Register your skin penetration business or event

Make a lodgement with the City of Sydney.

Project Status: When you need to do this

If you’re taking on an existing business that penetrates skin or intends to introduce this procedure, you must obtain approval from us.
An event in our area that involves these procedures such as a tattoo or beauty expo must be lodged with the skin penetration event register.

Operating your skin penetration business without development consent is an offence.

Health and Building unit

Available 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Planning Assessment Unit

What you need to do

Businesses

Check the premises’ development consent

Before starting any skin penetration, check the premises’ development consent or speak to a City of Sydney planner.
Register events

You also need to register with us if you are planning an event in the local area involving skin penetration procedures. Please contact us if you need more information about registering your business or event.

There is a one-off registration fee of $100.

Events

Complete and submit the skin penetration event register

You must complete and submit the register at least 28 days before your event. It must include:
- completed and signed skin penetration event register form
- site map including stall locations.
- list of all employees including name, site location and list of temporary skin penetration numbers for all registered stalls.
After you’ve registered

We will email you confirmation when your event has been registered.

Mobile temporary skin penetration applicationPDF · 66.45 KB · Last modified 8 March 2022

Skin penetration – new premises registration change existing registrationPDF · 65.23 KB · Last modified 25 August 2020

Temporary skin penetration event registerPDF · 58.75 KB · Last modified 25 August 2020

Definitions

TSP: Temporary Skin Penetration numbers

When a temporary skin penetration business registers to trade in the local area, we issue a Temporary Skin Penetration number.

All temporary skin penetration stalls planned for your event should be listed in a spreadsheet attached to your event registration form.

If you cannot provide the list when you send your registration form, you must submit a list of all TSP numbers of stalls and the map with stall locations at least 10 working days prior to the event, otherwise a late fee of $260 will be charged.

Skin penetration procedures

Skin penetration procedures include:

hair removal (wax or electrolysis)
acupuncture
tattooing
ear and body piercing
colonic lavage
cuticle cutting
microdermabrasion.

If you require further information on specific procedures, NSW Health provides fact sheets.

Other information

Barbers and hairdressers

Barber and hairdresser services, where skin penetration doesn’t take place, aren’t considered to be skin penetration procedures.

The state government provides standards for hairdressers and beauty salons that don’t penetrate skin.

Events

Power and other facilities

We ask that you provide adequate power and lighting for your event.

Power must be available for all stalls that need electricity. You must ensure all stalls have adequate lighting.

If stallholders do not have adequate washing facilities then you must provide it to ensure adequate cleaning and sanitising of all equipment and utensils that are used.

Temporary skin penetration stallholders are responsible for providing hand wash basins for their stall. If you would prefer to provide hand wash basins, we will fully support this.