Minors will need permission from their parents to get tattoos, body piercings and other forms of permanent body adornment under a measure passed Friday by the state Legislature.

The bill requires parents to either be present or provide written consent when getting such work done. Tattooing or piercing a minor without consent is a class B misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

Sen. Dick Dever, R-Bismarck, who carried the bill in the Senate, said it's meant to prevent teens from making decisions that could result in infection or regret.

"A 14-year-old should not be making decisions like that, which are going to affect them for the rest of their lives," said Dever.

The measure passed with zero opposition in both chambers.

It also bans branding, scarifying, subdermal implants and any do-it-at home kits for any of these activities. Regular earlobe piercing is specifically exempted from the tighter regulations.

In passing such a law, North Dakota joins many other states with similar measures. No group tracks how many states have such a law, but it's clear the trend has been growing since the mid-1990s.

Earlier in the session, the Legislature passed a separate measure requiring that tattooing and piercing businesses be regulated by the state health department. Many cities in the state already enact such a requirement, but there was previously no state law making it mandatory.

(Reach reporter Jonathan Rivoli at 223-8482 or jonathan.rivoli@;bismarcktribune.com.)