Zoning Restrictions

• All communities have codes or ordinances regulating the use of property, generally referred to as zoning restrictions. The codes specify what types of businesses or dwellings can be used within a particular geographical area. For example, in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, a tattooing business can only be operated in a C-2 zoning district. And even if your house is in a C-2 district, it is unlikely it will meet the additional code requirements. For instance, there must be a minimum of 1,000 feet from the outer walls of your house to the nearest residential dwelling, as well as from other establishments such as schools, day care centers and places of worship. Tattooing businesses are typically classified as adult establishments and local communities tend to place the highest zoning restrictions on such businesses.
  
  

Local Occupational License

• Obtaining a tattooing license typically requires complying with local ordinances. Massachusetts state law, for example, permits each city to regulate tattooing through its board of health. In the city of Cambridge, the board sets forth minimum educational requirements, such as classes on blood-borne pathogens, to qualify for an apprentice tattooing license. You may receive a professional license only after the completing a qualified apprenticeship period. Regardless of meeting either of these requirements, the city of Cambridge will not issue a tattoo license to you unless you are employed in a locally approved establishment. In effect, you cannot obtain a license to start tattooing out of your house.
  
  

Code Compliance

• Assuming your house meets zoning restrictions for a tattoo business and you are properly licensed, your house and business operations must still comply with any other applicable code requirements. For example, although Florida does not issue tattoo licenses, it does oversee the issuance of biomedical waste generator permits to tattoo businesses. As a condition of the permit, you must demonstrate that a county biomedical waste inspector can enter your house unannounced to inspect whether you are in compliance with the state's biomedical waste program. Unless you keep regular business hours at your house, this may be a difficult requirement to meet.
  
  

Supervisor's Consent

• Depending on the type of tattoo license you have or the state where you live, your tattooing activities may also be restricted by a person who is lawfully required to supervise your activities. In Florida, tattoo license holders must be supervised by a medical doctor, osteopathic physicians or dentist. Assuming you are otherwise in compliance with all state and local laws to tattoo in your house, you still need your license supervisor's consent for such activity.