you the legal right to tattoo or pierce in Kansas and a studio that has passed a board inspection. It does not guarantee clients, revenue, or any particular result for a customer. Tattoos and piercings carry infection and healing risks, and individual reactions vary. Your consent forms and aftercare instructions should say so plainly. Avoid making health, healing, or cure claims about any product you sell, and direct clients with concerns to a healthcare provider.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Working before the license issues. Unlicensed practice is a class A nonperson misdemeanor under K.S.A. 65-1941.
• Logging hours without signatures or dates. Unsigned or undated entries are harder to verify when your application is reviewed.
• Treating the Secretary of State filing as a license. Forming an LLC is an entity filing, and the Board license is separate.
• Signing a lease before getting a written zoning answer.
• Reserving a name too early or too late. A name reservation lasts 120 days.
• Assuming your LLC name covers your studio brand. Check the studio name separately against city rules.
• Missing the April 15 Information Report, or assuming it is annual. Kansas uses a biennial schedule.
• Assuming every Kansas city has the same rules. Cities and counties set their own requirements.

Tips for a Smoother Application

• Get the Board's requirements in writing, including which hours count and what your log must look like.
• Keep every form, receipt, and certificate in one binder. Inspectors and applications both move faster when the records are in one place.
• Use the free Kansas Small Business Development Center for planning help. The SBA Wichita district page is another starting point for Kansas small business resources.
• Hire an attorney to review your lease and entity documents, and a CPA to set up your sales tax and income tax reporting.
• Talk with an insurance agent about liability coverage before your first client.

Next Steps

Start with the Board. Confirm your training path, the approved trainer or school, and the current fee list. Then form your entity and request your zoning answer in the same week, because both shape your lease. Once you have a written zoning answer and your practitioner license, you can plan the inspection and opening date.

Disclaimer: This article is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the Kansas Board of Cosmetology, the Kansas Secretary of State, the Kansas Department of Revenue, and KDHE, and consult qualified professionals for your situation.