Conroe, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

, Health and Safety Code ch. 146," the state law that licenses tattoo studios and technicians through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Before tattooing or piercing a client, the service provider must require a "valid, government issued, positive identification card" that shows a photograph and a printed date of birth; a driver's license, passport, or military ID all qualify. Section 18-1(b) then requires the provider to photocopy that identification and keep the copy with the client's other records for at least two years after the last service performed for that client, and to make the records available for inspection whenever a public health official or law enforcement officer asks.

The ordinance exists to keep minors from getting tattooed or pierced without the age verification the state licensing law requires, and to give investigators a paper trail if a complaint arises. Because Chapter 146 already licenses the studio and sets sanitation, equipment sterilization, and minimum-age standards at the state level, Conroe's own ordinance adds only this narrow recordkeeping duty rather than a separate local shop permit; a shop operating under a valid Chapter 146 license and following § 18-1's ID and retention rules meets both the state and city requirements.