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

Township Code § 6-15, adopted by Ordinance No. 97-46 in 1997, layers a municipal business license on top of a Camden County health registration for anyone tattooing or piercing skin in Cherry Hill Township, Camden County, New Jersey (ear-lobe piercing is expressly excluded from the definition of body piercing). 2a makes it unlawful to operate a tattoo or piercing establishment without a Township license and separately unlawful for an individual operator to practice without a Certificate of Registration from the Camden County Health Department; the municipal license expires every December 31 and is non-transferable, so a change of ownership requires a brand-new application.

2c is paid to the Township Clerk, and the application must include the Camden County certificates of inspection and operator registration as supporting documents. The county side of the scheme, run by the Camden County Public Health Coordinator, requires a floor-plan review, a pre-opening inspection, and periodic compliance inspections, plus a physician's medical certificate confirming the operator is free of contagious disease; county fees for plan review, inspection and registration are set separately by the Camden County Board. 3 sets conduct rules: no one may tattoo or pierce a person under eighteen without written parental or guardian consent witnessed by the operator, records for minors must be kept two years past the client's eighteenth birthday, an operator must refuse anyone who appears under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and every client's application, ID verification and design or piercing location must be documented and retained for at least two years.

4 adds sanitary standards, including a client-accessible bathroom with hot and cold running water at every facility and a dedicated hand-washing sink at each work station, subject to Camden County Health Department inspection.