Bayonne, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Bayonne City Code § 21-21.2 requires any person, firm, partnership or corporation wanting to engage in body piercing or tattooing to apply in writing to the Division of Health on its forms, with a separate application required for body piercing, body branding and tattooing, each accompanied by a $1,000 license fee. The application must disclose the applicant's name and address, the local manager's contact information, registered agent details for corporate applicants, a New Jersey Sales Tax Certificate copy, a federal EIN or Social Security number, proof of citizenship or federal work authorization, and disclosure of every officer, director or 10%-plus shareholder for corporate applicants.

Applicants must show $1,000,000 in general liability coverage and $3,000,000 in malpractice liability coverage, and each piercing licensee must hold a current American Red Cross (or equivalent) First Aid Certification. Owners, operators, practitioners and apprentices must document at least 12 months of experience, with practitioners needing 1,000 hours for piercing or 2,000 hours for tattoos plus three client certifications, 10 photographs and a bloodborne pathogen course, and apprentices needing 2,000 hours of direct supervision. Section 21-21.3 makes licenses valid for 12 months from issuance with no automatic renewal.

Section 21-21.4 sets the fee schedule at $1,000 per activity for the basic license plus a $200 annual inspection fee, with the Health Officer or designee conducting that inspection every 12 calendar months. Section 21-21.5 requires three physically separate rooms (waiting, work station, equipment cleaning), specific sink, ventilation and flooring standards, and mandates Health Department inspection and approval of the facility before operation.