Costa Mesa, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Chapter VI of Title 8 governs every tattooing establishment operating within Costa Mesa, and Section 8-136 defines a 'tattooing establishment' as the premises used for marking or coloring skin with tattoos, along with all furnishings, instruments, dyes, inks and equipment kept there. Section 8-137 sets the baseline facility standard: running hot and cold water, adequate toilet facilities, floors swept and mopped within the preceding 24 hours, operating tables built of metal with a white enamel, porcelain or stainless steel finish, and lighting or ventilation that meets a standard the health officer prescribes.

No tattooing establishment may double as a sleeping room or dormitory. Section 8-138 requires proprietors to disclose the source of every dye or ink to the health officer on request and to report any new supplier in writing; dyes from a disapproved source cannot be kept on hand. Section 8-139 governs sterilization of pigments, dyes and equipment: needles, tubes and similar items must be scrubbed clean, then autoclaved at a minimum of 15 pounds of pressure per square inch (251 degrees F) for at least 30 minutes, individually wrapped before sterilizing, and stored in a way that preserves sterility until use.

Stencils get their own protocol under Section 8-140: a soap-and-brush pre-clean, then a 30-minute soak design-side-down in 70% alcohol, followed by 30 minutes of air drying. The Orange County health officer periodically inspects every tattooing establishment in the city under Section 8-154, and the county board sets annual health service fees the proprietor or operator must pay directly to the county to cover that oversight.