How often do you need to renew your BBP cert?
Updated October 16, 2026
For employees under OSHA, every year: training must be repeated within one year of the previous training. Body-art license rules vary. Most that set a cycle ask for yearly training, El Paso County, Colorado asks every two years, and Florida asks only for the initial license.
OSHA: within one year
29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)(ii) and (iv) require training at initial assignment and at least annually after that, within one year of the previous training. A cert completed March 10 is good until the next March 10.
The OSHA standard applies to employers and their employees. If you're self-employed with no employees, OSHA's rule doesn't reach you, but your license rules still do.
What licensing rules ask for
California's Safe Body Art Act requires the training yearly. Oklahoma requires annual training. The Southern Nevada Health District wants training from within the past year at each Body Art Card. Minnesota wants training within the year before each application. El Paso County, Colorado asks every two years. Florida requires its approved course for the initial license only.
Keeping it straight
Your certificate should show a completion date and a retrain-by date. Employers have to keep training records for three years under 1910.1030(h)(2), with dates, content, the trainer's name and qualifications, and who was trained.
Sources
- 29 CFR 1910.1030, Bloodborne pathogens (OSHA)
- Oklahoma State Department of Health: annual training requirements
- Minnesota Department of Health: body art BBP training