Columbia County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Columbia County regulates tattooing and body piercing under Ch. 46, Art. V, adopted by Ord. No. 1, 31-3-4, 31-3-5, Title 31 Ch. 40 and 48-13-9. Sec. 46-105 bars body art studios from operating in any building used for human habitation, a food service establishment, retail sales, hotel rooms or similar areas. Sec. 46-106 flatly prohibits implants, 3-D procedures, or any other insertion of foreign objects under the skin, and bars any body art procedure requiring equipment other than needles, such as scalpels or derma punches.

§ 16-5-71(a). Tattooing, piercing or cosmetic micropigmentation within one inch of the eye socket is also prohibited. No person may provide body art services in the county without a current body art license from the board of health under Sec. 46-107, and Sec. 46-102 requires body art establishments and artists to pay an annual inspection fee set by the board of health and approved by the county and district health director, due within 30 days of notification; license and permit renewal fees apply annually as well, and failure to pay is itself a violation. Licensed physicians, osteopaths and supervised healthcare providers acting within their licensure are exempt under Sec. 46-103.