How Old do you Have to be to Get a Tattoo?

Would you like fries with that tattoo?  I’m Amy E. Feldman.

A 28-year-old South Carolina McDonald’s worker was recently arrested for tattooing a minor in the dining area at the McDonald’s where he worked.  That is a full service fast food establishment.  The police chief was quoted saying that “it’s really tragic that this was going on inside this newly remodeled business.”  Really?  That’s the tragic part?  That the restaurant was newly remodeled and not that the kid was newly remodeled?

Regardless of where you get a tattoo, how old do you have to be? Well, in most states, a person has to be 18—although in several states, minors under 18 can get a tattoo with the parent’s consent.  Nevada is the only state that has no state law on tattoos, although the Health Department in the Southern Nevada district will not allow minors under 14 to get one.  But both a lawyer and your mother should tell you if you can still order a Happy Meal without embarrassment, you’re too young for a tattoo.