City of Newcastle - Skin Penetration Procedures

Skin Penetration Procedures

Notify City of Newcastle of a business involving skin penetration procedures.

Last updated on: 01 February 2026

In this article

Notification of Skin Penetration Procedures
Application information
Application fees
Submit application
Next steps
Time frames
Helpful links

Notification of Skin Penetration Procedures

Any premises where skin penetration procedures are undertaken are regulated to minimise the potential spread of infectious disease from unhygienic procedures and practices.

Under the Public Health Act 2010 (NSW) and Public Health Regulation 2022, a skin penetration procedure is defined as any procedure that penetrates the skin, or is declared by regulation to be a skin penetration procedure.

This includes, but is not limited to:

tattooing
body and ear piercing
colonic lavage
waxing
electrolysis
cuticle cutting
body modifications (e.g. scarification)
microdermabrasion
blackhead removal using a needle.

A skin penetration procedure does not include:

any procedure carried out by a registered health practitioner, or by a person under their supervision, in the course of providing a health service
any procedure declared by the regulations not to be a skin penetration procedure (e.g. laser hair removal).

The Act and Regulation regulate body decorating and grooming practices carried out by people who are not registered as health practitioners.

Application information

Premises fit out and approval requirements

Hairdressers, beauty salons and skin penetration premises may be required to obtain relevant planning approvals from City of Newcastle prior to carrying out any works.

New premises or alterations to existing premises need to meet the relevant requirements of:

Development or Complying Development consent
Public Health Act 2010 - Part 3, Division 4 Control of skin penetration procedures
Public Health Regulation 2022 - Part 4 Skin penetration procedures, and
Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 - Schedule 2, Part 2 & 3 Standards for hairdressers and beauty salons.

The Hunter Regional Health Education Committee - HRHEC Guidelines for the Construction and Operation of Hairdressing, Beauty and Skin Penetration Premises has been developed to assist in complying with the above requirements.

Notification requirements

Notification must be provided to City of Newcastle before any skin penetration procedures are carried out at a premises.

We must also be notified within 7 days of any change to the business particulars previously submitted.

If skin penetration procedures are to be carried out in a mobile premises:

the local government authority in which the operator resides must be notified
the local government areas in which the operator intends to operate must be specified.

Inspections

City of Newcastle conducts annual inspections of all premises where skin penetration procedures are undertaken. This includes nail salons, beauty salons and hairdressers that perform procedures classified as penetrating the skin.

This inspection will include the assessment of:

cleanliness of premises
fit-out and construction of premises
provision of facilities and equipment for cleaning, sterilising, hand washing, and storage
waste storage and disposal including sharps and contaminated waste
current procedures
hygiene standards and practices including cleaning, disinfecting and sanitising of equipment
records for waste disposal and autoclave if required.

Application fees

There are no fees payable when you submit your application. We'll invoice you for your inspection and administrative fees. If you'd like a fee estimate before applying, search for the application name in our Fees and Charges document.

Submit application

Create or sign into your account

As part of the application process, you'll be prompted to register or sign in to your account.
Your account makes it easy to submit applications and requests, track their progress, view outcomes, and make payments all in one place.
You can find more information and step-by-step guidance on creating a registered user account, as well as access to support services, on our Registration Enquiry article.

Apply Now

Next steps

Once your Skin Penetration Business Notification is received, we will add your business to our Skin Penetration Business Register.
You do not need to wait for an inspection from us to commence trade.
You may still need an inspection by a private certifier or building inspector if an Occupation Certificate is required as part of a Development Application or similar approval.
Each business is inspected at least once per financial year.
Most inspections are unannounced, however some businesses (such as tattoo studios and certain beauty salons) may have inspections booked in advance to help ensure access to treatment rooms, allow staff to be available to assist, and minimise disruption to private or in progress procedures.
Businesses that do not meet requirements may be inspected more frequently.

Time frames

Your notification will be processed within 7 - 14 days.

Helpful links

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