Meet your personal services regulatory duties

A. Dry-cleaning solvent controls

If you operate a dry-cleaning machine that uses perchloroethylene (perc) or other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), you need a Part B environmental permit from your local authority in England and Wales under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. In Scotland, a Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permit from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) applies. In Northern Ireland, a PPC permit from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) applies.

The Part B permit controls emissions of solvent vapour to air. You must also comply with COSHH in relation to operator and staff exposure to perchloroethylene — including workplace exposure limit monitoring, local exhaust ventilation, health surveillance and training. HSE guidance note EH40 sets the workplace exposure limits for perc (tetrachloroethylene) at 20 ppm (8-hour TWA) and 40 ppm (15-minute short-term exposure limit).

B. Skin-piercing and special-procedures registration

If your business carries out tattooing, semi-permanent make-up, cosmetic piercing, electrolysis or acupuncture, you must register with the local authority before you begin operating. In England, registration is under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, Part VIII (sections 14–17). The local authority registers both the premises and the individual practitioner. In Wales, a mandatory national licensing scheme for 'special procedures' (acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing — including semi-permanent make-up and microblading) is in force from 29 November 2024 under Part 4 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017. It is an offence to carry out a special procedure without a licence, or from premises or a vehicle that has not been approved; the older Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 registration no longer applies to these procedures in Wales. (Wales also prohibits the intimate piercing of anyone under 18.) In Scotland, the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 requires a licence from the local authority for skin-piercing and tattooing. In Northern Ireland, check with your local council whether registration or byelaws apply to skin-piercing and tattooing.

Registration or licensing conditions typically cover hygiene standards, sterilisation of equipment, use of single-use needles, record-keeping (client consent, aftercare advice) and age restrictions. Some local authorities carry out periodic inspections. If you operate a mobile service (for example, visiting clients at home), you still need to register with the relevant local authority for each area in which you operate.

C. Special treatment licence

In some areas, premises offering beauty treatments, massage, saunas, sunbeds or other 'special treatments' need a licence from the local authority. This requirement is not universal — it depends on whether the local authority has adopted the relevant local legislation.

In London, the London Local Authorities Act 1991 (Part II, section 6) requires a special treatment licence for establishments offering massage, manicure, acupuncture, tattooing, cosmetic piercing, sunbeds, saunas and other treatments. Outside London, some local authorities have adopted similar powers under local acts or byelaws. Not all local authorities operate a special treatment licensing scheme.

Check with your local authority whether a special treatment licence is required in your area before you open. If it is required, the licence typically covers premises standards, hygiene, staff qualifications, insurance, and display of the licence.

D. Legionella risk management

If your premises include a spa pool, hot tub, whirlpool bath, cooling tower, or any other water system that stores or distributes water at temperatures between 20°C and 45°C with the potential to create aerosol, you must control the risk of legionella bacteria. HSE's Approved Code of Practice L8 (Legionnaires' disease: the control of legionella bacteria in water systems) and the supporting technical guidance HSG274 apply throughout the United Kingdom; for spa pools and hot tubs specifically, follow HSG282.

You must carry out a legionella risk assessment, appoint a 'responsible person' with day-to-day control, implement a written control scheme covering temperature management, water treatment, cleaning and disinfection, and keep records. Spa pools require specific microbiological monitoring (including regular testing for legionella) and must follow the PWTAG (Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group) guidance or equivalent. HSE enforces in Great Britain; HSENI enforces in Northern Ireland.

E. Age restrictions and cosmetic-procedure rules

If you offer cosmetic injectables, it is a criminal offence in England to administer botulinum toxin (Botox) or a cosmetic dermal filler to anyone under 18 by way of business, except where a doctor (or a registered professional acting on a doctor's instruction) considers it necessary — under the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 (in force 1 October 2021). It is also an offence to make arrangements or book in an under-18 for these procedures.

If you offer sunbeds, it is an offence to allow anyone under 18 to use a sunbed on your business premises (and you must not let under-18s into a dedicated sunbed area unsupervised). This is the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 in England and Wales, with equivalent rules in Scotland (Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008, Part 8) and Northern Ireland (Sunbeds Act (Northern Ireland) 2011).

A wider licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures is being developed in England under section 180 of the Health and Care Act 2022. Following a public consultation it is not yet in force — the government is prioritising restrictions on the highest-risk procedures first — so check the current position before you offer injectables or other invasive treatments.

Funeral directors

Funeral directing is covered by the universal spine duties — workplace health and safety (including COSHH for embalming fluids), fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection. There is currently no mandatory national licensing or registration requirement for funeral directors in England, Wales or Northern Ireland — though the Competition and Markets Authority has recommended that they introduce one. Scotland is ahead: under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 a statutory inspection regime for funeral directors came into force on 1 March 2025 (the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025), and a funeral director licensing scheme, a code of practice and a sector register are being implemented. If you operate in Scotland, check the current requirements with the Scottish Government.