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

Chapter 514 of the Bloomfield Township Code regulates tattooing and body piercing in Bloomfield Township. Section 514-1 reaches three groups: anyone engaged in the business, anyone who conducts a business where the work is performed, and anyone who performs the work on another person. Tattooing means placing an indelible mark or figure on the body by inserting pigment under the skin. Body piercing means the piercing or puncturing of the skin, cartilage, bone or other tissue.

Licensing runs through the Township Health Department. The license costs $100 for a one-year period from January 1 to December 31, and every license issued during the year expires on December 31 regardless of the issue date. Section 514-8 separately states that licenses and certificates expire on the 30th day of December and that renewal applications go to the Board of Health in writing within 30 days before December 30. Applicants file a physician's medical certificate, proof of hepatitis B vaccination and proof of a PPD skin test for tuberculosis.

A shop also needs a certificate of sanitation. Under § 514-7 the Board of Health inspects before issuing or renewing it, and the fee is $200 for each application and $200 for each renewal, not refunded if the shop fails to qualify.

Section 514-6 sets the operating rules: separate tattoo and body-piercing areas, only FDA-approved dyes and no homemade dyes, and instruments sterilized in an FDA-approved autoclave before each use with live steam for at least 28 minutes at a minimum pressure of 15 pounds per square inch and temperatures of not less than 250° F. The owner keeps an autoclave log. Patron records are kept for a minimum of four years, and an establishment that closes, leaves the Township, changes its name or changes management or ownership turns the records over to the Health Department. Minors need written guardian consent, and customers under 19 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Each establishment also files an annual employee list with name, home address, home phone number and job title.