Sacramento County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Sacramento County Environmental Management Department
- State basis
- Cal. H&S Code §§ 119300-119328, Safe Body Art Program
- Permit types
- Facility, mobile, temporary, event sponsor
- Major remodel trigger
- Over 50% of facility remodeled
- Delinquency
- 30 days after billing, 10% charge added
- Appeal deadline
- 15 days from service of decision
Summary
Tattoo, piercing and other body art businesses in unincorporated Sacramento County must register and pay annual regulatory fees to the Environmental Management Department under County Code Chapter 6.99. Practitioners, facility owners, mobile operators and temporary event sponsors each pay a separate fee tied to California's Safe Body Art Program statute.
§ 6.99.436. Body Art Fees. The regulatory program fees for a Safe Body Art Program as prescribed in California Health and Safety Code Sections 119300 through 119328 shall be established pursuant to Section 6.99.170 for the following: A. Annual Fees. 1. Practitioner registration; 2. Practitioner registration (facility owner/operator); 3. Body art facility permit; 4. Mobile body art facility permit. B. Fees Per Event. 1. Temporary body art facility permit; 2. Body art event sponsor permit. ... § 6.99.445. Collection. ... A fee which is owing and unpaid shall become delinquent 30 calendar days following the date of mailing by the County Director of the billing. A delinquency charge in an amount of 10% of the outstanding invoice balance shall be applied and collectable from the parties responsible for the delinquent invoices. ... § 6.99.450. ... Any such appeal shall be in writing ... and shall be filed with the Director not later than 15 days after the date of service of any such decision. If an appeal is not filed within the time ... the right to review shall be deemed to have been waived.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4941150; v18 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
436 sets the fee structure for the county's Safe Body Art Program, which implements California Health and Safety Code §§ 119300-119328. Annual fees apply to practitioner registration, practitioner registration for a facility owner/operator, a body art facility permit, and a mobile body art facility permit; per-event fees apply to a temporary body art facility permit and a body art event sponsor permit. 438. 439 instead of the full facility permit. 170, so the code lists fee categories rather than dollar figures. 445. The county does not restate sanitation, sterilization or minor-consent standards locally; those substantive health protections come directly from the state Safe Body Art Act sections the fee schedule cites.
Violations & Fines
An unpaid fee becomes delinquent 30 calendar days after the County Director mails the billing, triggering a 10% delinquency charge on the outstanding balance plus any court, collection and handling costs the County incurs recovering it (§ 6.99.445). Under § 6.99.450 the County Director may deny, suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a body art permit or license whenever fees are unpaid and delinquent. A denial, suspension or revocation may be appealed in writing to the hearing authority within 15 days of service of the decision; missing that window waives the right to review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a tattoo shop in unincorporated Sacramento County need a county permit?
Do I need a new plan review if I remodel my studio?
What happens if I don't pay my body art facility fees?
Can I appeal if the county revokes my body art permit?
Is ear piercing with a stud gun regulated the same way as tattooing?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento County
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