In the United States, body piercing laws vary by state, but most states require parental permission for body piercings under the age of 18. Sometimes, this explicitly excludes earlobe piercings.
Some states have a minimum age for body piercings regardless of parental permission, such as Idaho, which prohibits body piercing until the age of 14. However, most states simply require the presence and/or written consent of the parental guardian of the minor wishing to be pierced. State laws also often require piercing shops or piercers to save the written proof of parental consent for a period of three to seven years. Although some states have a higher age minimum for tattoos, no state has a minimum age higher than 18 for body piercing.
