Ontario Tattoo Consent Form Template

What an Ontario tattoo consent form is for

Every tattoo studio, piercing shop and cosmetic tattooing business in Ontario is a personal service setting under Ontario Regulation 136/18, and public health inspectors check its records. For any procedure that breaks the skin, the regulation requires the operator or provider to take the client's name and contact information, explain the procedure and its risks before starting, and keep a record of the procedure, the part of the body, who did it, the dates, and the lot numbers and expiry dates of the pre-packaged sterile equipment used. The setting must also log sterilizer use, disinfectant preparation and any accidental exposure to blood, and keep it all for three years.

This template puts all of that in one file. The client form covers contact details and identification, the procedure and site, nine health questions, ten risks the client initials, consent from a parent or guardian where the setting requires it, the client's consent and the provider's confirmation that the explanation was given, and a procedure record with sterile lot numbers. Aftercare instructions for tattoos and piercings are ready to hand to the client, and the sterilization log, disinfectant log and exposure record cover the setting's other records.

When to use it

Use it for every invasive personal service in Ontario: tattoos, body and ear piercing, microblading and permanent makeup, scalp micropigmentation and electrolysis, including at conventions, fairs and mobile settings, which the regulation also covers. Complete a new client form for each new procedure, and add sessions to the procedure record for touch-ups and multi-session work.

It is not designed for services provided mainly by a regulated health professional practising their profession, which the regulation excludes, or for non-invasive services such as hairdressing, where only the client's name and contact information are needed. Settings must also give the medical officer of health 14 days' written notice before opening or adding new services.

What's inside

The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.

1. Client and procedure

   • Name and contact information
   • Date of birth
   • Identification checked
   • Procedure type
   • Part of the body
   • Design or description
   • Jewellery

2. Health questions and risks

   • Nine health questions
   • Explanation of the procedure
   • Ten risks initialled by the client

3. Minors and consent

   • Parent or guardian consent
   • Client consent and signature
   • Provider's confirmation of the explanation

4. Procedure record

   • Session dates
   • Provider
   • Notes
   • Sterile equipment lot numbers and expiry dates

5. Aftercare

   • Tattoo and cosmetic tattoo aftercare
   • Piercing aftercare
   • When to see a health care provider

6. Setting records

   • Sterilization log
   • Disinfectant log with DIN or NPN
   • Blood and body fluid exposure record
   • Three-year retention

Preview pages

How to complete the form

1. Take the client's details. Record the name, date of birth and contact information, and check photo identification.
2. Describe the procedure. Tick the type, and record the part of the body and the design or jewellery.
3. Go through the health questions. Postpone or ask for medical clearance where an answer raises a concern.
4. Explain the procedure and risks. Walk the client through each risk and have them initial it.
5. Follow your policy for minors. Get a parent or guardian's consent and check their identification where required.
6. Sign the consent. The client signs, and the provider confirms the explanation was given.
7. Record the sterile equipment. Write the lot number and expiry date of each pre-packaged sterile item used.
8. Give aftercare instructions. Hand the client the aftercare page and your contact number.
9. Keep the records. Store them securely at the setting for one year, then for two more years.

Example: a completed record excerpt

A fictional Ottawa studio, Rideau Ink Collective, tattoos a client on March 14, 2026:

Procedure: tattoo, left inner forearm, fine-line botanical design. Health questions: all "no". Risks: all ten initialled. Consent: signed by the client, age 27, photo identification checked. Provider: the artist confirms the explanation was given, with name and studio phone number. Sterile equipment: 3RL cartridge, lot 24C118, expiry 2028-03; 7RM cartridge, lot 24B907, expiry 2028-02. Aftercare: tattoo instructions given, with ointment twice a day.

The studio files the form in its client records cabinet and keeps it until at least March 2029.

Ontario rules to know

These are the Ontario rules this form is built around.

• Client information (O. Reg. 136/18, section 5). Name and contact information before any personal service other than hairdressing or barbering.
• Explanation of risks (section 6). An explanation of the procedure and its risks before any invasive procedure, documented in the record.
• Invasive procedure records (section 14(1), paragraph 3). Procedure and body part, client and provider details, proof of the explanation, dates, and lot numbers and expiry dates of sterile equipment.
• Sterilization, disinfectant and exposure records (section 14(1), paragraphs 1, 2 and 4). Every sterilizer use, check and repair; disinfectant name, concentration and dates; and each accidental exposure.
• Retention (section 14(2) and (3)). One year at the setting, then two more years, available to public health on request.
• Disinfectants and equipment (sections 10 and 11). DIN or NPN disinfectants used as directed; equipment cleaned and disinfected or sterilized between uses.
• Prohibited services (section 7). Ear candling and services involving live aquatic species, such as fish pedicures.
• Notice to public health (section 3). 14 days' written notice before opening or adding services.

Mistakes inspectors find

The most common gaps are consent forms that never record the lot numbers and expiry dates of the needles and cartridges used, no record that the risks were explained, client forms with no part of the body or date, sterilizer logs with missing spore test results, disinfectants without a DIN, and records thrown out after a year instead of three. Using this form for every client and keeping the three logs current avoids each of them.