Bakersfield, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Bakersfield's zoning code treats a "body art establishment", a term covering tattoo parlors and body-piercing studios, as a discretionary use wherever the C-O (professional and administrative office) zone is the applicable district. " A CUP application goes to the planning commission for a public hearing, and the commission can attach conditions on hours, signage, parking and exterior appearance before approval, or deny it outright if the use is found incompatible with the surrounding office district. 050 that apply to every use in the zone, including a six-foot masonry wall where the site abuts residential property.

Body art establishments do not appear in the by-right use lists for the C-1 or C-2 commercial zones checked in this code, so the C-O conditional-use path is the only zoning route this code spells out for the use; operators still need the citywide business tax certificate required of every Bakersfield business under Title 5 before opening.