Bergenfield, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Annual Health Department license required
- Fee
- $250 per year
- Expiration
- One year from issue date
- State rules adopted
- N.J.A.C. 8:27-1 et seq. Body Art Procedures
- Banned outright
- Branding and scarring, not tattooing or piercing
Summary
A tattoo or permanent-cosmetics establishment in Bergenfield needs an annual $250 license from the Health Department and is subject to its inspection. The Borough separately bans invasive cosmetic procedures like branding and scarring outright, but expressly carves out ear piercing and tattooing from that ban.
§ 344-71. Invasive cosmetic procedures prohibited. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to perform an invasive cosmetic procedure, including but not limited to branding, piercing and scarring, on a human being, excluding the piercing of ears and tattooing. ... § 344-71.1. License required; adoption of regulations. ... A. ... Establishments performing tattooing (including permanent cosmetics) shall obtain a license from the Health Department on an annual basis and shall be subject to inspection by that department. B. Regulations issued by the State of New Jersey regulating body art procedures, commonly known as Chapter 8, New Jersey State Sanitary Code, Body Art Procedures, N.J.A.C. 8:27-1 et seq., are hereby adopted. ... C. The annual licensing fee for an establishment performing tattooing is $250. This license will expire one year from its issue date.
Full Breakdown
Section 344-71 of the Sanitary Code, in the article covering cosmetic procedures, makes it unlawful to perform an invasive cosmetic procedure, including but not limited to branding, piercing and scarring, on a human being, but the section expressly excludes the piercing of ears and tattooing from that prohibition, leaving those two activities to be regulated separately rather than banned. 1, added in 2013: any establishment performing tattooing, including permanent cosmetics, must obtain a license from the Health Department on an annual basis and submit to inspection by that department.
The annual fee for a tattooing establishment license is fixed at $250, and the license expires one year from the date it issues, so an operator has to renew and pay again every twelve months rather than holding a license indefinitely. C. , attaching a copy of those state regulations to the local ordinance without repeating their text. That means a Bergenfield tattoo shop has to satisfy both the local licensing and fee requirement and the full substantive detail of the state body-art code, and the Bergenfield Health Department's annual inspection checks compliance with both.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattooing or permanent-cosmetics establishment without the annual Health Department license required by Section 344-71.1, or performing a banned invasive cosmetic procedure such as branding or scarring under Section 344-71, is enforceable under the Sanitary Code's general penalty at Section 344-4: $50 to $1,000 per offense, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Borough license to open a tattoo shop in Bergenfield?
How much does the tattoo establishment license cost and how often do I renew?
Is body branding or scarification legal in Bergenfield?
What sanitation standards does a Bergenfield tattoo shop have to follow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bergenfield
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